Kelsey | |
|---|---|
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  Kelsey Location within the state of Texas | |
| Coordinates: 32°43′54″N95°2′58″W / 32.73167°N 95.04944°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Texas |
| County | Upshur |
Kelsey is an unincorporated area in Upshur County, Texas, United States that was the longest-lasting settlement founded by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the state. Now a ghost town, it has been called the "mother colony" of Latter-day Saint colonies in Texas. [1]
The origins of Kelsey go back to 1898. John Edgar—who had tried to settle in Mesa, Arizona, but had not succeeded—settled near Hopewell in Upshur County. In 1898, Edgar purchased land in what would become Kelsey. [2]
By 1901, there were nine Latter-day Saint families in Kelsey. On August 4, 1901, a Sunday School of the church was organized at Kelsey. [2] This same year, James G. Duffin, president of the Southwest States Mission of the church, received approval from the First Presidency for the building up of this settlement. [3] In 1902, Abraham O. Woodruff and Duffin laid out the townsite for Kelsey. [3]
A post office was established at Kelsey in 1902. By 1906, Kelsey had about 400 inhabitants. [3]
In 1907, the Kelsey School District was formed. In 1911, a two-story brick schoolhouse was built. The first gymnasium in East Texas, named Bennion Hall after mission president Samuel O. Bennion, was completed at Kelsey in 1929. [2]
By 1910 the population had risen to 527. In 1923, the population peaked at 750. [2] Families gathered to Kelsey from throughout the southern United States and even on rare occasions from other parts of the United States.
Kelsey was a stop on the Marshall and East Texas Railway. Kelsey was Milepost 24.8 on the M&ET. The railroad built a branch line to Kelsey to facilitate the loading of such products as strawberries, cantaloupes and corn that were grown in the community. [2]
During the 1930s, Kelsey farmers provided food to the oil workers in Kilgore and Gladewater, Texas. [2] In 1943, the school in Kelsey was closed and after that students were bussed to Gilmer, Texas. [2] In 1951, a new church was built in Kelsey. [2]
Upshur County is a county located in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,892. The county seat is Gilmer. The county is named for Abel P. Upshur, who was U.S. Secretary of State during President John Tyler's administration.
Brigham Henry Roberts was a historian, politician, and leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He edited the seven-volume History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and independently wrote the six-volume Comprehensive History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Roberts also wrote Studies of the Book of Mormon—published posthumously—which discussed the validity of the Book of Mormon as an ancient record. Roberts was denied a seat as a member of United States Congress because of his practice of polygamy.
Adam Samuel Bennion was a leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Born in Taylorsville, Utah Territory, Bennion received degrees from the University of Utah, Columbia University, and the University of California. He also studied at the University of Chicago. He became a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on April 9, 1953, filling a vacancy created by the death of John A. Widtsoe.
Brigham Young Jr. served as president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1899 until his death. His tenure was interrupted for one week in 1901 when Joseph F. Smith was the president of the Quorum.
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Milton Bennion was an American educator and a university and educational administrator.
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Levi Edgar Young was a general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was one of the seven presidents of the Seventy from 1909 until his death. He has been associated with the release of the 1832 account of Joseph Smith's First Vision, which was previously not widely known. Aside from his service in the Seventy, Young served as president of various LDS Church missions. Young received a master's degree from Columbia University in history and was a professor of history at the University of Utah.
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Brigham City is a ghost town in Navajo County, Arizona, United States. Founded by member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints near the present city of Winslow in 1876, it was one and one-half miles north of Winslow's current city center, along the Little Colorado River. It was organized as a Latter-Day Saints ward in 1878, but by 1881 it had been abandoned.
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Municipalities and communities of Upshur County, Texas, United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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