York, Brantley, 1805-1891

Brantley York was an educator, author, and Methodist clergyman in North Carolina. He organized Union Institute Academy at Brown's Schoolhouse in Randolph Co., N.C. in 1839, which would evolve into Normal College, Trinity College, and later Duke University. York also wrote an English grammar, as well as several other instructional textbooks.

A largely self-taught educator, Methodist minister, and author of a series of English grammars, Brantley York (1805-1891) was asked by Methodist and Quaker farmers in rural Randolph County, N.C. to help provide education for their sons and daughters. At the site of the former Brown's Schoolhouse, he organized Union Institute Academy in 1838 and met with instant success, building two new buildings within a year-and-a-half. Though gratified at his accomplishment, he worked extremely hard raising money, and he began to go blind working late at night preparing recitations in subjects he had not adequately studied. In fact, he recorded in his diary a statement saying he considered his years at Union Institute to be "truly onerous." York, however, had found his life's work at Union Institute and though completely blind by age forty-eight, he lived to be eighty-six and founded half-a-dozen schools, lectured over 8,000 times, and taught more than 15,000 pupils. He served as Principal of Union Institute from 1838 to 1842.

Duke University (Durham, N.C.) was established in 1924 and evolved from the following institutions: Brown's Schoolhouse (Randolph Co., N.C.) 1838-1839; Union Institute (Randolph Co., N.C.) 1839-1851; Normal College (Randolph Co., N.C.) 1851-1859; Trinity College (Randolph Co., N.C.) 1859-1892 and (Durham, N.C.) 1892-1924.