The Dawkins Family papers cover the period 1883 to 1931 with most of the material dated between 1912 and 1923. The collection consists of correspondence, diaries, newspaper clippings, and photographs.
Dates
1883-1931
Majority of material found within 1912-1923
Use and Access to Collection
This collection is open for research.
Duplication and Copyright Information
Photocopies of original materials may be provided for a fee and at the discretion of the curator. Please see our Duplication of Materials policy for more information. Queries regarding publication rights and copyright status of materials within this collection should be directed to the appropriate curator.
The Dawkins Family papers cover the period 1883 to 1931 with most of the material dated between 1912 and 1923. The collection consists of correspondence, diaries, newspaper clippings, and photographs.
Family History
Young Parran Dawkins (1820-1883) married Althea Elizabeth Dorsey (1824-1878) in 1842. Both were from well-known families in St. Mary's and Calvert counties, Maryland. They had five children: James Alexander Dawkins (1845-1920), Mary (1849-1850), Young Parran (1856-1899), Walter Ireland (1858-1936), and Eva (1864-1917). This collection consists primarily of correspondence from this generation of the Dawins family and the children of James and Mary Dawkins.
James Dawkins lived in Baltimore, where he was a partner in a tobacco sales business. For a few years before his death he was also a police magistrate. A life-long Democrat, he was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1903 and was re-elected to an unprecedented sixth term in 1913. He married twice. Following the death of his first wife, Melissa Polk Bryant (1845-1875), and their son, James (1875-1876), he married Mary Lizzie Deming (1857-1923) of Norfolk, Virginia, in 1881. She was the daughter of Edward C. and Frances Deming and had seven siblings, five of whom survived her: Joseph, Portius, Anna, Lucy, and Walter Burrell.
James and Mary had three children: Francis Althea (1884-1965), Young Parran (1887-?), and Mary Deming (1889-1967). Frances was a school teacher; she never married. Young married Betty ? (1887-1973) in 1914 and they had one son, Young Parran (1916-1988). Mary married Herbert S. Michael (1881-1967) in 1909. They had two children: Mary Francis (1914-?) and Herbert Jr. (1921-1923).
Walter Ireland Dawkins was an associate judge of the Supreme Bench, Baltimore City, 1911-1934; he never married. Eva married James Steed Edelen (1858-?) of Prince George’s County, Maryland; they had no children.
Arrangement
The collection is organized into four series.
Series 1
Correspondence
Series 2
Diaries
Series 3
Newspaper Clippings
Series 4
Photographs
Custodial History and Acquisition Information
The University of Maryland Libraries acquired this collection in 1972.
Processing Information
The papers were placed in acid-free folders and stored in acid-free boxes.
