Lincoln, Nebraska 68505
March 17, 1972
I almost said "Bill," so glad was I to hear from you. And I want to thank you at once for the letter written by my father Nicholas is 1910. I did not see my father after the year 1890 and your letter was indeed a voice out of the past.
I take it that you were named after your Uncle William who was one of the older Neihart boys. I think he was as old as my grandfather on the maternal side. At any rate several of the boys were. There were 17 children in all, most of them boys. My father told me that William, presumably your uncle, was killed in Mexico and that $1500 was found on his person. Do you know anything about this?
My mother was especially fond of your father Jonas. She used to tell me about how kind he was to her when she was a frightened little bride visiting at the Coal City home. Grandma Neihart, as you may know, liked boys much better than girls and I fear she was not especially kind to my mother.
I have somewhere among my papers the record of my descent for several generations and if I find it I will send you a copy. In the meanwhile I wish you would tell me a little bit more about your family. Since you must have access to Who's Who in America I wish you would look me up in it. and It gives a good deal about my life and activities.
This is a very poor letter, I realize, but I will try to write you a better one when I have heard from you again. At present I am busy writing my autobiography. The first volume dealing with boybood and youth will appear in the fall of this year. It will be published by Harcourt Brace Ivanovich . It occurs to me that you may be able to find a copy of my BLACK ELK SPEAKS most anywhere in drugstores or wherever paperback books are for sale. Of course you can find all of my works in the Indiana University.
John G. Neihardt
