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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 5 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

Sarah Martin Allred Hunt papers

 File — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 3219
Scope and Contents

Collection consists of photographs collected by Sarah M. Allred when she was a student at Brigham Young Academy. The collection is unique in that all of the photographs are of women. Also contains a photocopy of Sarah M. Allred's diary covering the period when she was a student at the Academy.

Dates: 1893-1894

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

Frank Warren Smith papers

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 302
Scope and Contents Diary; correspondence to and from presidents of Brigham Young Academy; other correspondence; family genealogy; newspaper clippings; mementos; programs; articles by Smith on evolution, politics, and religion; financial records; chemistry papers and notes; and miscellaneous items. The materials relate primarily to Smith's work as a chemist and his association with the Brigham Young Academy in Provo, Utah. The collection also includes several photographs of family and friends as well as of...
Dates: 1889-1908