Author Description

This collection of original documents explores the largely unknown nineteenth-century history of the Relief Society, the women's organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Founded in 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois, the Relief Society was initially led by Emma Smith, wife of church president Joseph Smith. The substantial minutes of the organization's proceedings from 1842 to 1844, published unabridged herein for the first time in print, document the women's priorities, contributions, and teachings. The Nauvoo Relief Society Minute Book also contains six sermons Joseph Smith delivered to the society, the only recorded words he directed exclusively to the women of the church. --