Relief Society (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
Corporate History
The Relief Society is the women's organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which was initially led by Emma Hale Smith in Nauvoo, IL in 1842. During the group's existance, it has been an organization dedicated to providing lessons, activities, and service opportunities for the women of the Church in both a ward and stake setting.
The Relief Society was established by various women of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Sarah M. Kimball's house in Nauvoo, IL in 1842. After giving their constitution to Joseph Smith, they set up various presidencies within their wards/stakes and selected Joseph Smith's wife Emma to serve as the overall president of the Society.
Between Joseph Smith's martyrdom in 1842 and 1866, the Society fell into disarray under Brigham Young's leadership of the Church. While he did allow various female-led societies to assist in the Church's exodus to Utah to assist in midwifrey (The Female Council of Health) and in developing bonds with the Native Americans, the general involvement of the Relief Society in the Church was weak.
From 1866 on, Brigham Young and later leaders of the Church made more of a concerted effort to make sure that the Relief Society would play a more predominant role in the Church. Not only did he call a new General President of the Society to lead the group (starting with Eliza Snow), but he permitted the Society to create magazines, be more actively involved in the ward, etc. Through the group's involvement of the Church, they contributed to the Church's welfare program, strengthen homes during times of war, and became Red Cross units in wartorn nations in World War I and World War II. They also worked to prevent the passage of the Equal Rights Ammendment, established the Women's Research Center at BYU, and so on.
Citation:
The Encyclopedia of Mormonism, via WWW, August 19, 2016 (Relief Society)Found in 73 Collections and/or Records:
Sound recordings of Relief Society conferences, 1967-1972
Contains audio recordings of the Relief Society conferences. Dated 1967 to 1972.
Sound recordings of Relief Society meetings and conferences, 1959-1972
Contains audio recordings of socials, meetings, and conferences of the Relief Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Dated 1959 to 1972.
Sound recordings of Relief Society meetings and socials, 1959-1971
Contains audio recordings of socials and meetings of the Relief Society. Dated 1959 to 1971.
Sound recordings of training meetings, 1958-1979
Contains audio recordings of training sessions pertaining mostly to Priesthood holders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Dated 1958 to 1979.
Belle S. Spafford letters
Letters to Ethel Taylor Sessions, Belle's friend. The first item is dated 12 Nov. 1937. The rest are from the 1950-1980 timeframe. Also included are newsclippings regarding Spafford, several of her talks, and one essay by an unidentified author. The letters deal largely with personal matters.
Elizabeth Tate diary
Photocopies of diaries. Mrs. Tate lived in Tooele, Utah, served locally in the Mormon Relief Society, was active in Tooele social life, attended many funerals, and helped tend her many grandchildren.
Celestia Marguerita Johnson Taylor papers
Contains Taylor's personal and family history, including photographs, letters, awards, certificates, stories, and two books. Materials also relate to Taylor's service on the general Relief Society board of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah. Materials dated 1855-2014 (bulk, 1935-1983).
Unidentified photographs, approximately 1910-1940
Contains photographs of unidentified individuals, dated approximately 1910 to 1940.
Helen Free VanderBeek papers
Emmeline B. Wells and Annie Wells Cannon collection
Collection contains papers and photographs from the lives of Emmeline B. Wells and Annie Wells Cannon. The papers mostly include biographies, though a pedigree chart and a medal of service are also of note. Most of the photographs are connected to Cannon, with several coming from a large scrapbook. Dated approximately 1877 to 1963.