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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 11 Collections and/or Records:

Joseph W. Booth diaries and poems

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 155
Scope and Contents

Handwritten diaries and poems. These journals were kept from 1885 to 1928 when Booth was in Alpine, Utah, at the Brigham Young Academy in Provo, Utah, and in Turkey and Armenia as a missionary and as mission president.

Dates: 1885-1916

Benjamin Cluff diaries

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 1667
Scope and Contents

Contains four diaries and their respective transcripts covering the period from 1881-1909 and detailing Cluff's time as a student at Brigham Young Academy and the University of Michigan, as well as his subsequent appointment as President of the Academy. Also describes his activities and experiences as a plantation owner in Tabasco, Mexico.

Dates: 1881-1909

Abel Alexander Dewitt collection

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 2281
Scope and Contents Contains two holograph missionary journals (April 16-November 14, 1903 and November 15, 1903-April 21,1904) kept by DeWitt on his mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Oklahoma and nearby states. Also included are two holograph journals (July 29, 1897-November 30, 1900 and 1901-1906) and an autograph book (1900-1901) kept by his wife, Ruth Leila Kempe DeWitt. The collection also contains photocopies and transcriptions of the volumes.Also contains a...
Dates: 1897-1914

Charles Love Flake diary

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197230307966]
Identifier: MSS SC 982
Scope and Contents Photocopies of typescript journal which was transcribed from the holograph original by Albert J. Levine. Flake was born in Beaver, Utah but spent most of his life in Arizona. He attended Brigham Young Academy in Provo, Utah and served as a missionary for the Mormon Church in Mississippi (1883-1885). He supplied lumber to the Woodruff Co-op store and carried mail from Holbrook, Arizona to Ft. Apache.He was murdered in 1892(??). His brother, Oz Flake, gave an account of...
Dates: 1881-1892

From the halls of memory

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197230305507]
Identifier: MSS SC 798
Scope and Contents

Photocopy of typescript. Author discusses his family's British roots; their acceptance of Mormonism while living in Birmingham, England, and their immigration to the United States. Tolton also describes his experiences during the Black Hawk War (Utah) and frontier life in Utah. His account goes into great detail about his involvement in territorial and state politics, his business ventures, family life, and his mission to Great Britain for the Mormon Church.

Dates: 1931

Joseph W. Booth diaries and poems, 1885-1928

 Series — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 155 Series 3
Scope and Contents From the Collection:

Handwritten diaries and poems. These journals were kept from 1885 to 1928 when Booth was in Alpine, Utah, at the Brigham Young Academy in Provo, Utah, and in Turkey and Armenia as a missionary and as mission president.

Dates: 1885-1928

Joseph W. Booth poetry, 1885-1921

 Series — Box 3: Series 1; Series 2 [Barcode: 31197230364678]
Identifier: MSS 155 Series 2
Scope and Contents

Contains poetry produced by Booth, dated from between 1885 and 1921.

Dates: 1885-1921

Francis W. Kirkham diaries

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 772
Scope and Contents Handwritten diaries. Kirkham describes his early life before starting his diaries in 1893. In the first volume, Kirkham writes about his education. The volumes numbered 2 through 13 were kept when he was serving on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New Zealand. These items contain accounts of his daily activities and extensive comments on the customs of the Maori people of New Zealand. The fourteenth volume tells about the completion of Kirkham's schooling and...
Dates: 1893-1902

Reinhard Maeser papers

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 1841
Scope and Contents

Correspondence, notes, speeches, certificates, poems, and miscellaneous items. The materials relate to Reinhard's missions for the Mormon Church, his teaching activities, and his relationship to his family. Correspondents include Karl G. Maeser and Reinhard's wife, Sarah Caroline Shepherd.

Dates: 1838-1944

Margaret Grace Greer Nuttall family papers

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 2070
Abstract

Diaries, photographs, and other papers of Margaret Greer Nuttall and her husband, William A. Nuttall. Includes autobiographical sketch of Margaret and papers relating to her activities as a student at Brigham Young Academy.

Dates: 1893-1976