History of Relief Society: Emmeline B. Woodward Wells

Emmeline B. Woodward Wells

February 29, 1828: Emmeline Blanche Woodward was born in Petersham, Massachusetts.  Her parents were David and Diadama Hare Woodward.   She was very intelligent and wanted to become a writer.  Out of the nine children, Emmeline was the only child that they could afford to put in private education.  She earned a teaching certificate.  At age 14 she joined the church as well as her mother ad 3 younger sisters.

July 29, 1843:  Emmeline married James Harvey Harris.  After moving to Nauvoo their infant son died.  James Harvey Harris left Nauvoo to find work but never returned.  She started to teach school so she had an income. 

February 17, 1845:  She married and became a plural wife of Newel K Whitney.  She crossed the plains with his family.  5 years later after Newel died and Emmeline needing an income she returned to teaching.

October 10, 1852:  She became the wife of Daniel H. Wells.  Together they had five daughters. 

1876:  President Brigham Young put Emmeline in charge of a grain-saving program in which Relief Society sisters worked together to procure and store grain. Over the years, Relief Society sisters were able to share their wheat with those in need. The Relief Society also sold over 200,000 bushels of wheat to the U.S. government during World War I.

Emmeline and her counselors are the ones who came up with the Relief Society motto, “Charity never faileth”.  Within years of the motto, World War 1 broke out and Emmeline urged the sisters to be kind to all and seek a pure love of Christ for mankind.  She was a major part of the women’s suffrage movement. 

In 1877:  She became editor of the Woman’s Exponent, a LDS women newspaper.  For 37 years she helped women to be heard around the country. 

Emmeline was 82 years old when she was called to be the 5^th general president and she served for 11 years.  She outlived two of her own children and died on April 29, 1921.

“It is [my] strongest desire that our young women of today be made to comprehend the work of the early members who without the facilities of the present time, comforted the sad and distressed, visited the widow and fatherless, and were like ministering angels.”