The Edward Jacob Forney Papers date from 1911 to 1957 and contain correspondence, financial documents, clippings, photographs, scrapbook material and biographical information. Many of the items were removed from a series of scrapbooks compiled by Forney, probably after he retired. Many of the letters were written to Forney or to the Alumnae Association and pay tribute to Forney's contributions to education, especially in the Commercial Department. As a charter member of the faculty, Forney's reminiscences document some of the very early days of the school. Most of the reminiscences have been printed in newspapers or the UNCG Alumnae News.

Among the miscellaneous items are Forney's account of typing Governor Fowles speech in 1891; an article about riding the Silver Meteor in 1939; and material regarding the accounting methods, developed by Forney, used to establish the state's budget and accounting system.