Publications

The Smith Family Papers contain materials related to the life and military service of Commander Xavier Martin Smith, USNRF, and his wife, Mary Bartol Smith. This collection includes personal documents, correspondence, greeting cards, invitations, photographs, postcards, newspapers, military documents, and oversized materials. Additionally, this collection contains a substantial amount of legal, financial, and personal documents related to James Bartol, an auditor for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and uncle to Mary Bartol Smith.

The correspondence in this collection consists primarily of letters between Mary Bartol Smith and Xavier Martin Smith, which were written to stay in contact while he was deployed with the United States Navy. Additional correspondence featured within this collection includes letters to and from Commander Xavier Martin Smith, letters to and from Mary Bartol Smith, and letters to and from James Bartol.   

A substantial portion of this collection consists of V-mail letters addressed to Xavier Martin Smith from his wife Mary Bartol Smith. These V-mails portray Mary Bartol Smith’s day-to-day experience living in the continental United States and send her love and affection to her husband serving as an officer with the United States Navy Reserve Force in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater. Additional V-mails from family members and friends addressed to Xavier Martin Smith have been included in this portion of the collection.  

The postcards in this collection include locations of images worldwide, including various roadside hotels throughout the continental United States, a postcard from Cheyenne, Colorado, and European landmarks.  

Photographs and negatives in this collection include images from the United States’ Homefront. These images feature Xavier Martin Smith and Mary Bartol Smith alongside various unidentified individuals and places throughout the United States.  

Also included in this collection are state maps, local pamphlets, greeting cards, and invitations addressed to members of the Smith family collected by members of the Smith family.   

Lastly, this collection contains published materials related to The Fredericksburg Radio Post and The U.S.S. Keokuk Radio Press News. Oversized material within this collection features newspaper issues of The Radio Post, Truax Field, and the Sheppard Field Texacts.