This collection includes items related to the Phoenix and Philomathean Literary Societies, debates Watkins participated in, class notes, artifacts, a certificate, and a letter written to his mother while he was stationed in Cuba during the Spanish American War.
English
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Robert Edward Lee Watkins was born in Southampton County, Va. on December 27, 1868 to D. J. and Rebecca Moore Watkins. He graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1891 and studied law at the University of North Carolina. He served during the Spanish-American War as Second Lieutenant in Company I of the Fourth Virginia Regiment, retiring as Major on the staff of the Judge Advocate General. He served as mayor of the town of Franklin, Va. from 1900-1906 and served on the Town Council for a number of years. He was elected Commonwealth's Attorney of Southampton County in 1914 and held that office for nearly 20 years. He died on August 5, 1935.
0.70 Linear Feet
Acc. 1979.026
2016.029 was a gift from Emma Lovelace
Processed by Kim Sims, February 2016
Part of the Special Collections Research Center Repository