OXFORD, Miss. – Preserving the past is often a relay effort
from one generation to the next. Such was the case for
former Memphian Nancy Martin, who has donated a collection
of artifacts circa 1800s to the University of Mississippi.
The Smith Collection, including original land deeds signed
by two former presidents and Civil War love letters,
belonged to Martin’s uncle James Warders Smith Jr. They
were found at his Memphis home following his death there
Jan. 7, 2006, at age 80.
A Clarksdale native, Smith enjoyed an illustrious life in
academia and taught for 22 years at City College of New
York. Upon retirement, he moved to Memphis to be close to
his sister, Mignon Smith Martin, and her family, including
daughter Nancy and son George B. Martin III.
The land deeds and letters were found in poor condition,
said his niece. “This was so typical of Uncle Ward’s
behavior,” she said. “He would collect and save very fine
and valuable books, photos, pictures, et cetera.
The Martin family had the artifacts restored, then decided
to donate them to UM’s J.D. Williams Library for
safekeeping.
“Mr. Smith was an extraordinary person whose collection
represents his varied interests,” said Jennifer Ford,
director of UM’s Department of Archives and Special
Collections. “These land deeds and letters are a
significant addition to our archives.”
“As a seventh-generation Mississippian, Uncle Ward would
like to have known that his donation would generate a love
for history, including the history of one’s family,” Martin
said.
Martin describes her uncle as having had an IQ that equaled
Einstein’s. His achievements included graduating as
valedictorian at Bobo High School, earning his bachelors
degree summa cum laude from Vanderbilt University,
completing master’s and doctoral degrees, becoming fluent
in six languages and being awarded a Fulbright
scholarship.
As a Fulbright scholar, Smith studied literature and French
at the University of Grenoble in France. He then did
graduate work at Columbia University, followed by a
teaching stint at Robert College in Istanbul, Turkey.
While teaching at CCNY, he spent many of his 22 summers
with his Memphis family. In retirement, he taught part time
at the University of Memphis. Smith said her uncle’s last
wish was granted when he was buried in Riverside Cemetery
in “his beloved Friars Point, Miss., the only place he ever
called ‘home.'”
For more information about the J.D. Williams Library, visit
http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/general?library/.