Gwaltney General Information

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Gwaltneys and Higher Education

The Gwaltney family has its share of farmers, lawyers, business people, real estate agents, law enforcement, ministers, and other occupations, but one occupation that seems to stand out among the Gwaltney family in America is the field of education. There are a great number of individuals in the Gwaltney family who have or are currently working in public education as teachers and administrators. But the Gwaltneys have had their impact upon higher education also.  Luther Rice Gwaltney (born 1830) was the founder and first president of Shorter College in Rome, GA. He later became president of Judson Female College in Marion, AL.  William Robert Gwaltney of North Carolina and a Confederate Chaplain turned down the opportunity to teach at Wake Forest so that he could pursue Christian ministry, but later was on the Board of Trustees at Wake Forest.

I am also aware of the following who have taught or are currently teaching at the following universities:

*Dr. Jack Gwaltney--professor, researcher, and medical doctor at the University of Virginia-Charlottesville

*Dr. Thomas Gwaltney--Eastern Michigan University

*Dr. Larry Gwaltney--Wichita State University (KS)

*Dr. Chad Gwaltney--Brown University (RI)

*Dr. Steve Gwaltney--Mississippi State

*Dr. Kevin Gwaltney--Kennesaw State (GA)

*Dr. Darrell Gwaltney--Dean of Religion School at Belmont University (TN)

*Herb Gwaltney--Benedictine College (KS)

*Jack Vernon Gwaltney--John Tyler Community College (VA)

*Dr. Danny Rogers Gwaltney--Catawba Technical College (NC)

*Dr. James D. Gwartney--Florida State University

Please contact me with your questions or your family tree information by emailing jbkoonce@hotmail.com

Tidbits

1. The three highest concentrations of Gwaltneys have been in Surry and Isle of Wight counties in Virginia; southeastern IL and southwestern areas of IN (in the Evansville, IN region); and in the Alexander/Iredell counties' area of North Carolina. However, in the last 50 years, the population of Gwaltneys in those areas has begun to dwindle. This is due to the younger generations moving off and also a decease in the number of Gwaltney babies being borned. Just as the Gwaltney family has scattered all over the U.S., so have the Gwaltney-derivative families. The Gwatneys ended up settling in the Conway, AR area. The Gortneys were found in the Smoky Mountains of western North Carolina; the Gwartneys moved into IN, IL, and KS, while the Gaultneys settled in  GA, NC and TN primarily.

2.A substantial number of Gwaltneys moved to California from Arkansas, Missouri, and Illinois during the first part of the 20th century. This was due to the opportunity to improve one's life. While CA and FL have high a high number of Gwaltneys', the Gwaltney population is not highly concentrated in those states and Gwaltneys are quite scattered.