David G. Smith was a Civil War veteran who settled in Cheyenne sometime between the end of the war and his marriage to Christina White in Cheyenne in 1877.

The collection includes a small volume titled “Personal Military and Civil History,” designed as a keepsake in which to record biographical information, and apparently intended for use by Civil War veterans. The book was sparsely used by Mr. Smith, but includes some personal documentation, including a “Certificate of Record” outlining Mr. Smith’s Civil War record, with brief highlights of postwar activities. It also includes photographs of Mr. Smith and his wife, Christina, and daughter, Emma.

Other items in the collection include three poems apparently written by David G. Smith, Christina Smith’s obituary, a list of members of Company K, 66th Illinois Infantry in which Smith served, and a poem written by L.G. Wilson titled “One Christmas.” All poems were typewritten.