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[identification of item], [box #, folder #], Elmer L. Smith Papers, 20th century, SC 0166, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va.
Donated by John G. Stewart, former colleague of Elmer L. Smith, in October of 2001.
In order to streamline the process of applying collection numbers, Special Collections staff completed a large-scale renumbering campaign in 2017-2018.
Elmer L. Smith was born in 1920 in Newark, New Jersey. He earned a B.S. from Florida Southern College in 1946, an M.A. from Western Reserve University in 1948, and a Ph.D. from Syracuse University in 1956. From 1948-1958 he served as chairman of the Department of Sociology at Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania and in 1958, he became James Madison University's Director of the Social Sciences Division. Smith was one of the founders of the Shenandoah Valley Folklore Society. He conducted research and interviews to document the folk culture of the Shenandoah Valley until his death in 1981. Smith also published a wide variety of books and papers, many of which are available at the Blue Ridge Institute in Ferrum, Virgina.
The Elmer Lewis Smith Papers, 20th century, consist of six folders of notes and drafts, written and compiled by Elmer L. Smith, on folk superstitions, ghosts, conjuring, powwowing, folk healing, and holiday superstitions in the Shenandoah Valley.
Some of these subjects include proposed tables of contents and book or article layouts and drawings. The notes appear to be from a variety of secondary sources and interviews. Many of the notes and drafts have been edited by hand. According to John G. Stewart, Smith's former partner and the donor of this collection, these materials were never published.
The collection is arranged topically in six folders.
John G. Stewart Papers, 1761-2002 (bulk 1953-1973), SC 0157, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va.