The collection contains family materials dating from the 1850s to the 2000s. There is correspondance between members of the Smith family from the late 1800s, as well as many letters detailing Seth W. Smith's search for information about his family in the 1990s. One notable set of letters are the "Civil War Letters" written by a Union soldier and member of the family.  In addition, there are documents about the sale of the Smith farm, records of weddings, and Lewis H. Smith's Earlham College transcript. Many members of the family wrote family histories, which are in included in the collection and give the other documents context. The collection also contains many photographs and photocopies of photographs, as well as numerous artifacts. Many of these date from the late 1800s. They include books, diaries, wallets, pillow cases, and buttons. There are also secondary sources compiled by Seth W. Smith M.D. that may shed light on the family as well as his process in researching his family history.