Camilla Cobb

Camilla Cobb (1843-1933) was the founder of the first kindergarten in Utah.

She was born Camilla Clara Mieth in Dresden. Her older sister, Anna, was married to Karl G. Maeser. Cobb joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1855 and emigrated to the United States with the Maesers on the packet ship Tuscarora in 1857. She arrived in Utah, with the Maesers, in 1860.

Camilla married James T. Cobb (1833- ), who had been baptized after his arrival in Utah by Karl G. Maeser, who he worked under in teaching at the 20th Ward School, in 1864. James and Camilla Cobb became the parents of seven children.

In 1874, while in New York and surrounding areas visiting her husband's relatives, Cobb was trained as a kindergarten teacher in New Jersey in the system run by Adolph Douai. Upon her return to Utah in the fall of 1874 she founded a kindergarten in Salt Lake City with the help of John W. Young. The following year she wrote an article in the Woman's Exponent explaining the importance of Kindergarten. She only maintained her school as a kindergarten for two years, and later opened it to children of all ages. Among her students was Heber J. Grant, who would later be president of the LDS Church.

When the Salt Lake Stake primary was first organized in 1880, Cobb was made in counselor in its presidency. She remained in this position until 1896, when she was made president of the Salt Lake Stake primary, overseeing the LDS primary in all of Salt Lake County. At that point the Salt Lake Primary had nearly 4,000 children, 309 adults as teachers and in other positions, and consisted of 46 associations. Cobb served as head of the Salt Lake Stake primary until the Salt Lake Stake was divided in 1904.

Beginning in 1898 Cobb served as a member of the Primary General Board. She remained on the general board until 1917.

Sources

Frantz, Catherine Britsch, "Camilla Cobb" in Garr, Arnold K., Donald Q. Cannon and Richard O. Cowan ed., Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2000) p. 223; Britsch, Catherine “Camilla C. Cobb: Founder of the Kindergarten in Utah” unpublished dissertation to the Department of Educational Leadership and Foundations, BYU, 1997.

• Frantz, Catherine Britsch, "Camilla Cobb Founder of Utah Kindergarten" in Colleen Whitley, ed., Worth Their Salt Too: More Notable but Often Unnoted Women of Utah. Logan: Utah State University Press, 2000.