Restrictions on Access

No restrictions on access or use for research purposes.

Ownership and Custodial History

This collection of papers was given to the History Department at Longwood by Simkins' wife, Margaret Simkins, in the late 1970s. The papers were housed in the History Department until the summer of 1994 when under the direction of history professor Richard Couture they were transferred to the library.

Biographical sketch

Francis Butler Simkins was a professor of history at Longwood from 1928 to 1966. During his years at Longwood, he was also an energetic researcher and prolific author. He wrote two books on Ben Tillman, The Tillman Movement in South Carolina (1926) and Pitchfork Ben Tillman (1944). He also wrote two books with co-authors, South Carolina during Reconstruction (1932) with Robert H. Woody, and The Women of the Confederacy (1936) with James W. Patton. Additionally, with other historians and authors he wrote a school history of Virginia. His college text, A History of the South (3rd ed., 1963) was widely used. Some of his essays were collected in The Everlasting South (1963). Dr. Simkins passed away in 1996.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Historians -- Virginia.
• Simkins, Francis Butler, 1897-1966.

Summary

This collection consists of 23 boxes of materials related to the life and career of Dr. Francis Butler Simkins. Included in the collection are correspondence, writings, personal and biographical materials and a collection of miscellaneous materials. The collection is divided into the following series: Correspondence, Manuscripts, Personal and Biographical, and Miscellaneous.