The Story of Mormonism (1914) by

Talmage was born and raised in Hungerford, Berkshire, England. He was baptized into the LDS Church at age 10 on June 15, 1873. He moved with his family to Provo, Utah Territory, in 1877. In Provo, he studied the Normal Course at Brigham Young Academy (BYA), with Karl G. Maeser as one of his teachers; he graduated in 1880. In 1881, Talmage received a collegiate diploma from BYA's Scientific Department, the first such diploma to be issued. His early predilection was for the sciences, and in 1882 and 1883 he took selected courses in chemistry and geology at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Though a special student and not a candidate for a degree, during his single year Talmage passed nearly all the examinations required in the four-year course; he graduated and in 1883 and 1884 he was engaged in advanced work at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Talmage served on the Provo City Council in 1888 and 1889