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The papers of George W. Smith (1814-1860), a merchant, justice of the peace, land agent, and presidential elector in the town of Ripley, Jackson County, West Virginia. There are also papers regarding other family members. The collection serves as a narrative and record of business, local politics, and social conditions in West Virginia before and after statehood. It includes business and personal correspondence, financial and legal papers, business and political ledgers, and ephemera. The majority of the business and personal correspondence in this collection consists of incoming letters to George W. Smith from his family and business associates. There are a few letters from Nehemiah Smith, a delegate in the Virginia Assembly, some of which discuss efforts to route a proposed turnpike from Staunton to Ripley (ca. 1833-1842); and letters from Confederate prisoners of war, six from Point Lookout prison in Maryland (1864-1865), and one from Elmira, New York (1864). See scope and content note for additional details.

Receipts for land, school, personal property, and road taxes in Kanawha and Putnam counties, 1863-1886 and 1898-1899; grade reports from the Wesleyan Female Institute, Staunton, Virginia, 1882, and from the Putnam County schools, 1904-1906; a printed souvenir list of the students and teacher at the intermediate school, Poca; two manuscript poems concerning the medical profession, 1879-1880; and other items. Index and table of contents are available in the 17th volume.

Family history, autobiographical sketch, account books of farming operations in Putnam County, West Virginia, 1894-1934, and articles and pamphlets written by a state agricultural leader, founder of the state Grange, and national Grange representative in Washington. Atkeson also played a leading role in the development of the West Virginia University Agricultural College at Morgantown where he was a professor for many years.