Duke University Archives. Collection description
Extent: 2 flat boxes (3.0 linear ft.)
History: Born in Wythe County, Virginia June 10, 1825 or 1826, Gannaway received his education at Emory and Henry College, graduating in 1847. For the next nine years, he directed Floyd Institute in Virginia. He accepted a teaching position in Germantown, North Carolina and but in 1857 was appointed Professor of Latin, Greek, and natural philosophy at Trinity College in Randolph County. He served as President pro tem during the absence of Braxton Craven in 1864-1865, and as Treasurer of the Faculty in 1882/83. He remained in the College's employ until it moved to Durham in 1892, when he retired from teaching. He kept his home and farm in Randolph County, dying there in either 1902 or 1911.
Contents: Grade books, 1869, 1873 (2), 1887, and n.d. Account books, 1853-1899. 20 vols. These consist of personal account books (Gannaway, like many other teachers, was also a working farmer) and College account books. They have not been separated. Report to the Trustees, 1864. Miscellaneous memoranda, receipts, financial records, and notes, and a small amount of correspondence, including a letter from E.F. Finch in 1888 that concerns the financial affairs of Charles Heitman and their effects on Trinity. Of particular interest is a daybook, 1853-1877, which contains accounts of books and other educational supplies purchased by women students in 1853. This section may date from Gannaway's tenure at Floyd Institute in Virginia (ca. 1845-1853).
Related material: Penn W. Green Papers, Special Collections Library, Duke University. There is a reference (not located) to a Gannaway's School in Virginia. See also A. J. Morrison, Beginnings of Public Education in Virginia.