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Papers of John T. Caine

 Collection
Identifier: UUS_CAINE MSS 33

Scope and Contents

This collection includes Caine's autobiography, and many of the papers and correspondence concentrate on that subject. The collection contains the handwritten narrative of Caine's life, as well as a typed transcription. The collection also includes correspondence with other eminent Utahan's including LDS Church President, Heber J. Grant, as well as letters both to and from family members. A portion of the collection is specific to the life of Caine's wife, Kinnie, and includes a remnant of her diary from January 1877, the year before their marriage.

Dates

  • 1875-1943

Language of Materials

Material in English

Conditions Governing Access

No restrictions on use, except: not available through interlibrary loan.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.

Permission to publish material from the Papers of John T. Caine must be obtained from the Special Collections Manuscript Curator and/or the Special Collections Department Head.

Biographical Note

John Thomas Caine, Jr. son of John Thomas and Margaret Nightingale Caine, was born in Salt Lake City on March 9, 1854. He married Kathinka (Kinnie) Ballif in October 1878. They were parents of nine children, seven of whom reached maturity: John T. III, Lawrence B., George B., Alfred, Arthur, Blanche, and Kinnie.

Caine spent his early years in Salt Lake City working as a clerk for the Mormon Church-owned ZCMI Store. He attended the University of Deseret before traveling east to New York to study agriculture at Cornell University. Caine was the first Utahan to pursue the scientific study of agriculture.

After returning to Utah he moved to Logan and resumed his employment with the Logan branch of ZCMI, but continued his interest in agriculture. In 1883, Caine purchased pasture land and imported the first purebred Jersey dairy cattle to Cache Valley. In 1908, he purchased a large farm north of Logan, near Richmond, naming it Ballamoar, after the family's ancestral estate on the Isle of Man. Here, he continued his pursuit of scientific agriculture.

This interest made him a natural choice, when in 1888 the Board of Trustees of the newly founded Utah Agricultural College selected him to be the Board's secretary. Caine's abiding farming interest along with his experience at Cornell, made him the only man in the territory familiar with professionals trained in scientific agriculture. Caine was solely responsible for selecting and hiring the College's first director of experiments, and eventually the College's first President, J. W. Sanborn. He also recruited the institution's first faculty.

Caine remained at the institution he helped establish until his death on August 8, 1940. In addition to his position as secretary to the Board, Caine also served as professor of English, head of the preparatory department, registrar and auditor. He influenced the lives and career choices of countless students, who affectionately referred to him as “Pa” Caine.

Extent

3 boxes (1.5 linear feet)

Abstract

This collection consists of the personal materials of John T. Caine

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by folder title.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

This collection was donated to the Library in June 2011 by Manon Caine Russell, a granddaughter.

Processing Information

Processed in July of 2011

Title
Guide to the Papers of John T. Caine, 1875-1943
Author
Finding aid/Register created by Andrew Izatt
Date
©2011
Description rules
Finding Aid Based On Dacs (Describing Archives: A Content Standard, 2nd Edition)
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid encoded in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives Repository

Contact:
Merrill-Cazier Library
Utah State University
3000 Old Main Hill
Logan Utah 84322-3000 United States
435 797-8248
435 797-2880 (Fax)