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Smith was a Detroit, Mich. Jewish dentist, philanthropist, and Freemason who was involved with and supported the state Republican Party. He served as a Chairman of the Wayne County Delegation to the Republican Progressive League in 1928-1929 and served as a Wayne County Chief Deputy Clerk in the 1930s. Smith advised and corresponded with many Michigan Republican politicians, among them Senator Arthur H. Vandenberg and Michigan governor Fred W. Green, as well as judges, attorneys, physicians, and business people. The collection includes correspondence with Michigan Senator Arthur Vandenberg, Governor Fred W. Green, politicians Howard C. Lawrence and Seth Q. Pulver, Judge Charles Rubiner, among others, on various political topics and current political events. The collection also includes Smith's personal and business correspondence. Also materials relating to Smith's philanthropic and advocacy work for the Jewish community.

Correspondence constitutes the bulk of the materials. Letters written to Smith reflect on his political alliances, his role as a supporter and advisor to Michigan public officials, lawyers, judges, business people, as well as Smith's colleagues in the medical field. The collection includes numerous thank you letters and letters asking for his assistance in difficult situations concerning other people's careers. Also of note are two folders with correspondence relating to clemency appeal for two Michigan men convicted for murder in the first degree. The collection also contains materials related to Smith's business activities as well as his affiliation with the Freemasons. A small group of documents relates to Smith's brother Jacob.

Ed Beach was an amateur photographer whose photographs document his hometown of Howell, Michigan and historical sites in other Michigan communities. His collection consists of photographic negatives (with some prints) and albums with prints of historic plaques and markers, statues of famous statesmen and their gravesites, early school buildings, historic houses, gristmills, sawmills, and county courthouses.

The Ed Beach collection consists of photographic negatives (with some prints) and albums with prints of historic plaques and markers, statues of famous statesmen and their gravesites, early school buildings, historic houses, gristmills, sawmills, and county courthouses. Other subjects include tourist sites in Michigan (such as Greenfield Village or Mackinac Island) and state parks, especially those in the Upper Peninsula. His hometown of Howell, Michigan is also heavily documented.

The Beach collection is arranged into three series. In the Kodak series the negatives measure 2 3/4 by 4 1/2 inches in size and cover the years 1931 to 1948. The Leica series consists of 35-millimeter strips and were taken between the years 1936 and 1938. The third series consists of seven albums of carefully identified photographs.

An item-level listing of the contents of the Kodak and Leica series is available at the library. To aid researchers a geographic and subject index has been created and is attached to this finding aid. These indices provide the best introduction to the collection.

Beach created the photograph albums around broad topics, and each has a title. The albums include: "Michigan Historic Places," "Around Lake Erie in Ontario. Trip to Chicago Century of Progress," "Michigan Courthouses," "Michigan Ships, Monuments, Historic Places, Buildings, Creek Scenes," "Indian and Trail Markers," "Around Michigan: Historic Places, Buildings, Mills, Dams, Bridges, Masonic Buildings," and "Michigan Governors' Homes, Michigan Trees, Old Buildings of Michigan." The photos in the albums include Beach's negative number.