Dr. Julia Smith and family
289 Photographs and .50 linear feet of documents
A1978-007; A1981-079; A1985-068; A1985-068.AD1; A2011-038; A2015-064
1890-1945 (unknown)
The Donor, Dr. Julia Smith is a retired professor of Language and Literature at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. Her photo collections includes primarily members of her Dr. Smith's mother's family. Her father appears in some, but not many. Mrs. Smith's paternal grandmother, Florencia Leal Garcia, was a direct descendant of Juan Leal, one of the Canary Islanders who established the first civilian settlement in San Antonio in 1731. A family tree is in the Donor File under Julia Smith. There is a Hebbronville connection which is through Mrs. Smith's maternal grandmother, Juliana Guerra Montalvo. Her husband, Francisco Montalvo, received a Mexican land grant around 1830 in the Hebbronville area then known as Las Viboras Ranch. Photos are of Nicolas Garcia, who was the son of Florencia and Jose Garcia y Villarreal, and Porfirio, Alberto, Benjamin, Jose, Rosa, Florencia, and Zulema. Zulema, a concert pianist who married J.J. Olsen. The photos of the Olsen family include some from Sweden. Beatriz Garcia, daughter of Mrs. Garcia's brother, Joe, married Homer Martinez of Hebbronville. Other children of Nicolas and Felicitas Garcia include Toribio, Ocampo, Connie, Florence and Yolanda. George L. Smith was the son of Amalia Villarreal of Cuba and Mauricio Smith (originally Schmidt) of Austrian background. In San Antonio Mr. Smith worked for the Ford dealer shown in one photo and later for CP&L when that company handled San Antonio utilities.
The collection includes 289 photos and a very limited number of documents, including some letters to Mrs. George Smith, birth and marriage certificates, and misc. receipts. The materials have been in the possession of Dr. Smith and/or her mother’s family members since their creation. They were given in stages to the Archives by Dr. Smith in the period from 1985 through 2015. The photos, dating from the late 1800s to the middle 1900s were digitized and the originals given back to Dr. Smith.
The collection consists of two series:
Series I: Photographs
Series II: Personal Documents
South Texas Archives, James C. Jernigan Library, Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Open for Research
Permission to publish, reproduce, distribute, or use by any and all other current or future developed methods or procedures must be obtained in writing from South Texas Archives, James C. Jernigan Library, Texas A&M University-Kingsville. All rights are reserved and retained regardless of current or future development or laws that may apply to fair use standards.
Garcia-Smith Family Collection, A1978-007.XXXX, South Texas Archives, James C. Jernigan Library, Texas A&M University-Kingsville
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A1978-007 Gift of Dr. Julia Smith,A1981-079 Gift of Dr. Julia Smith,A1985-068 Gift of Dr. Julia Smith,A2011-038 Gift of Dr. Julia Smith,A2015-064 Gift of Dr. Julia Smith
A1978-007 Processed by Jimmie R. Picquet,A1981-079 Processed by Jim Powers,A1985-068 Processed by Maxine Adam,A2011-038 Processed by Juan Duran,A2015-64 Processed by Lori Atkins,Finding Aid created by Lori Atkins, EAD Document created by Matt Tallant and Daniel Thacker in 2016