Van Lear, Jake. Letters, 1886-1888. 11 items. Location: MISC:V. Farm boy from Virginia working as an apprentice bookkeeper and copy clerk for his uncle, H. K. Cochran, a merchandise broker and dealer in oils, in Little Rock, Arkansas. Letters to Van Lear's brother Charles, a farmer in Virginia. Van Lear describes his journey by train from Virginia to Arkansas; the people, social customs, and climate of Little Rock; his daily office routine and duties in his uncle's business; occasional hunting trips in the area; his relationship with his relatives; and the eyestrain from which he frequently suffers. Mss. 1638.