Relief Society Organization

Welcome to the research guide for the Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This guide is designed to help you find and access resources about the Relief Society’s organization and its history. In addition to this research guide, other helpful resources include The Story of Relief Society: Stories from Relief Society History, Gospel Topic: Relief Society, and Church History Topic: Relief Society.

The Church History Library holds many resources about the Relief Society organization. You can use the Church History Catalog to search for names of Relief Society presidents, counselors, and board members. You can also search for wards’, stakes’, and missions’ Relief Societies. Searching the terms Relief Society, Relief Society Association, woman, women, manual, songbook, and other terms associated with the Relief Society organization will provide many results as well. Use the search tools on the left-hand side of the catalog screen to refine your search, such as by date, location, and language.

This guide is not designed to be a comprehensive list of available sources but highlights key records and presents a sampling of available resource types.

Keep in mind that researching women can be challenging. If you do not find the name of the woman in the catalog, try searching for a male relative; often his papers will talk about his female family members.

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On March 17, 1842, the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo was organized under the keys of the priesthood. Emma Hale Smith was called to be the first president. She stated that “we are going to do something extraordinary.”¹ On April 28, 1842, Joseph Smith stated, “This Society is to get instruction thro’ the order which God has established—thro’ the medium of those appointed to lead—and I now turn the key to you in the name of God and this Society shall rejoice and knowledge and intelligence shall flow down from this time—this is the beginning of better days, to this Society.”²

The last meeting of the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo occurred March 16, 1844; the Relief Society was then disbanded and would not become an official organization again until 1867.

The martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith on June 27, 1844, and the resulting mobocracy in Nauvoo, Illinois, caused the disruption of Latter-day Saints’ lives and forced them to relocate once again. This time, they would trek to the Salt Lake Valley in the Utah Territory.

Relief Society was not officially continued once the Saints arrived in the Salt Lake Valley. However, some groups of women started ward Relief Societies to help aid the incoming immigrants, local Native American tribes, and the poor. In 1867, Brigham Young called on bishops to organize Relief Societies in their wards; later, in 1868, Brigham Young asked Eliza R. Snow to help the bishops organize the Relief Societies.³ Eliza R. Snow was also instrumental in helping organize the Young Ladies’ Department of the Ladies’ Cooperative Retrenchment Association (later the Young Women organization) in 1870 and the Primary organization in 1878. In 1880, Eliza was called to be the first Relief Society General President.

Since that time, the Relief Society has played a large role in not only Church members’ lives but also the community. Women of the Relief Society have initiated midwifery, nursing, and medical classes. They created hospitals where women and children could receive care. They developed cooperatives to build the economy, support their families, and learn important business skills; they also started a grain storage program that provided for Church members and disaster victims around the world. They were active in woman’s suffrage and rights. They created a newspaper for women written by women in 1872 called the Woman’s Exponent. Through this newspaper, women shared information about the Relief Society and other organizations, woman’s suffrage, cooperatives, and testimonies. In 1914, after the Woman’s Exponent was discontinued, the Relief Society began publishing the Relief Society Magazine. This magazine was discontinued in 1970.

The Relief Society continues to provide service, often through the help of such initiatives as ProjectProtect and JustServe. Women of the Relief Society serve in Church callings, their homes, government, business, medicine, law, and many other ways.

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These resources are available digitally through the Church History Catalog or are found on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints website.

Below is a sampling of the records that can be found at the Church History Library.

Church Records (CR)

Emmeline B. Wells record, 1892–1896, CR 11 183

Records kept by Emmeline B. Wells while she was secretary to the Relief Society General Presidency.

Philippines/Micronesia Area histories of Philippines Relief Society sisters, 1992, CR 647 5

Twenty-seven personal histories written in conjunction with the commemoration of the Relief Society sesquicentennial. Users must sign in and select “Request Digital Access” to view.

Relief Society general board minutes, 1842-2007, CR 11 10

Minutes from the Relief Society general board meetings. Includes information about suffrage, education, nursing, and Relief Society’s involvement in national and international organizations.

Relief Society letter, 1894 December 26, CR 11 136

Letter from Emmeline B. Wells (who was serving as the Relief Society General Presidency’s secretary at the time) to Emma S. Smith, president of the Snowflake Relief Society. Contains instructions on dues and annual reports.

Relief Society record, 1880–1892, CR 11 175

Contains records on the organization of the general Relief Society as well as the establishment of local Relief Societies. Also includes information on planning of the jubilee celebration, speeches by Relief Society members, and obituaries for Relief Society members.

Relief Society album, 1933, CR 11 115

Album titled “National Woman’s Relief Society, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: A Compilation of Photographs and Charts Prepared for the Century of Progress (World’s Fair).” Users must sign in to view this collection.

Zina D. H. Young jubilee box contributions, 1878–1887, CR 11 325

List of items Zina D. H. Young contributed to the Relief Society’s jubilee box.

Local Records (LR)

Many researchers search for information about specific local units of the Church; the following sources are a sampling of the local records available.

Annis Ward Relief Society records, 1902–1995, LR 10687 21

Minutes of the Annis Ward, Rigby Idaho Stake, Relief Society. Includes a history of the Annis Ward Relief Society.

Cedar City Ward Relief Society minute book, 1856–1875 and 1892, LR 1514 22

Minutes from the Cedar City, Parowan Utah Stake, Relief Society. Includes minutes from the Ladies Mass Meeting, Feb. 1, 1870, protesting the Cullom Bill.

Central American Mission Relief Society scrapbook, 1948–1982, LR 1534 44

Scrapbook from the Central American Mission Relief Society. Users must sign in and select “Request Digital Access” to view.

East Kilbride Branch Relief Society minutes and records, 1960–1967, LR 2434 14

Minutes from the East Kilbride Branch, Glasgow Scotland Stake, Relief Society.

Fifteenth Ward Relief Society minutes, 1868 March–1869 May, LR 2848 32

Minutes of the Fifteenth Ward Relief Society, Salt Lake City, Utah, including remarks by Eliza R. Snow and ward Relief Society president Sarah M. Kimball.

Gunma Branch Relief Society minutes and records, 1964, LR 3513 14

Minutes of the Gunma Branch, Japan Mission, Relief Society. Users must sign in and select “Request Digital Access” to view.

Hill Spring Ward Relief Society minutes and records, 1910–1973, LR 3809 14

Minutes from the Hill Spring Ward, Alberta Canada Stake, Relief Society.

Kaohsiung Branch Relief Society minutes and records, 1960–1972, LR 4323 14

Minutes from the Kaohsiung Branch, Taiwan–Hong Kong Mission, Relief Society. Users must sign in and select “Request Digital Access” to view.

Lotofoa Branch Relief Society minutes and records, 1922, LR 5062 14

Minutes from the Lotofoa Branch, Tonga Mission, Relief Society.

Luzon District Relief Society minutes and records, 1963–1964, LR 5115 14

Minutes from the Luzon District, Philippines Mission, Relief Society.

Novo Hamburgo Branch Relief Society records, 1938–1942, LR 6254 22

Minutes from the Novo Hamburgo Branch, Brazilian Mission, Relief Society. Users must sign in and select “Request Digital Access” to view.

Paris Branch Relief Society minutes and records, 1937–1965, LR 6742 14

Minutes from the Paris Branch, France Mission, Relief Society.

Safotulafai Branch Relief Society minutes and records, 1964–1965, LR 7727 14

Minutes of the Safotulafai Branch, Savai‘i Samoa Stake, Relief Society.

Salt Lake Stake Relief Society record book, 1868–1903, LR 604 70

Includes minutes and records of the Salt Lake Stake Relief Society, Salt Lake City, Utah. Includes talks by Eliza R. Snow, Emmeline B. Wells, and Zina D. H. Young.

Spanish American Branch Relief Society minutes and records, 1960–1971, LR 8588 14

Minutes from the Spanish American Branch, Provo Central Utah Stake, Relief Society.

Weber Stake Relief Society conference minute book, 1855–1899, LR 9970 29

Minutes from the Weber Utah Stake Relief Society. Includes the organization of the Young Ladies’ Mutual Improvement Association (YLMIA) and Primary organizations for the stake.

Woman’s Suffrage Association minutes, 1890–1891, 1894–1895, LR 3227 25

Includes minutes from the Woman’s Suffrage Association meetings. Also includes minutes from the Mother’s Class and Relief Society meetings.

Manuscripts

Bathsheba W. Smith collection, 1842–1948, MS 20701

Includes Relief Society General President Bathsheba Smith’s scrapbook, correspondence, and poetry. Portions of this collection are closed to research.

Earl and Dixie Olsen papers, 1980–1991 / Africa West Mission / Photographs, 1980–1982, MS 29667

Photographs of early Latter-day Saints in Nigeria and Ghana. Users must sign in and select “Request Digital Access” to view.

Esther F. Keith journal, 1916 December–1919 May, MS 7187

Journal of Esther F. Keith, who traveled with her husband, Willard A. Keith, to a mission in Samoa. In this journal, she discusses her activities with the Relief Society and the Samoan sisters.

Marcia F. de Gonzalez-Chavez papers, 1980–1989, MS 19513

Letters from local Church leaders and Relief Society sisters in Bayamon and Santurce, Puerto Rico, concerning Chavez’s service in the Relief Society. Users must sign in and select “Request Digital Access” to view.

My Gospel Journey, 2018 October, MS 32265

A personal history of Gwennyth Dulice Marshall and her experiences in the Dunedin District, New Zealand, including the organization and growth of the Relief Society in that area.

Relief Society minutebook, 1842 March–1844 March, MS 3424

Account of the organization of the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo, Nauvoo, Illinois. A transcription of this minute book can be found in The First Fifty Years of Relief Society at the Church Historian’s Press.

Relief Society record book, MS 13213

Minutes from the Aunuu, Samoa, Relief Society.

Sarah Jane Selley’s travel journal, 1893, MS 32570

Sarah’s account of traveling with the Tabernacle Choir to the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World’s Fair). Members of the Relief Society attended the World’s Columbian Exposition, handed out copies of the Woman’s Exponent, and found other ways to share the gospel, such as Sarah singing with the Choir.

Susa Y. Gates and Adele C. Howells correspondence, 1916–1923, MS 27009

Correspondence between Susa Y. Gates and Adele C. Howells concerning the Relief Society Magazine.

Talisay Branch Relief Society history, 1992, MS 28080

History of the Relief Society of the Talisay Branch, Micronesia Guam Mission. Users must sign in and select “Request Digital Access” to view.

Utah Women’s Press Club papers, circa 1901–1928, MS 3339

Minute book, member lists organized by Emmeline B. Wells for women involved in journalism. Relief Society members were active in many women’s clubs, including the Utah Women’s Press Club.

Photographs

Aualofa Relief Society at conference, PH 6489

Photograph of the Aualofa, Samoa, Relief Society.

Cannonville Ward Relief Society, circa 1880, PH 18

Photograph of the Cannonville Ward Relief Society, Cannonville, Utah.

Cape Coast Branch, Africa West Mission photographs, 1978–1988 / Members and chapel, 1988, PH 4317

Photograph of members of the Church, including Relief Society members, outside of the chapel for the Cape Coast Branch, Africa West Mission. Users must sign in and select “Request Digital Access” to view.

Ilirjana B. Tashi photographs, circa 1998–2019, PH 11523

Includes photographs of the opening of the Lushnjë Albania Branch Relief Society. Users must sign in and select “Request Digital Access” to view.

Orderville Relief Society, PH 5794

Photograph of the Orderville, Utah, Relief Society. Names of the persons photographed are handwritten on the left side of the photograph.

Pictorial history of the Church in Teresina, Brazil, 1983–2001, 2009, PH 8706

Includes several photographs of Relief Society presidencies of the Teresina Brazil Ward. Users must sign in and select “Request Digital Access” to view.

Provo Third Ward Relief Society Presidency, circa 1877, PH 720

Photograph of the Provo Third Ward Relief Society presidency, Provo, Utah.

Relief Society presidency and general board, circa 1916, PH 2465

Photograph of the Relief Society General Presidency and general board; includes Emmeline B. Wells when she was President.

Representative women of Deseret, 1883, PH 2657

Montage of portraits of women serving in Relief Society, the Young Ladies’ Mutual Improvement Association (YLMIA), and the Primary, as well as other accomplished women from the Utah Territory.

Taetal and child, PH 815

Photograph of Taetel, Relief Society president at Mahu Tupuai, Tahitian Mission, and a child, 1921.

Thirteenth Ward Relief Society presidency, circa 1872, PH 4124

Photograph of the Thirteenth Ward Relief Society presidency, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Vladivostok Branch photographs, 1996–1998, PH 7925

Includes photographs from Relief Society meetings of the Vladivostok Branch, Asia North Area Mission. Users must sign in and select “Request Digital Access” to view.

Published Materials

A Centenary of Relief Society, 1842–1942, M257.29 C397 1942

Published by the Relief Society organization, this book highlights the history of Relief Society for the first hundred years. It also lists Relief Society board members and stake Relief Society presidents for 1940.

History of Relief Society, 1842–1966, M257.29 R382h

History of the Relief Society from 1842 through 1966 published by the Relief Society general board.

Relief Society Song Book, M285.22 R382 1919

Relief Society song book with music arranged and compiled by Brigham Cecil Gates, 1919.

“The Relief Society Nauvoo Monument to Women,” M257.2 R382rn 1976

A description of the monuments at the Relief Society Nauvoo Monument to Women.

Woman’s Exponent, M205.1 W872 v. 1–41 1872–1914

A newspaper written by women for women. Editors were Louisa Lula Greene Richards and Emmeline B. Wells.

Other Online Church Resources

From Church Historian’s Press:

At the Pulpit: 185 Years of Discourses by Latter-day Saint Women

Publication of women’s discourses, including talks from leaders of Relief Society, Young Women, and Primary.

The First Fifty Years of Relief Society

Includes documents pertaining to the first 50 years of Relief Society, including records from Nauvoo and early records from Salt Lake City.

Diaries of Emmeline B. Wells

Diaries of Emmeline B. Wells, film footage of Emmeline, and documents related to Emmeline.

Discourses of Eliza R. Snow

Discourses from Eliza R. Snow, including religious teachings, political opinions, and encouragement to Relief Society members.

From The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ website:

A Home of Our Own: The Story of the Relief Society Building

Online exhibit of the Relief Society Building.

The Work and Purpose of Relief Society

Produced by the Relief Society organization; includes the purpose of Relief Society, including links to talks.

Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society

Produced by the Relief Society. A brief history of the Relief Society.

Relief Society Seal History

Produced by the Relief Society. Includes a history of the Relief Society seal.

Church History Topic: Female Relief Society of Nauvoo

A historical look at the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo.

Church History Topic: Relief Society

A historical look at the Relief Society organization.

Gospel Topic: Relief Society

Information about the organization and purpose of the Relief Society.

Newsroom Topic: Relief Society History

A brief history of the Relief Society.

Revelations in Context: “Thou Art an Elect Lady”

A look at the contextual history of Emma Hale Smith and the Doctrine and Covenants.

Latter-day Saint Women podcasts

Podcasts featuring many historians looking at the history of Relief Society and its historical relationship to women both past and present.

Julie B. Beck, “Relief Society History: A Look at the Lord’s Vision for His Daughters,” Ensign, Sept. 2011, 40–43.

Article by General Relief Society President Julie B. Beck to share a brief history and the purpose of Relief Society.

James Goldberg, “Five People Who Helped Found the Relief Society,” Church History, Sept. 4, 2018, history.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Writer and poet James Goldberg shares his insights on five women who helped found the Relief Society.

Rachel Sterzer, “175 Years of Relief Society: General Presidency Reflects on Past and Future of Organization,” Church News, Mar. 10, 2017, ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Article celebrating the 175th anniversary of the founding of the Relief Society.

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These collections are currently only available by visiting the Church History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. Unfortunately, we are unable to digitize every collection in our archive; please see our access policy for more information. However, we are constantly working on digitizing those collections we can. If you have questions about any of these collections or any other collection in our catalog, please utilize the Ask Us service, and one of our staff members will contact you.

Local Records

Anwaiolimu Relief Society Relief Society minutes and records, 1908–1911, LR 82 14

Relief Society minutes for the Anwaiolimu, Tongan Mission, Relief Society.

Pasadena Branch Relief Society minutes and records, 1924-1968, LR 6785 14

Minutes of the Pasadena Branch, Los Angeles California Stake, Relief Society.

Pusan Korea West District Relief Society minutes and records, LR 8551 14

Minutes of the Pusan Korea West District, Korea Pusan Mission, Relief Society.

Papantla District Relief Society minutes and records, 1948–1950, LR 6473 14

Minutes of the Papantla District, Mexico Veracruz Mission, Relief Society.

Fairmont Branch Relief Society minutes and records, 1912–1973, LR 2762 14

Minutes of the Fairmont Branch, Ohio West Virginia Mission, Relief Society.

Nottingham 2nd Ward Relief Society minutes and records, 1912–1973, LR 6246 14

Minutes of the Nottingham Second Ward, Nottingham England Stake, Relief Society.

Wellington Branch Relief Society minutes and records, 1924–1961, LR 10003 14

Minutes of the Wellington Branch, New Zealand South Mission, Relief Society.

Wilkau Branch Relief Society minutes and records, LR 10186 14

Minutes of the Wilkau-Haßlau Branch, Germany North Mission, Relief Society.

Manuscripts

Belgian War Relief Society certificate, 1946, MS 3579

Certificate of merit given to the Relief Society for their contributions to the Belgian relief effort after World War II.

History of the Vernal Second Ward Relief Society, circa 1918, MS 2276

History of the Vernal (Utah) Second Ward Relief Society.

Mary L. Dickinson letter, New York City, New York to Zina D. H. Young, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1896 December 12, MS 7613

Letter written by Mary L. Dickinson to Relief Society General President Zina D. H. Young requesting biographical information.

Relief Society instructions, circa 1893, MS 7614

Draft outline of instructions to be given to stake and local Relief Societies.

Photographs

Northern States Mission Relief Society conference, 1962 September, PH 3893

Photograph of the Northern States Mission Relief Society Conference held at the Joseph Smith store.

Parramatta Stake Relief Society photographs, 1971, PH 9295

Photograph of the first Relief Society leaders in the Parramatta Sydney Australia Stake.

Utah statehood day, 1896 January 4, PH 5602

Photograph of the Lehi North Branch Relief Society on Utah Statehood Day.

Views of Welling Ward and Taylor Stake members, circa 1955, PH 4177

Includes photographs of the Taylor Alberta Stake Singing Mothers and the Welling Ward Relief Society.

Published Materials

From Our Kitchens / Pleasant Hill First Ward Relief Society, M283.3 F931 198-?

Cookbook published by the Pleasant Hill First Ward, Walnut Creek California Stake, Relief Society.

Relief Society Preparation in Home Nursing, First Aid, and Disaster Care, M257.2 R382rp 1975?

Published resource on first aid and disaster preparation.

Rexburg First Ward Relief Society: The First One Hundred Years, 1884–1984 / The Relief Society, M277.96 R455 1r 1984

History of the Rexburg First Ward, Rexburg Idaho North Stake, Relief Society.

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Researchers can also use search engines to find valuable resources outside of the Church History Department. Some of these resources are included below. These websites and sources are not Church sponsored, and the Church does not endorse their content.

Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Brigham Young University:

• Relief Society
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• Relief Society in Nauvoo
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• Relief Society Magazine
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• Woman’s Exponent
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• Woman Suffrage
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• Women, Roles of
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Woman’s Exponent

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exhibit hosted by the University of Utah and Brigham Young University.

Beecher, Maureen Ursenbach and Lavina Fielding Anderson, eds. Women of Faith in the Latter Days. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book, 2011.

Cope, Rachel, Amy A. Easton-Flake, Keith A. Erekson, and Lisa Olsen Tait. Mormon Women’s History: Beyond Biography. Madison, New Jersey: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 2017.

Derr, Jill Mulvay, Janath Russell Cannon, and Maureen Ursenbach Beecher. Women of Covenant: The Story of Relief Society. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book, 2000.

Godfrey, Kenneth W., Audrey M. Godfrey, and Jill Mulvay Derr. Women’s Voices: An Untold History of the Latter-day Saints, 1830–1900. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book, 1984.

Olson, Camille Fronk, and Hollie Rhees Fluhman. A Place to Belong: Reflections from Modern Latter-day Saint Women. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book, 2019.

Reeder, Jennifer. First: The Life and Faith of Emma Smith. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book, 2021.

Turley, Richard E., and Brittany Chapman Nash. Women of Faith in the Latter Days. 4 vols. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book, 2011.

Ulrich, Laurel Thatcher. A House Full of Females: Plural Marriage and Women’s Rights in Early Mormonism 1835–1870. New York, New York: Vintage Books, 2018.

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Providing definitive dates for firsts can be challenging. It is important to note that many of the activities associated with the Relief Society initially began in the wards and stakes and were then adopted by the general organization.

This timeline is not comprehensive but rather provides a basic understanding of how the Relief Society organization started and evolved to meet the changing needs of a global Church.

1842 - Organization of the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo.

1843 - Emma Smith organizes a visiting committee, the beginnings of the visiting teaching programs.⁴

1845 - Lucy Mack Smith speaks at general conference.⁵

1845 - Relief Society suspended.

1854 - Brigham Young approves local wards to organize Relief Societies.⁶

1867 - Brigham Young asks Eliza R. Snow to help bishops organize ward Relief Societies.⁷

1869 - First Relief Society building finished (Salt Lake City Fifteenth Ward).⁸

1872 - Term “Female” dropped from the name “Relief Society.”⁹

1872 - First issue of the Woman’s Exponent published.¹⁰

1873 - Relief Society sisters encouraged to receive medical training.¹¹

1874 - “Song of the Sisters of the Relief Society,” later to become the hymn “As Sisters in Zion,” published by Emily H. Woodmansee in the Woman’s Exponent.¹²

1875 - Deseret Silk Association established.¹³

1876 - Grain-saving (wheat) program established.¹⁴

1877 - First stake Relief Society organized.¹⁵

1879 - Emmeline B. Wells and Zina Y. Williams (Card) attend the National Woman’s Suffrage Convention.¹⁶

1880 - Eliza R. Snow named as General Relief Society President.

1880 - Church’s Jubilee celebration.

1882 - Deseret Hospital established.¹⁷

1888 - Emily S. Richards represents the Relief Society at the first International Council of Women meeting.¹⁸

1889 - First Relief Society annual conference meeting.¹⁹

1891 - Relief Society becomes a charter member of the National Council of Women.²⁰

1892 - Relief Society Silver Jubilee.²¹

1892 - Relief Society becomes incorporated as the National Relief Society.²²

1893 - Relief Society participates in the Columbian Exposition at the World’s Fair in Chicago.

1896 - Dr. Martha Hughes Cannon, Relief Society member and physician, is elected to the Utah Senate, becoming the first female state senator in the United States.²³

1898 - First Annual Day of Relief Society.²⁴

1898 - Annual dues of 10 cents per member introduced.

1900 - Relief Society sisters present Susan B. Anthony with black silk produced in Utah. Anthony had it made into the “Utah dress.”²⁵

1901 - Woman’s Exponent carries an article asking women to donate funds toward the construction of a Relief Society Building.²⁶

1902 - Relief Society–sponsored nursing classes introduced.²⁷

1902 - Introduction of Mother’s Classes.

1908 - Relief Society gives money donated for a Relief Society Building to the Presiding Bishopric for a Bishop’s Building.²⁸

1913 - Relief Society motto “Charity never faileth” introduced.²⁹

1913 - Annual dues raised to 25 cents.³⁰

1914 - Last issue of the Woman’s Exponent published.

1915 - The Relief Society Magazine introduced.

1916 - Visiting teaching includes teaching gospel messages.³¹

1917 - Wheat is adopted as the symbol of Relief Society.³²

1918 - The Presiding Bishopric sells over 200,000 bushels of wheat stored by Relief Society sisters to the United States government.³³

1919 - No General Relief Society Meeting held due to the influenza pandemic.³⁴

1919 - Relief Society Social Service Department established.³⁵

1920 - Relief Society Nursing School discontinued.³⁶

1921 - Relief Society General Presidency introduces uniform visiting teaching messages.³⁷

1924 - First stake Relief Society maternity hospital established in the Cottonwood Stake.³⁸

1929 - General Relief Society, Young Women, and Primary Presidents asked to speak briefly at general conference.³⁹

1931 - Colors of blue and gold adopted.⁴⁰

1933 - Monument to the Relief Society erected at the site of the Nauvoo Red Store, where the Relief Society was organized.⁴¹

1934 - Relief Society Singing Mothers introduced.⁴²

1937 - Mormon Handicraft Shop opens,⁴³ offering Latter-day Saint women the opportunity to sell their homemade crafts on consignment.

1942 - The Relief Society centennial, a large celebration, is canceled due to World War II; many wards and stakes would plant “Centennial Trees” in honor of the centennial.⁴⁴

1942 - The Relief Society seal is adopted.⁴⁵

1942 - No General Relief Society Meeting held during general conference due to World War II.

1945 - Relief Society Building plans announced; women asked to donate funds to help build it.⁴⁶

1945 - Relief Society no longer “incorporated” and name changes from National Woman’s Relief Society to the Relief Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.⁴⁷

1947 - Beginning of microfilming for the Family History Project; visiting teachers are asked to take information about family history to each home and help women to teach about it to their families during “family hour.”⁴⁸

1956 - Relief Society Building dedicated.⁴⁹

1969 - Relief Society Social Service Department discontinued and becomes part of the Church Welfare and Social Services program.⁵⁰

1971 - Collection of Relief Society dues discontinued.⁵¹

1971 - All sisters of the Church become members of the Relief Society.

1971 - Relief Society Magazine discontinued.

1974 - Relief Society divests itself of hospitals.⁵²

1975 - Last Relief Society general conference.⁵³

1978 - Monument to Women Memorial Garden in Nauvoo, Illinois, is dedicated.54

1978 - First general women’s meeting held.⁵⁵

1978 - The Relief Society discontinues its wheat program, turning over 226,291 bushels of wheat, worth $1,651,157, to the First Presidency.⁵⁶

1980 - Church meeting schedule consolidated into a three-hour block; Relief Society meetings are moved from weekdays to Sundays.

1980 - The Primary organization takes over responsibility for nursery.

1984 - The Relief Society Building becomes the office for the General Presidencies of the Young Women and Primary as well.

1984 - Relief Society General President Barbara B. Smith and Young Women General President Elaine A. Cannon are speakers at general conference; women are routinely asked to speak in general conference after 1984.

1985 - “As Sisters in Zion” hymn introduced.⁵⁷

1987 - Visiting teaching messages included in the Ensign and Liahona.⁵⁸

1991 - Relief Society begins to cosponsor Women’s Education Week with Brigham Young University.⁵⁹

1992 - 150th anniversary of the Relief Society.

1992 - First worldwide women’s broadcast, celebrating the sesquicentennial of the founding of the Relief Society.⁶⁰

1997 - Coordination of Sunday lessons between Relief Society and priesthood organizations.⁶¹

2011 - Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of the Relief Society published.

2011 - New Relief Society seal adopted.

2017 - New revision of the Relief Society purpose statement.⁶²

2018 - “Visiting teaching” replaced with “ministering.”⁶³

2019 - Women and young women can serve as witnesses in the temple and at baptisms.⁶⁴

2020 - ProjectProtect, global mask-making effort to address the COVID-19 pandemic.⁶⁵

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In 1868, Sarah M. Kimball, Relief Society president for the Salt Lake Fifteenth Ward, proposed building a Relief Society building dedicated to “commerce and trade” in the form of a cooperative store and a meeting area that would be “dedicated to worship, to Art and to Science.”⁶⁶ Soon after, other ward Relief Societies began building their own Relief Society buildings. These buildings often were homes of cooperative stores as well as meeting places for Relief Society meetings.

The general Relief Society desired a building of their own in Salt Lake City, Utah. This building would house the General Officers. In 1896, Sarah M. Kimball stated, “We want to have a house and we want land to build it on and it should be in the shadow of the temple.”⁶⁷ The First Presidency proposed that the building be built just east of the temple and told sisters they would be responsible for $20,000 for its construction. The Relief Society put out a call for donations, and sisters around the world contributed, even knowing that they would probably never see or enter the building.

In 1909, after raising the needed funds, the sisters were then told that the lot they had been promised—and the money they had raised—was to be used to build the Bishop’s Building, a building that would, among other functions, house the Presiding Bishopric.⁶⁸ It would not be until 1956 that the women would receive their own building, the Relief Society Building, on 76 North Main Street, which is “in the shadow the temple.” Despite the hurt that many women felt about their donations being put toward the Bishop’s Building, women again gladly donated toward the current building. The Relief Society Building contributors (CR 11 342) show not only elaborate items that were donated to the building (see below) but also the proverbial widow’s mite donated by Relief Societies in the South Pacific. Again, although many of these women would never see or enter the Relief Society Building, they donated money and items to be part of the worldwide sisterhood the building represented.

Below is a sampling of library items related to Relief Society halls and the Relief Society Building:

Relief Society building fund donations, 1898–1901, CR 11 273

Record kept by Emmeline B. Wells of stakes, wards, and individuals who contributed donations toward the Relief Society Building. These funds were later donated to the Presiding Bishopric to help build the Bishop’s Building, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Relief Society building Committee minutes, 1900 October–1901 August, CR 11 77

Record of meetings of the Relief Society, Young Ladies’ Mutual Improvement Association (YLMIA), and Primary about the planning and construction of a building for their joint use.

Relief Society Building contributors, circa 1956, CR 11 342

List of individuals who contributed to the Relief Society Building fund. Includes names of sisters, wards, branches, and stakes from all over the world. Indexed in CR 11 341.

Photographs of artifacts donated to the Relief Society Building fund, circa 1960, CR 11 377

Photographs of items donated toward the Relief Society Building fund.

West Layton Ward Relief Society receipt, 1901 November 22, LR 4759 21

Receipt of donations for the construction of the Relief Society Building.

Alberta Stake Relief Society Building, PH 211

Photograph of the Alberta Stake Relief Society Building.

Fourteenth Ward Relief Society hall, circa 1892, PH 2842

Photograph of the Fourteenth Ward Relief Society hall, which also housed a cooperative store.

Nineteenth Ward, Salt Lake Stake, PH 800

Photograph of the Nineteenth Ward chapel and Relief Society hall, circa 1915.

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From the inception of the Relief Society, its sisters have been community leaders in healing, midwifery, and nursing. For example, throughout the Church’s pioneer era, Relief Society sisters participated in healing ordinances such as anointing and blessing women before childbirth. Then in 1873 Eliza R. Snow told the sisters that Brigham Young had requested that women enter the field of medicine. She stated that President Young wanted women to get medical degrees, study nursing and midwifery, and share their knowledge with sisters in their wards and stakes. Eliza R. Snow told the women: “We have to get up these classes and attend to all these things. Don’t you see that our sphere is increasing? Our sphere of action will continually widen, and no woman in Zion need to mourn because her sphere is too narrow.”⁶⁹

Relief Society sisters opened maternity hospitals and the Deseret Hospital. The Deseret Hospital was opened in 1882. Its board consisted of members of the Relief Society. The two main doctors, Dr. Ellen B. Ferguson and Dr. Romania B. Pratt, were women who had accepted the opportunity offered by Brigham Young to go back east and earn their medical degrees. Drs. Ferguson and Pratt, as well as others, also taught midwifery and nursing classes. Relief Society sisters and the young ladies who were members of the Young Women Mutual Improvement Association often volunteered for the Red Cross. Many Relief Society sisters served their families, wards, and communities through their knowledge and practice of the healing arts.

Below is a sampling of items related to midwifery and medicine:

Church History Topic: Healing

A historical essay on healing in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Church History Topic: Pioneer Women and Medicine

A historical look at pioneer women and their approach to medicine.

“Eliza R. Snow, Discourse, August 14, 1873,” The First Fifty Years of Relief Society, churchhistorianspress.org.

Eliza R. Snow’s talk that includes the call for women to study medicine.

Lists of women set apart as midwives, 1873–1888, CR 100 423

Record of women blessed and set apart to be midwives and nurses.

Maternity hospital reports, 1941, CR 11 60

Reports detailing the establishment of maternity hospitals in the Cottonwood and Snowflake Stakes.

Midwife instruction book, circa 1894, MS 14430

Minutes of a lesson series for midwifery.

Lois Bassett family papers, 1898, MS 20669

Includes a copy of a nursing certificate given to Lois Bassett from the Salt Lake Stake Relief Society and text from a blessing where Bassett was set apart to be a nurse.

Latter-day Saints Relief Society nurse class commencement program, MS 20701

Invitation to the commencement exercises of the Latter-day Saints’ Relief Society Nurse Class, June 24, 1903.

Marinda A. Bateman record book, 1874–1909, MS 5478

Contains a list of babies delivered by Marinda A. Bateman, a midwife in West Jordan, Utah.

Relief Society Class in Red Cross Surgical Dressings, PH 2032

Photograph of Relief Society sisters in Red Cross surgical dressings.

Deseret Hospital Board of Directors, circa 1882, PH 2211

Photograph of the Deseret Hospital Board of Directors, including Eliza R. Snow, Emmeline B. Wells, and Dr. Romania Pratt Penrose.

Midwife class in Salt Lake City, 1896, PH 2408

Photograph of a group of women in midwife training, with Dr. Ellis R. Shipp as their teacher.

Relief Society nurse school, 1901, PH 2790

Photograph of a graduating nursing class with Dr. Margaret C. Roberts as their teacher.

Parade in Ogden, Utah, to raise relief funds for victims of World War I, PH 4707

Women marching in a parade in Ogden, Utah, as part of the Red Cross effort.

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Relief Society sisters were enterprising women who followed Brigham Young’s advice to be a self-sustaining people. They created, worked in, and managed cooperatives. These cooperatives provided women a unique opportunity to develop business acumen and financial and management skills. Many of the cooperatives were housed in Relief Society buildings which the women designed and financed (via fundraising)—and then managed the construction of.

Two of the most well-known cooperative ventures were (1) growing and storing wheat, and (2) sericulture, or raising silkworms to harvest silk.

Below is a sampling of items related to Relief Society cooperatives:

From The First Fifty Years of Relief Society:

Brigham Young, Discourse, April 8, 1868 (Excerpt)

Brigham Young’s talk asking women to participate in sericulture and help their husbands store wheat.

Committees on the Grain Movement, Minutes, November 17, 1876

An introductory history of the wheat-saving program and minutes of the progress of the wheat program within the wards.

First Presidency administrative files, 1878–1918/Relief Society, 1902–1907, CR 1 169

Contains a brief history of grain storage.

Brigham Young office files, Emmeline B. Wells letter, CR 1234 1

Emmeline B. Wells, writing from the office of the Woman’s Exponent, writes about grain storage.

Brigham Young Office files, Sarah M. Kimball letter, CR 1234 1

Sarah M. Kimball writing about grain storage.

Ogden 2nd Ward Relief Society circulars, 1872, LR 6392 27

Contains a circular from Wilford Woodruff, President of the Deseret Agricultural and Manufacturing Society, encouraging women to participate in exhibitions related to domestic production.

Silk association records, 1879–1898, 1906, LR 9629 36

Minutes of the Utah Stake Silk Association.

Deseret Silk Association minutes, 1875 June–1878 October, MS 14029

Minutes from the Deseret Silk Association, originally called the Sericulture Meetings.

Richfield Silk Association account book, 1879–1886, MS 2559

Account book of production and donations of the Richfield (Utah) Silk Association.

Susa Young Gates papers/History of Women files/Chapter LIV: “Mission of saving grain,” MS 7692

Susa Young Gates’s history of grain storage.

First biennial report of the Utah Silk Commission of the State of Utah for the years 1899–1900, 638.2 U89r 1901

Report of the Deseret Silk Association under the direction of the Relief Society.

Silk and the silk worm, a complete work of instruction on silk culture / by C. H. Rossiter, 638.2 R835s

Instruction on how to raise silkworms and the sericulture industry.

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Women of Utah were granted the right to vote in 1870. This right was taken away in 1887 when the United States government passed the Edmunds-Tucker Act. When Utah was granted statehood in 1896, women were again granted the right to vote, due in large part to the hard work of many Relief Society sisters.

Relief Society sisters were also highly involved in the national and international battles for suffrage. Researchers can find more information about Relief Society and woman’s suffrage in the Latter-day Saint Woman’s Suffrage Research Guide and the Church History Topic Woman’s Suffrage.

The following sources offer period-specific perspectives on the fight for suffrage:

From The First Fifty Years of Relief Society:

Minutes of “Ladies Mass Meeting,” January 6, 1870

The Relief Society women’s organized response to the Cullom Bill, an attempt by the United States Congress to prevent Latter-day Saints from practicing plural marriage.

Minutes of “Great Indignation Meeting,” January 13, 1870

Minutes from the mass gathering of Relief Society women protesting Congress’s passage of the Cullom Bill.

“Female Suffrage in Utah,” February 8, 1870

Deseret News article calling on the Utah legislature to give women the right to vote.

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