Faith, Hope, and Charity

Relief Society Presidents: On the Lighter Side

Along with the calling of general Relief Society president comes much responsibility for sisters around the world, numerous meetings, 40+-hours a week, many talks to give, and still a family to nurture. Having a sense of humor helps tremendously. Marjorie Pay Hinckley, wife of President Gordon B. Hinckley, once said, “The only way to get through life is to laugh your way through it. You either have to laugh or cry. I prefer to laugh. Crying gives me a headache.” (Glimpses into the Life of Marjorie Pay Hinckley,1999, p. 107.)

Bathsheba W. Smith, the fourth general Relief Society president (1901-1910), was married to Elder George A. Smith, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The Smiths lost both their sons— John, in infancy, and George, Jr., killed as a young man by Indians. Bathsheba was devoted to their only daughter, named after her. This daughter later married and provided ten grandchildren, who brought great joy to their grandmother’s life.

As a young wife, Bathsheba endeavored to beautify her various pioneer homes, which ranged from a smoky cabin in Nauvoo to a covered wagon for the trek west. Bathsheba’s wagon was no ordinary one as she described in her journal:

“On this journey my wagon was provided with projections, of about eight inches wide, on each side of the top of the box. The cover, which was high enough for us to stand erect, was widened by these projections. A frame was laid across the back part of our wagon, and was corded as a bedstead; this made our sleeping very comfortable. Under our beds we stowed our heaviest articles. We had a door in one side of the wagon cover, and on the opposite side a window. A step-ladder was used to ascend to our door, which was between the wheels. . . . I had, hanging up on the inside a looking-glass, candlestick, pincushion, etc. In the center or our wagon we had room for four chairs, in which we and our two children sat and rode when we chose. The floor of our traveling house was carpeted, and we made ourselves as comfortable as we could under the circumstances.”

Once, while fording a stream, Bathsheba’s awkward, unwieldy wagon threatened to wash downstream. Unruffled, she yelled, “Behold, Noah’s Ark!”

The three decades that Belle S. Spafford served as the ninth Relief Society general president, from 1945 to 1974, saw sweeping changes in the world and in the status of women. During her administration, the Relief Society grew from a largely English-speaking organization of 100,000 members to a worldwide organization of nearly a million sisters in 65 countries. Belle not only served the women of the Church, she also served women throughout the world as the president of the National Council of Women and as a delegate to the International Council of Women.

Belles’s sense of humor brightened her family life and also helped her to cope with the many demands placed upon her and helped to put others at ease. Often when she received a compliment for something she accomplished, she jokingly replied, “I’ve done pretty well for a little girl who lived on the wrong side of the railroad tracks.” Once at a women’s club luncheon as she began to speak, loud music issued from the intercom. When the music stopped, she started her speech again, but almost on cue, the music sounded out again, and no one knew how to turn it off. When her talk was interrupted for the third time, she said, “Don’t let this trouble you. I’m used to giving musical readings; many people prefer them, so I will just go on.”
Belle enjoyed telling humorous stories, and she and her son, Earl Spafford, particularly liked exchanging jokes. One of her grandsons commented, “Grandma is the only person I know that could tell the same old joke over and over again and get a laugh every time.” She even got the last laugh by attaching a humorous poem to her will.

Elaine L. Jack began her service as the general Relief Society president in April 1990, following three years as a counselor in the Young Women general presidency and twelve years on the Relief Society general board. During her administration, the Relief Society celebrated its sesquicentennial and initiated the Gospel Literacy program. President Gordon B. Hinckley introduced “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” at the general Relief Society meeting in September 1995.

Elaine’s warmth and good humor were evident in the first address she gave as Relief Society president at general conference: “I feel the love and the great strength that come from my four sons and their families. I appreciate their candor and good humor. In fact, I can hear them now, on both coasts, watching this broadcast and saying, “My mother? Oh, sure!” Yesterday, I was telling our oldest son that President [Thomas S.] Monson had said that I might be called on for a few remarks today. President Monson had said, “We don’t want you to preach a sermon.” Dave replied, “Mom, that’s what we’ve been telling you for years!”

“My mother was always a good sport,” said Elaine’s eldest son, Dave. “Sometimes, when we were hiking, we would hide rocks in her backpack. She would discover them after we got to the bottom and laugh right along with us.” Her sons like to joke about having a mother who wore army boots when they went hiking.

Throughout Elaine’s years of service, she described how her husband, Joe, with “his steadiness, his sense of humor, good judgment, and righteous hands,” wholeheartedly supported her—although she said he didn’t “do dinner.” Speaking in the April 1997 general conference at the time of her release, she commented, “I took it as the ultimate compliment when one of [her sons] said,” in typical Jack good humor, “We’ve been training Mom to be a Relief Society president for a long time, and she finally got it right!”

Bonnie D. Parkin, according to her sons, Matt and Jeff, Bonnie has “a quick wit” and “a wonderful sense of humor, though we tested her limits.” David Parkin noted, “My mom loves a good laugh. She loves to interact and have a good time.”Bonnie even made breakfast fun by cooking green pancakes and green scrambled eggs on occasion. Her quips, called “Bonnie-isms” by her family, included such remarks as, “Fair is where you go to see the pigs,” and “The Holy Ghost goes to bed at midnight.”
Bonnie’s outgoing personality and quick wit endeared her to the missionaries in the England London South Mission, where she served with her husband, and to Church members worldwide. Bonnie served as the fourteenth general Relief Society president from 2002 to 2007. She particularly focused on the young single adult sisters, to help them feel an important part of Relief Society, and prayed that all sisters would feel the love of the Lord in their lives daily.
Earlier, Bonnie also had served as a counselor in the Young Women general presidency and on the Relief Society general board. An excerpt from one of her addresses to the Young Women, “Fat-Free Feasting,” reveals her humorous approach to life: “Sisters, I want to tell you a secret. I love to eat. Don’t you? When food has the perfect herbs, when it’s cooked just right, when it’s served like a work of sculpture, I’m in heaven. I can gain weight just reading a menu. And did you know that the Lord doesn’t expect us to diet? Trust me!”

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Those Old Favorite Relief Society Recipes

If you want to take a culinary journey through history, browse through a couple of old Relief Society or ward cookbooks. It matters not whether the recipes were collected by sisters in Newport Beach, California, or Newark, New Jersey, you’ll be assured to find similar entries in nearly every book you peruse.

Long before the Internet, there was the Relief Society network, where the newest food fad spread faster than you could say “funeral potatoes.” If you were a guest at a Relief Society Birthday Party or Fall Social in Portland, Oregon, one week and then joined sisters in Portland, Maine, the next, you probably wouldn’t know you had traveled three thousand miles because the food would seem very familiar.

A sister somewhere in mid-America got a recipe from her mother, sister, or friend who said, “You just have to try this.” Tried and liked, the recipe made the rounds of Relief Societies from north to south, east to west, and became part of the Relief Society food culture. Each cook, however, interpreted the recipe in her own way, for if you gave the same recipe for Chicken Enchiladas to twelve different sisters, you would be serving that many variations.

Food favorites shift over the years as new recipes make the rounds, diet and nutrition philosophies change, and tastes are tutored. Sampling some of those old, familiar Relief Society dishes, nevertheless, evokes fond memories of dear sisters cooking for the few and the many, of happy gatherings around one’s own table or festive tables set in the cultural hall, and of pleasant times shared with family or ward members.

Is there a ward or branch in the Church that hasn’t at some point in time created a cookbook of its own? Back in 1979, the Butler 31st Ward in Sandy, Utah, published “Oldies But Goodies,” a collection of our favorite dishes. Compiling a cookbook is never an easy task, but Sandy Gundersen ably gathered and typed hundreds of recipes (before computers) and published this culinary treasure. It became my “Bible,” and when my first book became spattered and the binding wore out, I begged my mother to give me her copy. Because this cookbook was so popular, Sandy reissued it in 1997. I do not let this new copy become stained or tattered—it is a prized memento. Turning the pages is a walk through that era of my life when my husband served as the first bishop of that ward and when we had six small children gathered around the dinner table for yet another tasty meal from the ward cookbook. With the division of the ward and with many sisters having moved and some having died, reading through the names is a vicarious and sweet ward reunion.

Although names of particular recipes vary widely, no historic Relief Society cookbook would be complete without:

Jello Salads: Utah might be designated as the Jello State (complete with a Green Jello Olympic pin), but our penchant for Jello expanded far beyond state lines. Jello became a Mormon legend of its own. Some popular Jello salads include: Raspberry Jello with frozen raspberries, pineapple, bananas, and chopped pecans; “Company Best Set Salad” made with lemon Jello, miniature marshmallows, pineapple, bananas, and a thickened cream topping; Blueberry Jello salad, whose many variations combined raspberry or blackberry Jello made dark purple with juice from canned blueberries, and pineapple, cream cheese, and whipping cream.

Green Beans and Mushroom Soup: One version is titled “Fancy Quick Green Beans” with just three ingredients—canned green beans, mushroom soup, and slivered almonds. At any ward function, green beans never appeared unaccompanied.

Cool Whip Delight: Often listed with more intriguing titles, such as “Better Than Robert Redford,” this dessert has several layers beginning with a baked crust, cream cheese, lemon or chocolate pudding, and Cool Whip, and appeared innumerable times as the grande finale.

Chicken Crescent Rolls: Still one of my family’s favorites, aka “Chicken Dumplings,” “Chicken Pillows,” or “Chicken Bundles,” this main dish single handedly raised profit margins for the Pillsbury company. Cooked and diced chicken, cream cheese, and optional green onions, mushrooms, and celery are rolled up in a Crescent roll and baked, then served with chicken gravy.

Funeral Potatoes: Ever since this dish debuted (tracing its origin would be a mighty task), it has accompanied ham for Easter dinner, Relief Society socials, and funeral luncheons. Served so often at the luncheon for families of the deceased, it earned the moniker, “Funeral Potatoes.” Whether frozen hash browns or cubed boiled potatoes are used, other required ingredients are sour cream, cream of chicken soup, cheddar cheese, and crushed corn flakes.

Before we became acutely conscious of calories, fat grams, and cholesterol, we could freely enjoy those dishes and savor the experience of those old favorite Relief Society recipes. Such meals nourished us with good food and generous portions of love.

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Janet Peterson Interview
>> Monday, July 13, 2009

Many years ago I met Janet Peterson. We attended a writers conference in Logan. She was a friend of a friend. By the time we came home from that trip, we’d grown to know each other. However, as life goes I lost touch with Janet, but recently found her on an internet site. Knowing Janet’s writing background, I was eager to interview her for my blog.

Enjoy!

Have you always wanted to be a writer?
When our fourth-grade class had to write our life stories, I remember shyly penning that I wanted to write a book. I’m positive I had no idea what that entailed nor that I would not only write one, but seven books. In sixth grade, I was chosen by the principal to write a column representing our school for the Salt Lake Tribune, called “School News and Views.” I thought it was really fun to see my name in print. My senior year of high school I was elected editor of East High School’s newspaper, the Leopard. However, it was many more years until that first book was published. In the meantime, I acquired two degrees in English from BYU, a husband whom I met in an English grammar class, and six children.

You have a wonderful history of co-writing with LaRene Gaunt on some famous books for the LDS audience: Elect Ladies: Presidents of the Relief Society (1990), Keepers of the Flame: Presidents of the Relief Society (1993) and The Children’s Friends: Primary Presidents and Their Lives of Service (1996). All the women who served as presidents of those auxiliaries were very devote women. Since this is July and close to a beloved holiday for Latter-day Saints (24th), please share with us a brief story from all three of your books.

Relief Society
Zina D. H. Young served as the third general president of the Relief Society from 1888 to 1901. Prior to this call, Zina was asked by her husband, Brigham Young, to not only become a midwife but also to establish the silk industry in the Territory. She took a course in obstetrics and delivered hundreds of babies, a service for which she was not usually paid. “Aunt Zina,” as she was affectionately called, combined her medical skills and her great faith. A number of baby girls were named Zina after her. Realizing that medical care needed much improvement, she was instrumental in establishing the Deseret Hospital, served on its board of directors for many years, started a nursing school, and for a time headed a school of obstetrics.
Sometimes home remedies were ministered: She recorded in her journal an ointment used for treating “caked breast, strains, lame backs and rheumatism:
“Good sized live Toads 4; put in boiling water—cook very soft; take them out; boil the water down to ½ pint and add 1 lb fresh butter; simmer; add 2 oz. Tincture arnica.”
Though silk worms were “a terror” to Zina, she traveled from Logan to St. George to teach women how to feed silkworms, spin thread, and weave silk. She served as president of the Deseret Silk Association though she was plagued with nightmares of silkworms. Those silk dresses on display in museums are the product of Zina’s devoted efforts.

Young Women
The third president of the Young Women, Ruth May Fox, was the mother of 12 children—that in itself an enormous responsibility. Her amazing energy, quick mind, and devotion to the gospel helped her in all areas. After serving on the general board and as a counselor in the presidency the YLMIA (Young Ladies’ Mutual Improvement Association), President Heber J. Grant called her to be the president. She was 75 years old. When she suggested to the prophet that she was quite old, he told her that age was a quality of mind. At a dinner for the young men’s and young women’s presidencies, she recited a lengthy poem she had just made up. One of Ruth’s co-workers remarked after a lengthy and arduous trip to visit stakes that she often had to rest in bed for a day. “Well, maybe someday I’ll come to that,” responded Ruth, who was 27 years older than her colleague. Released at age 84, Ruth May Fox lived to be 104 years old and realized the promise given her in her patriarchal blessing decades earlier that her last days would be her best days. She credited her experiences (which she said were “far beyond my fondest dreams”) and her youth and vigor to the Lord, who, she said, “has always done better for me than I could have done for myself.”

Primary
Many experiences of Adele Cannon Howells prepared her well to serve as the fourth general Primary president. From her husband’s successful movie distribution company in the early days of film, she learned of the far-reaching influence of mass media. Adele was also a writer for several magazines and newspapers. During their world travels, Adele developed a good eye for art and acquired many paintings. Following David’s early death, Adele moved from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City when she was called to the Primary general presidency. Because of her writing talents, she became editor of the Children’s Friend. She adopted the slogan “Good Reading for Children” and initiated pages for children’s art and hands-on activities. As Primary president (1943-1951), she began a radio program, Children’s Friend of the Air, to broadcast uplifting and gospel-oriented programs. Perhaps her most lasting contribution was commissioning Arnold Friberg to paint a series of Book of Mormon illustrations because she felt children would better understand the Book of Mormon if beautiful pictures accompanied some of the stories.

Share with us the process of collaborating with another writer.
LaRene Gaunt and I first met in a writers’ group in the early 1980s and immediately became friends. Then we both were called to serve on the Relief Society Writing Committee, so Relief Society was really on our minds. The day my youngest son started kindergarten LaRene and I were sitting on my front lawn contemplating what I might do with the 3 hours my house would be empty and quiet. (Her children were a bit older.) As we talked about doing a writing project together, we thought we could write a book about the general Relief Society presidents, but were afraid it had already been done. After we found no such book, we submitted a proposal to Deseret Book. They didn’t know us nor our writing but were very interested in a book featuring women leaders in the Church.
LaRene and I had a marvelous experience together, and I don’t think either one of us could have written these books alone. It was great to share our research, edit each other’s writing, discuss our progress, and get excited about our project. We wrote the various chapters separately; we found that it didn’t work for us to try to write a chapter together. When LaRene brought the first copies of Elect Ladies to my home, she had wrapped them in a pink blanket. We really felt that we had given birth—and only two years of labor! Over the next few years we wrote Keepers of the Flame: Presidents of the Young Women and The Children’s Friends: Presidents of the Primary and Their Lives of Service. Because LaRene was simply too busy to do a new version of the Relief Society book, I updated it. Faith, Hope, and Charity: Inspiration from the Lives of General Relief Society Presidents was published in 2008.

What inspires and motivates you to write the very most?
Writers write, right? If I didn’t have a project to work on, I would feel out of sync. My inspiration and motivation to write come in a variety of ways: something I’ve read, heard, or through just plain brainstorming. I have also received “those sudden strokes of ideas” that the Prophet Joseph Smith referred to, that I know were messages from heaven about a particular piece to write.

Is there an established writer you admire and emulate in your writing? Do you have a writing mentor?
I admire nonfiction writers who make a historical piece read like a novel. These writers make people and events fascinating and reading their works compelling. Recent favorites are James Swanson (Manhunt), Dava Zobel (Longitude), Diane Ackerman (The Zookeeper’s Wife).
I have been very fortunate to have been mentored by Eleanor Knowles, former senior editor at Deseret Book and by Dr. Neal E. Lambert, my graduate chairman at BYU. They didn’t let me get by with sloppy writing and taught me how to improve both style and substance.

Location and life experience can sprinkle their influence in your writing. Tell us about where you grew up and a little about where you live now - city? Suburb? Country? Farm? If you could live anywhere you want to live, where would that be?
I grew up in Salt Lake City and lived in the same home for my first 18 years. I lived in the Yalecrest area, a lovely neighborhood with tree-lined streets, wonderful neighbors, and a marvelous ward. On the Yalecrest Ward grounds was a monument to the silk industry, which intrigued me as a young girl Little did I know then that I would be writing about the Relief Society’s role in sericulture. I guess it’s not surprising that living in the heart of Zion piqued my interest in Church history.

Bring us into your home and set the scene for us when you are writing. What does it look like? On the couch, laptop, desk? Music? Lighting, handwriting?
Years ago we converted a main floor bedroom into what we call “the computer room.” It is really my computer room because that’s where I write. Every now and then a family member will venture in to use my computer. My husband does most of his computer work at his law office or on his laptop and has an office in another part of the house. When our children were at home, they, of course, did homework and played some games, but the Internet was not an attraction/distraction since our youngest son graduated from high school in 2000 and the Internet was just being introduced. I have a great mountain view out my window, lots of books on the shelves, family photos, and papers here and there.

What are you working on now?
I write a monthly column for meridianmagazine.com and intermittent articles for various magazines. My church calling requires a lot of writing under the byline “Anonymous.” I have served on the Church Correlation Committee for the past nine years; we evaluate the magazines, manuals, special projects, etc.
My current book project is a collection of family history stories going back to the first ancestors who joined the Church on both my husband’s and my side. As we’re both 5th generation Latter-day Saints, I have a large group of people to research and write about. I really enjoy historical research and writing about people, so after writing biographies of the general auxiliary presidents, I’m finally tackling our family. The hardest part for me will be getting the photos inserted! Of course, it will be privately published.

How has being published changed your life?
Publishing has provided me with amazing opportunities and associations with people that have enriched my life immensely. By getting a few articles published in Church magazines years ago, I was invited to interview General Authorities and auxiliary presidents for the “Friend to Friend” column in the Friend magazine, serve on two Church writing committees, publish many more articles in the Ensign, and am now a member of the Correlation Committee. My earlier publications led to writing the auxiliary presidents’ books with LaRene Gaunt.
I’ve also gained confidence in my ability to write, have made a little bit of money, and most of all, found how much I enjoy the process of writing.

Tell us about your website and any other information you would like to share.
Please visit my website http://www.reliefsocietypresidents.com/. There you can learn more about the general Relief Society presidents, see the collective list of publications of LaRene and mine, and also read about the two cookbooks I have compiled: Remedies for the “I Don’t Cook” Syndrome and Family Dinners: Easy Ways to Feed Your Kids and Get Them Talking at the Table.
I have two Powerpoint presentations that I give to Relief Societies and other women’s groups. One is about the general Relief Society presidents (very popular for the March birthday) and the other is “Strengthening the Family at the Dinner Table.” My two cookbooks focus on the importance of families eating dinner together. I can be contacted at janet@mmind.com to schedule a presentation.

Thanks, Janet!

Read more…

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Eliza R. Snow, the second general Relief Society president, was called “Zion’s Poetess” by the Prophet Joseph Smith. A prolific poet, she wrote hundreds of poems throughout her life.
When Eliza began publishing poetry, she wrote under pseudonyms to avoid drawing attention to herself. However, she soon became recognized for her abilities and acknowledged her work. When two former United States presidents, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, both died on July 4, 1826, she was asked to write a requiem for them. She could have enjoyed a career as a nationally known poet.
Following her conversion to the Church and baptism in 1835, however, she turned her talents to the building of the kingdom of God. She wrote, “For thy approval, Lord, shall prompt my pen.” She wrote poetry for self-expression and to cheer the Saints. After the Martyrdom, she said, “The mob in the vicinity of Nauvoo, knowing that I wielded the pen, had threatened my life, lest, as they said, I should write about the tragic scene at Carthage.” Despite these threats, she continued to write and expressed her grief through poetry.
A year after the Prophet’s death, the mother of her dear friend Zina D. H. Young died, causing Eliza to deeply contemplate eternal life. She composed “O My Father,” now her most recognized hymn text. Nine of her other poems, set to music, appear in our current hymn book: “Awake, Ye Saints of God, Awake!”, “Great Is the Lord,” “Though Deepening Trials,” “Again We Meet Around the Board,” “Behold the Great Redeemer Die,” “How Great the Wisdom and the Love,” “The Time Is Far Spent,” “Truth Reflects Upon Our Senses,” and “In Our Lovely Deseret.”
A friend recently gave me a book of Eliza R. Snow’s poems published in 1856—a generous and marvelous gift. Topics include the first colony in Massachusetts, the Saints’ trials in Missouri, marriage, tributes to various Church leaders, and death.
The following is a sample from Poems: Religious, Historical, and Political.

True Happiness

The noblest, proudest joys that this
World’s favor can dispense,
Are far inferior to the bliss
Of conscious innocence.
The joy that in the bosom flows,
No circumstance can bind;
It is a happiness that knows
No province but the mind.

It makes the upright soul rejoice,
With weight of ills opprest,
To hear the soothing, still small voice
Low whispering in the breast.
The favor of the mighty God,
The favor of His Son,
The Holy Spirit shed abroad,
The hope of life to come.

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One of the most successful pioneer “home industry” endeavors was the Relief Society wheat project. In 1876, Brigham Young assigned Emmeline B. Wells to direct a project for women to gather and store wheat as a hedge against want and famine. He said to her: “I want the sisters to save the grain, and I want to give you a mission. I want you to begin by writing the strongest editorial that you can possibly write upon the subject.” (“The Mission of Saving Grain,” Relief Society Magazine [Feb. 1915], 47).

        Emmeline, who served as associate editor, then editor, of the Woman’s Exponent and later as the fifth general Relief Society president, wrote: “Who is there that can feel there things as deeply as a mother can; think what it would be to hear your little one cry for bread.” (Woman’s Exponent [1 Nov. 1876], 84.) She asked Relief Society sisters to glean wheat from fences, ditch banks, and harvested fields, and to solicit funds to buy wheat.

            Emmeline said, “We began that very year, and though we were laughed at, we did buy grain.” (“The Mission of Saving Grain,” 48.) An amazing 10,000 bushels were stored the first year. Much more wheat was gathered, purchased when market prices were low, and stored in subsequent years.

            The Relief Society had complete autonomy over their wheat: Church President John Taylor sent a letter to bishops stating that the women “were the proper custodians. . . and that no Bishop has any right. . . to take possession of this grain.” (“Grain Saving in the Relief Society,” Relief Society Magazine [Feb. 1915], 58).

            Speaking about the wheat project at the 1914 Relief Society conference, Emmeline likened this work to that of Joseph of Egypt: “The work that has been done in the saving of grain is unusual and unique for women. Joseph in Egypt was not the only one that saved grain for a great people.” (“The Mission of Saving Grain,”Relief Society Magazine [Feb. 1915], 49).

            The Relief Society acquired or built granaries and gave wheat to the poor, sold or loaned seed to farmers, and shared their precious grain following drought and disaster. For example, the sisters provided wheat to drought-ravaged Southern Utah in 1898-99 and shipped 16 train carloads to San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake and fire. The Relief Society sold 200,000 bushels of much-needed wheat to the United States government during World War I for $1.20 a bushel. (Jill Mulvay Derr, Janath Russell Cannon, Maureen Ursenbach Beecher, Women of Covenant: The Story of Relief Society [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1992], 212.

            On September 30 1978, Barbara B. Smith, then general Relief Society president, gave the wheat and wheat funds, amounting to more than two million dollars, to President Spencer W.  Kimball.  She said, “It is with great pride in the accomplishments of the past and with tenderness of heart that we, the women of Zion, place our wheat and wheat assets at your disposal, President Kimball, to be used for grain storage purposes under your administration, through the General Church Welfare Committee.” (Ibid., p. 355.  This transfer marked the conclusion of the remarkable Relief Society wheat project begun more than a half century before.

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Relief Society Presidents Serve Up Great Dishes!

Throughout the month of March local Relief Society units around the world, whether they are branch or ward, district or stake, have commemorated the organization of Relief Society with special dinners, programs, festivities, and, most significant, sharing sisterhood. This is usually known “The Relief Society Birthday Party.” Honoring the past Relief Society presidents is often a part of the celebration.

The Relief Society has been guided and developed by fourteen remarkable women who, working under inspiration from the Lord and often at great personal sacrifice, have served as the former general presidents. A study of their lives provides modern Latter-day Saint women with wonderful role models as well as insights into how each woman was called to lead the Relief Society at a particular time in Church history because of her experiences, strengths, and abilities. What may not be widely known by many, however, are the contributions these presidents have made in the kitchen! Take a look at some of their culinary history.

EMMA SMITH
First general president, 1842-44 Emma Smith welcomed many visitors to the Smith home, wherever they lived. Her guests remembered seeing her often in an apron, the corner of which she fingered as she talked. In Nauvoo, Emma at last had her own home. A two-story log house, which the Smiths named the Homestead, was built for her family. A constant stream of Saints from other parts of the United States and from Europe arrived in Nauvoo, and many were invited to lodge temporarily with Joseph and Emma. By 1842, more space was needed to house the arrivals, so a larger home, the Mansion House, was built on a corner lot across from the Homestead. Eventually the Mansion House had twenty-two rooms; the Prophet’s family occupied three, and the rest served as hotel rooms. W. W. Phelps once remarked to Emma, as she struggled to feed the many visitors, that Joseph should have a smaller table in order to limit the number of guests, as did Napoleon. Her reply was, “Joseph is a bigger man than Napoleon; he could never eat without his friends.”

BATHSHEBA W. SMITH Fourth general president, 1901-1910When Bathsheba W. Smith and her apostle husband, George A., arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, he began building an adobe house for Bathsheba. Before finishing it, however, he was called to colonize Parowan, 250 miles south of Salt Lake City. When he left for Parowan with one of his plural wives, Bathsheba hid in his wagon a package containing a small sugar loaf, a bunch of English currants, and a poem that read, in part, “Now I give it unto thee, / That comfort you may in this, / My great large sugar kiss.” George A. wrote of Bathsheba’s gift in his journal, “For surely, I remember my first love.”

CLARISSA S. WILLIAMS
Sixth general president, 1921-1928 Clarissa S. Williams and her husband, William, were gracious hosts and entertained frequently. Their home had a ballroom downstairs and was the scene of many parties. Clarissa was an expert cook, having taken classes from well-known chefs as well as helping to cook for her mother’s boarders. She owned thirty-six place settings of fine china, which she used often. But her hospitality extended beyond setting a beautiful table and serving a delicious meal. She made her guests feel genuinely welcome in her home. A generous woman, she often served meals to uninvited guests. Her daughter Eva Williams Darger recalled, “As a little girl I remember the many hobos, vagrants or tramps who would knock at the back door for a handout. One summer day when three or four men had come to the door for food, Mama asked, `Where are these men coming from?’ The hungry hobo said, ‘Ma’am, there is a mark on the tree in your front yard that tells us that you are generous with your food. We have marks that let our friends know about mad dogs, gun crazy men and good victuals. You ought to be proud, Ma’am, of your generous reputation.’ ”

Clarissa’s daughters inherited their mother’s love of entertaining, for as adults, they and the daughters-in-law took turns hosting weekly Thursday luncheons at which Clarissa was the honored guest. These luncheons, Eva Smith Darger said, were “viewed as productions so the fine china, silver, crystal and linen were always used to set the table (often a card table in a small apartment) and the latest recipe from one of the current women’s magazines was tried. All of the Williams girls prided ourselves on being excellent cooks and have always been as interested in the attractive presentation of the food as the taste and nutritional value.”

LOUISE YATES ROBISON
Seventh general president, 1928-1939 Christmas brought its traditional festivities to the Louise and Lyman Robison household. The children’s homemade decorations adorned the house. They traditionally hung their stockings until adulthood, and Louise always set out two kinds of pie for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. Her daughter Gladys R. Winter recalled, “Oh, those pies! I wonder if all children grow up as we did, with the firm assurance that Mama was the one best cook in the world. Her pies were superlative and generous.” Gladys added, “Although her children were nearly grown when she was the busiest in these organizations, we were never conscious of her responsibilities and accomplishments because somehow she kept the home running smoothly with very few late meals, and the cake we wanted to take to a party, or a special dress that was needed, was always ready.”

AMY BROWN LYMAN
Eighth general president, 1941-1945 An excellent homemaker, Amy Brown Lyman bottled some four hundred jars of fruit every year so that her family could have fruit every morning. She was especially proud of her grape jelly. A good cook, she enjoyed formal evening meals in the dining room, not only with her family, but often with friends, important visitors, or perhaps someone in need.

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BARBARA W. WINDER
Eleventh general president, 1984-1990 Susan W. Tanner said that she and her brothers learned from their mother’s example of generosity and good humor. The kitchen was always available to bring friends in for a snack or to make cookies or a meal to take to someone. One evening just before Halloween, girls from the Granger High School Pep Club strewed toilet paper around the Winders’ house and yard, a local custom that was usually done surreptitiously. Much to the girls’ surprise, Barbara brought out candied apples to treat them. “Ice Cream Sunday” became another Winder tradition, especially when the children were teenagers. With the abundant supply of cream available from the dairy, Rich and Barbara churned homemade ice cream every Sunday and invited all the Winder relatives and the children’s friends to their home each week.

ELAINE L. JACK Twelfth general president, 1990-1997 Elaine likes people. She is gracious, laughs easily, and puts others at ease. She enjoys entertaining friends in her home and cooking for them. Carol L. Clark, who later served as Elaine’s administrative assistant, said, “I started working with Elaine Jack when I was called to serve on Belle S. Spafford’s general board in 1973. Elaine chaired the Curriculum Committee at a season when the Relief Society chose authors and evaluated every lesson. We met at 6 a.m. Sunday mornings for many months of each year around her kitchen table to discuss those lessons. “I learned early some wonderful qualities Elaine possesses. She has always been ‘class’ embodied. From the cut of her clothes to the set of her table to her hand-written notes, Elaine is blessed with a natural graciousness and charm. Ever the loving wife and mother, Elaine shares her home and family and fun and food (always fabulous — she’s a gifted cook) with so many others — both extended family and those she adopts in.”

MARY ELLEN W. SMOOT Thirteenth general president, 1997-2002 Although Mary Ellen Smoot’s early childhood years spanned most of the Great Depression — which caused financial hardship for many families throughout the United States and the world — the Wood family survived fairly well due to her parents’ abilities and hard work. Her father, Melvin, loved gardening, planting abundant vegetables and fruit trees as well as beautiful flowers. He also raised a cow, a pig, and chickens, and the Woods usually had plenty of milk and eggs to share with their neighbors. Mary Ellen’s mother, LaVora, was very careful to use and store what they produced. Mary Ellen recalled, “Provident living and self-reliance were virtues instilled in us from an early age as we all took part in placing seeds in the ground, watering, weeding, harvesting, and canning or bottling in preparation for the winter months.” She remembered, “Our storage room was like a small grocery store. Everything had its own label and we were all a part of the organization of the storage room every fall.”

Mary Ellen and her husband, Stan, have seven children, fifty-one grandchildren and an ever-growing number of great-grandchildren. The Smoots all meet monthly for family home evenings, often at Stan and Mary Ellen’s home. “It’s never easy when you put that many kids in one house — it can get pretty chaotic, but it helps the grandkids to be close to their cousins,” said Scott, the Smoots’ sixth child. “And the grandkids love their grandparents. The door is always open. There’s never an inconvenient time to stop at their home. Mom fixes you some food or has a treat for you or gives you something as you go out the door.”

BONNIE D. PARKIN
Fourteenth general president, 2002-2007 All the Parkin family agreed that Bonnie is “a fantastic cook,” a skill she learned in her mother’s kitchen. Brett Parkin has “lots of wonderful memories of hot bread, and good, healthy meals — the meat and potato-type for raising four boys. As much as we had going on, she was always trying to get us to sit down at the dinner table. We learned a lot at the family dinner table.” Sunday dinners, particularly, were times for the family to enjoy each other’s company, to visit and discuss what was happening in their lives. “She is a fabulous cook,” said daughter-in-law Ann Parkin. “She makes the best rolls. They are to die for. We always try them and they don’t turn out that way. Her boys cook. She had them trained well and they’re all great cooks. They are all there right in the kitchen on Sunday afternoon cooking.”

Bonnie accompanied her husband, Jim, to England, where he presided over the London South Mission. An elder in the mission, Matt Montague, noted that “Sister Parkin’s cooking was out of this world — especially “her famous hot fudge sauce that every missionary loved!” Bonnie’s chocolate chip banana bread, which she served after interviews, at zone conferences, and in numerous other settings, was a mission legend.

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Remember seeing the elegant, but austere, black silk dresses pioneer sisters wore? You may have viewed them in a family history album, a Church history book, or in a museum—or even in your great-grandmother’s closet. There’s quite a story behind these dresses and how the silk for them was produced.

Fabric was a critical need for the pioneers, and although women carefully patched and mended what clothing they had, the need for production of new textiles was urgent. The ready supply of wool was usually handcarded and spun, but as early as the 1850s a woolen mill was built to increase production. At the same time, Church leaders sent families to Southern Utah to establish the Cotton Mission, though it would be ten years before a successful cotton crop was grown. President Brigham Young thought that sericulture—the production of silk—would not only provide “the finest of fabrics,” to be used locally, but also would be a money-producing export.

As sericulture had been practiced in the Midwest and New England, some of the emigrating Saints had experience in producing silk, and a few brought mulberry seeds with them (the diet of silkworms being mulberry leaves). In 1855, Brigham Young himself imported mulberry seeds and silkworm eggs from France and established large cocooneries on his Forest Dale Farm and north of the Beehive House. Sericulture, however, was largely a women’s business in the Utah Territory, and Brigham charged one of his wives, Zina D. H. Young (she later served as the third general Relief Society president), with the responsibility of silk production. Zina, as president of the Deseret Silk Association, traveled throughout the Territory, from Logan to St. George, “preaching up silk,” by encouraging and instructing growers on cultivating mulberry trees, raising the worms, and reeling silk. That she heroically did so was illustrative of her faithful and obedient nature, for Zina abhorred silkworms. They were, in her words, “a terror” and she had nightmares about them.

Producing silk required constant effort; it was a time-consuming and arduous talk. Silkworm eggs, each about the size of a pinhead, required cool storage of below 50 degrees in cellars during the winter months. In late spring when mulberry leaves appeared, the eggs were brought out of storage and placed on wooden trays, or hurdles. 

During the 40-day lifespan of silkworms, their voracious appetites required a round-the-clock supply of chopped and dry mulberry leaves. Because of the silkworms’ extreme sensitivity to temperature and conditions, the cocoonery had to be kept at a constant 75 to 80 degrees, and the silkworms protected from drafts, tobacco smoke, thunder, and lightning. The worms had to be given ample space as they grew; when they reached 3 inches in length, they ceased eating and spun their cocoons.

Over a period of 48 hours, each worm extruded 1000-1300 yards of silken fiber until it was entirely enclosed in its cocoon. A few days later, the cocoons were treated to kill the chrysalis. Then gum from the cocoons had to be removed by soap and hot water. Finally, the much-wanted silk could be reeled. Multiple strands reeled together formed one silk thread, the size of a single human hair.

Nearly every local Relief Society sponsored silk projects. The strong organizational structure of the Relief Society, combined with the spirit of sisterhood among the women, resulted in an effective cooperative system. Utah silk, created into dresses, shawls, and scarves, was exhibited at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1892. Susan B. Anthony, leader of the National Woman’s Suffrage Association, proudly wore the elegant black silk dress given to her by women of Utah.

Through the years, many women enjoyed wearing rustling silk dresses, donning silk gloves, and adorning their clothing and homes with intricate lace. However, the silk industry as a money-making endeavor never really materialized. Nevertheless, the most significant yield of the silk home industry was the spirit of adventure, cooperation, obedience, perseverance, and accomplishment of the thousands of participating Relief Society sisters. Zina Young’s leadership was a significant factor in Utah’s half-century of sericulture.

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Happy Birthday, Relief Society! The Relief Society will celebrate its 167^th birthday on Tuesday, March 17, 2009. From the 20 women who attended that first meeting in the upper room of Joseph Smith’s Red Brick Store in Nauvoo, Illinois, the Relief Society has grown to a worldwide organization of over 5 million sisters. Your Relief Society unit will be hosting a Relief Society birthday celebration, perhaps featuring the history of Relief Society in your area, or inviting husbands or friends to join for a tasty dinner and musical program, or asking each to bring a dish or memento representing a country of their ancestry. Whatever the details of your birthday party, enjoy celebrating and remembering the blessings of Relief Society in your life.

Sarah M. Kimball, who originated the sewing circle in Nauvoo that eventually became the circle of Relief Society sisters, served as general secretary in 1881. She prepared a jubilee box of photographs, documents, and memorabilia to be opened fifty years later. In 1930, not only a jubilee year but also the centennial of the organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Louise Y. Robison, then general president, opened the box.

Sarah wrote to her successor:

            Hon. Secretary: This is dedicated to you with the fond hope and firm belief that you are enjoying many advantages and blessings that were not enjoyed by your predecessors.

            May God abundantly bless you and your labors.

                        (Signed) Sarah M. Kimball

                        Sec. Relief Society

                        Salt Lake City

                        April 1^st, 1881

Now in the twenty-first century, we Relief Society sisters around the world are indeed “enjoying many advantages and blessings” that were not enjoyed by [our] predecessors in 1930, 1881, or 1842. We have received a rich heritage of sisterhood from thousands of Relief Society sisters who, often under difficult conditions, have served each other and the Lord faithfully, building the organization of Relief Society as we now know it. To these pioneering sisters and, particularly to the elect ladies, the former Relief Society presidents, who shaped and led the Relief Society, we owe an immense debt of gratitude.

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The Relief Society had its beginnings in the 1830s in Kirtland, Ohio, during construction of the Kirtland Temple. There was much to be done, and as the temple was raised stone by stone, sisters from Kirtland and surrounding areas joined in the work. Some churned butter to send to the workmen, others cooked meals, and still others cleaned and polished the woodwork as it was completed.

One day Joseph Smith entered the temple and saw the women working together sewing the temple veils. “Well, sisters,” he said, “you are always on hand. the sisters are always first and foremost in all good works. Mary was the first at the resurrection; and the sisters now are the first to work on the inside of the temple.”

janet Temple Kirtland