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Brigham Young Academy

 Organization

Dates

  • Existence: 1875 - 1903

Administrative History

Brigham Young Academy (1875-1903) was established by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints under the direction of Brigham Young for the instruction of church members in the area of Provo, Utah.

Brigham Young Academy was the predecessor to Brigham Young University and Brigham Young High School. Brigham Young saw the school as a place where all secular learning should be fused with teachings from the scriptures. Despite steady growth during its early years, the Academy was threatened by a series of financial and physical setbacks. With the help and sacrifice of Abraham O. Smoot, the campus moved in 1891 to new facilities on University Avenue in Provo Utah. The Academy's curriculum strengthened and enrollment grew. In 1903, the name was officially changed to Brigham Young University.

Brigham Young Academy principals included Warren N. Dusenberry (1876), Karl G. Maeser (1876-1892), and Benjamin Cluff (1892-1894). Benjamin Cluff also served as Academy president between 1894 and 1903.

Citation:
The Journal of pedagogy, Feb. 1895: t.p. (Brigham Young Academy)

BYU--national champions, 1985: intro. (Brigham Young University)

History of BYU (within Brigham Young University website), via WWW, 4 November 2010 (Brigham Young Academy established October 16, 1875 in Provo, Utah. Name changed to Brigham Young University in 1903. Sponsored by Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)

Provo City Library website, via WWW, Oct. 2, 2012 (Brigham Young Academy; founded in 1876; essentially a high school until 1896, with the founding of the College Dept.)

YFacts History of BYU, via WWW, viewed May 31, 2013 (Brigham Young Academy (1875-1903), Brigham Young saw the school as a place where all secular learning should be fused with teachings from the scriptures, despite steady growth during its early years, the Academy was threatened by a series of financial and physical setbacks, with the help and sacrifice of Abraham O. Smoot, the campus moved in 1891 to new facilities on University Avenue in Provo Utah, the Academy's curriculum strengthened and enrollment grew, 1903 the name was officially changed to Brigham Young University)

Yfacts BYU Presidents, via WWW, viewed Mar. 19, 2013 (Brigham Young Academy principals included Warren N. Dusenberry (1876), Karl G. Maeser (1876-1892), and Benjamin Cluff (1892-1903))

Brigham Young High School History, via WWW, viewed May 31, 2013 (Brigham Young Academy was the predecessor to Brigham Young University and Brigham Young High School)

Found in 6 Collections and/or Records:

J. Urban Allred diaries

 Item — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197230328988]
Identifier: MSS SC 2909
Scope and Contents Volume begins with autobiographical sketch concerning Allred's early life in Lehi, Utah. Diaries document his attendance at Brigham Young Academy, September 1892-May 1898; service as a Mormon missionary in Tennessee in the Southern States Mission, June 1898-July 1900; activities as a school teacher in Vernal, Utah, August 1900-May 1901; family life with Amelia May Hammond in Lehi, 1901-1910; and family life with Edna Bingham in Raymond, Alberta, and elsewhere, beginning in 1912. Diaries also...
Dates: 1892-1956

Milton H. Hardy diaries

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197230318666]
Identifier: MSS SC 1998
Scope and Contents

Two handwritten diaries and pasted in newsclippings. Many diary entries were made in short hand. The newsclippings relate to Hardy's discussions of religion and educational matters and to his attempts to harmonize religion and science. Hardy travelled through Europe in 1875 and was active in Utah educational matters upon his return.

Dates: 1875-1883

Elisha Jones papers

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS SC 2870
Scope and Contents Includes diary, notebook, and lecture report. Diary begins with ten-page reminiscence, 1858. Sporadic diary entries are dated 1858-1879. Notes, some dating as late as 1885 (after Elisha's death), interspersed throughout volume. Volume also includes two pages of minutes to a high priest's quorum meeting, 23 October 1860, presumably held in Sanpete County; and several pages listing family names. Notebook, without covers, contains financial entries dated about 1872-1880. Last item is a...
Dates: 1858-1880

Joseph B. Keeler family papers

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 2016
Scope and Contents

Includes journals, biographical sketches, correspondence, articles, lesson manuals, published and unpublished manuscripts, photographs, and ephemera. The bulk of the material was created by Joseph B. Keeler's descendants, who used his papers as they compiled their published family history, "Build Thee More Stately" (1989). The collection focuses on family history, religion, education, and professional organizations.

Dates: approximately 1840-1990

Julia Maria Jesperson Okelberry papers

 Collection — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197233637369]
Identifier: MSS 6034
Scope and Contents

Julia Maria Jesperson Okelberry papers include: Journals, 1881-1917; Photographs, ca. 1885-1941; and Family History and Genealogy, 1953-2005. The collection documents Okelberry's life in Goshen, Utah, as well as her student days at the Brigham Young Academy. Additional materials include family histories and genalogies compiled and prepared by Merrill J. Nelson, grandson of Julia Maria Jesperson Okelberry.

Dates: 1881-2005

A. O. Smoot papers

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 896
Scope and Contents The A. O. Smoot papers comprise the accumulation of records over the period of fifty-seven years and include journals, diaries, financial records and correspondence dealing with business, personal, church, and Brigham Young Academy matters. The letters are holograph and typewritten, the journals are in both the original handwritten form and xerox copies.The missionary journals were written by A.O. Smoot for the years of 1837 to 1838 and 1844 to 1845 while he was serving in the...
Dates: 1837-1894