Skip to main content

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 44 Collections and/or Records:

Polysophical Society records

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197231027233]
Identifier: UA 84
Scope and Contents

Includes minutes of the Polysophical Society 1892-1895; souvenir copies of the first Society meeting agenda; and several handwritten notes.

Dates: 1884-1939; Majority of material found within 1892-1895

Polysophical Society records

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197231035962]
Identifier: UA 226
Scope and Contents

Contains meeting minutes, programs, membership records, and party invitations. Also includes a brief history and correspondence from Herald R. Clark to Ernest L. Wilkinson concerning Polysophical Society as forerunner of lyceum course.

Dates: 1880-1895

Preparatory Department records

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197231035806]
Identifier: UA 235
Scope and Contents

Contains handwritten faculty meeting minutes with a partial typewritten transcript.

Dates: 1892-1898

President's Council records

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197231035111]
Identifier: UA 194
Scope and Contents

Contains original handwritten minutes and loose-leaf pages concerning role of President's Council, faculty, courses taught, and hours per week taught, 1898-1902. A bound, typewritten transcript is also included.

Dates: 1898-1902

Redd family papers

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197232491073]
Identifier: MSS 678
Scope and Contents

Photocopies of handwritten and typewritten materials. Most of the items were collected by the descendants of Lemuel Hardison Redd (1856-1923). Included in the collection are minutes of a Redd family meeting, a biography of Eliza M. Partridge Lyman, a list of persons buried in Bluff, Utah, from 1880 to 1951, correspondence of family members, two patriarchal blessings given by Hyrum Smith, and an essay by John Redd, a student at the Brigham Young Academy in Provo, Utah.

Dates: 1844-1966

Social Party Committee minutes

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197231012201]
Identifier: UA 342
Scope and Contents

Contains minutes of a social committee planning a party for Brigham Young Academy students in January 1878. Includes a transcript.

Dates: 1878 January 18

Student Loan Association of Utah records

 Collection — Box 1: [Barcode: 31197231020477]
Identifier: UA 458
Scope and Contents

Contains minutes of directors meeting, articles of agreement, licenses, correspondence, financial records, and applications for loans, 1891-1932. Also includes a handwritten letter from George Q. Cannon requesting balance information for Lilian H. Cannon (see folder 3).

Dates: 1891-1932

Sunday School minute books and annual reports

 Collection
Identifier: UA 200
Scope and Contents

Contains minute books for the Brigham Young Academy Sunday School program, including attendance rosters and notes on officers, instructors, speakers, and class topics. Also contains two annual financial and statistical reports for the year end of 1901 and 1902. Materials are dated 1893-1902.

Dates: 1893-1902

Sunday School minutes

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: UA 358
Scope and Contents

Contains minutes of the Brigham Young Academy and Brigham Young University Church Sunday Schools, 1902-1913.

Dates: 1902-1913

Theological Organization minutes and references

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197231036721]
Identifier: UA 238
Scope and Contents

Collection includes theological minutes and references.

Dates: 1879