» Avery Normal Institute Student and Teacher Listings, 1865-1954
Written by Lauren Curry, College of Charleston, 23′
The Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture receives countless requests from researchers looking for information about family members who may have attended or taught at the Avery Normal Institute. Over the last year, the Avery Research Center’s interns and undergraduate assistants have compiled two extensive listings: one of the Avery Normal Institute’s former students and one of its former teachers to support researchers in this area. These lists are categorized by year and span from the school’s opening in 1865 until its closing in 1954, they include teacher and graduate names together with a list of the archival collections where the information was sourced.
Avery intern Adam Del Valle began compiling the list of students in the summer of 2022. Avery undergraduate assistant Anne Spong expanded on and reformatted the list over the 2022-2023 academic school year. With assistance from Avery’s undergraduate assistant, Lauren Curry, the project was expanded yet again to include the teacher listing.
The student list is organized by graduating class. Each sheet contains the names of the students who graduated that spring. Researchers can select a year at the bottom of the spreadsheet. Each corresponding page lists the students in that year’s graduating class as well as notes about their achievements at the Avery Normal Institute and the source of the information therein.
The teacher list is organized by school year. Each sheet contains the names of the teachers who taught at Avery during that year (fall-spring); teachers may be listed on several sheets—one for each year they taught at Avery. After selecting the correct school year at the bottom of the page, researchers will find a list of teachers who taught during that year, additional information about their position, and the archival materials where they are mentioned.
These lists will reduce the time Avery’s archival staff spends sifting through records to answer research requests regarding Avery Normal Institute students and teachers.