Female Relief Society of Nauvoo

A church organization for women; created in Nauvoo, Illinois, under JS’s direction on 17 March 1842. At the same meeting, Emma Smith was elected president, and she selected two counselors; a secretary and a treasurer were also chosen. The minutes of the society’s meetings were to serve as its “Constitution and law.” Candidates were admitted by a vote of the members. The purposes of the society included assisting the poor, combating iniquity in the church, “provok[ing] the brethren to good works,” and “strengthening the virtues of the female community.” Members of the society committed themselves to assist with the construction of the Nauvoo temple. Minutes of the organization identify approximately thirteen hundred members by 1844. The final meeting of the Relief Society in Nauvoo was held 16 March 1844.