In a pile of old Relief Society handbooks, I found this great little booklet about the history of the Relief Society. It was published during Belle Spafford’s presidency. It had lots of information in it, including this fascinating explanation.
As the Relief Society was reorganized in the various wards and community developments throughout the Salt Lake Valley, it wasn’t until 1877 that a woman was called as a Stake Relief Society President. Before this time, ward presidents ran things for their individual community needs, but looked to women leaders centralized in Salt Lake City for advice and support. Eliza, and several women friends, would travel long distances together to connect with the various outlying areas of the territory. The Woman’s Exponent provided another important service in connecting the sisters who were distant to the city of the Saints.
North of Salt Lake City was the city of Ogden, in the Weber Valley. Several Relief Societies were formed in this community and they all looked to a woman by the name of Jane S. Richards. Jane was an incredible woman who survived a difficult passage across the plains. For many years women looked to her for direction and leadership. It was her idea to invite Pres. Brigham Young to attend a conference where all the sisters in the area came to gather and hear their leaders.
At this conference, Brigham Young saw the expanse of devoted women, and clearly seeing the strength and spirit of Sis. Richards, felt inspired to announce the organization of the Weber Stake Relief Society, with Sis. Jane S. Richards called as its first stake Relief Society President. This announcement was met with “happy surprise” by those in attendance. This began the consolidation of various Relief Societies into stake organizations.
Emmeline, relating the events of this meeting in the Exponent, said, “There were so many good things said for encouragement of women in stepping forward to assist in building up Zion, that we could only wish that all the world could have heard it.”
Sister Richards would continue her service as the Relief Society president of the Weber Stake for thirty-one years. For twenty-two of those years she was also a member of the Relief Society General Board, as well as serving as a counselor in the General Presidency.
The second stake Relief Society organized was the Salt Lake Stake. Five months after President Brigham Young’s death, Eliza R. Snow called a special meeting in the Fourteenth Ward. She stated that President Young had inaugurated a movement previous to his death in the Weber Stake, which she considered proper to carry out. Mary Isabella Horne was appointed as the Relief Society president of the Salt Lake Stake. She too would serve concurrently as a member of the General Board, as well as serve as the president of the Retrenchment Association. Joseph Smith was the one who gave Sis. Horne the title of “General Among Women”.
Eliza would travel all over the territory creating more Relief Society stakes, and calling the women to serve as presidents.