Thomas Conrad (1821-1880) and his partner, Albert G. ("China") Clarke, opened a general hardware and merchandise store in Virginia City, Idaho Territory, in July 1864. The store was stocked with merchandise the partners had brought with them from Missouri. Conrad may have served as mayor of Virginia City for a short time. Clarke was occupied with his cattle and mining interests, leaving Conrad responsible for the store. In February 1865, the firm of Clarke and Conrad moved to Helena, eventually becoming one of the leading mercantile concerns in the city. Successive changes in the partnership were reflected in the alterations in the firm's name: in 1869, it was known as Clarke, Conrad and Miller; shortly thereafter, the company was called Clarke, Conrad and Curtin. During Conrad's stay in Montana, his wife, Mary Ivory Conrad, and daughter, Martha (Mattie), remained in St. Joseph, Missouri, and Conrad himself returned there in 1876. During a brief visit back to Helena in May 1880, he became ill, returned to St. Joseph, and died there in September 1880 at the age of fifty-nine.
Papers. 1857-1899. .6 linear foot. The collection contains biographical and genealogical material, Thomas's letters to his family in Missouri (1857-1880), legal documents, financial records, and writings. In addition, there is a Mary Ivory Conrad Subgroup containing incoming correspondence from her brothers during the Civil War. Pioneer life in Montana Territory is detailed by Thomas Conrad's descriptions of Virginia City and Helena.
Arranged by subgroup and series
Collection open for research.
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical Society. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collection. In some cases permission for use may require additional authorization from the copyright owners. For more information contact an archivist.
Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Research Center, Archives, Helena, Montana.
Acquisition information available upon request
Photographs separated to Photo Archives. Artifacts separated to Museum. See lists of separated material in collection.
Portions same as MF 312.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the Montana Historical Society Archives catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search under these terms.
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection