Merry May Talmage ( Booth; September 26, 1868 – April 6, 1944) was a member of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

(LDS Church) and was the wife of

James E. Talmage James Edward Talmage (21 September 1862 – 27 July 1933) was an English chemist, geologist, and religious leader who served as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) fro ...

, a member of the

Quorum of the Twelve Apostles A quorum is the minimum number of members of a deliberative assembly (a body that uses parliamentary procedure, such as a legislature) necessary to conduct the business of that group. According to ''Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised'', the ...

. She oversaw the

Relief Society The Relief Society is a philanthropic and educational women's organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It was founded in 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois, United States, and has more than 7 million members in over 18 ...

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

from 1924 to 1927 when her husband was the

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

of the European

Mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

of the church.

Early life

Merry May Booth was born on September 29, 1868, to Richard Thornton Booth and Elsie Edge in

Alpine, Utah Alpine is a city on the northeastern edge of Utah County, Utah. The population was 10,251 at the time of the 2020 census. Alpine has been one of the many quickly-growing cities of Utah since the 1970s, especially in the 1990s. This city is th ...

. She was the last of their ten children. Her parents were from

Lancashire, England Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashir ...

. They converted to the LDS Church and immigrated to

Utah Territory The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th state. ...

in 1857. As a child, she often spent time playing in the country and exploring. She went to school at local district schools. May and her family moved to

Provo, Utah Provo ( ) is the fourth-largest city in Utah, United States. It is south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the largest city and county seat of Utah County and is home to Brigham Young University (BYU). Provo lies between the ...

when she was 16. May began taking classes at

Brigham Young Academy Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

under Karl G. Maeser and

. While in school, she was the secretary of the Polysophical Society on campus. She also helped with the church's Primary Association. After graduating from Brigham Young Academy, May moved to

Kaysville, Utah Kaysville is a city in Davis County, Utah. It is part of the Ogden–Clearfield metropolitan area. The population was 27,300 at the time of the 2010 census, with an estimated population of 32,390 in 2019. History Shortly after Latter Day Sain ...

, where she became a schoolteacher. Talmage visited her in Kaysville while he was studying the

Great Salt Lake The Great Salt Lake is the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere and the eighth-largest terminal lake in the world. It lies in the northern part of the U.S. state of Utah and has a substantial impact upon the local climate, particula ...

. The couple wed on June 14, 1888 in

Manti, Utah Manti ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Sanpete County, Utah, United States. The population was 3,276 at the 2010 United States Census. Description Manti was the first community in Utah to be settled outside the Wasatch Front and served as ...

, in the

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

. Her father died in May 1888 before the wedding. The couple had eight children. James affectionately called his wife "Maia." Shortly after getting married, James received a call from the

First Presidency Among many churches in the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency (also known as the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) is the highest presiding or governing body. Present-day denominations of the movement led by a First Presidency ...

of the church that he was to be in charge of the Salt Lake Academy, which is now the Ensign College, so the couple moved to

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

. By 1890, they owned their own house there.

Church service

While her husband was called to be a member of the

for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1911, May contributed to the church as well. She participated in Sunday School,

and Primary. She was called by the church in 1892 to serve on the General Board of the Young Women's Mutual Improvement Association; she served in that position for almost 40 years. May was a speaker at the North Weber State Mutual Improvement Association in 1916. She was also chairperson of the ''

Young Woman's Journal ''The Young Woman's Journal'' was an official publication of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for the Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Association (YLMIA), then the LDS Church's organization for adolescent females. Hi ...

'', which she edited for a little over a year and a half. May accompanied her husband to Europe in 1924 when he was called to be the

of the European Mission. She oversaw the Relief Society organization in Europe from 1924 to 1927.

Contributions

May Talmage became a member of the Executive Board of the Utah Territorial Women's Suffrage Association. In 1893, she represented Utah at the World Congress of Women at the Chicago World's Fair. In that same year, her mother died. She was voted vice-president of the BYU Alumni Association in 1895. She also served as a delegate to the Tri-ennial National Council of Women meeting in 1906. She was the vice-president of the Free Kindergarten Association and served as the first president of the Parent-Teacher Association at Lowell School in

. She was also a member of the

Authors' Club The Authors' Club is a British membership organisation established as a place where writers could meet and talk. It was founded by the novelist and critic Walter Besant in 1891. It is headquartered at the National Liberal Club. The Authors' Clu ...

and the Friendship Circle. Her husband died on July 27, 1933. May's daughter Elsie died on August 2, 1935. May later visited Provo to see friends and family in 1939. She died on April 6, 1944 in

Ogden, Utah Ogden is a city in and the county seat of Weber County, Utah, United States, approximately east of the Great Salt Lake and north of Salt Lake City. The population was 87,321 in 2020, according to the US Census Bureau, making it Utah's eighth ...

Publications

* * * * * * * * * *

References

External links

Archival collections

The following collections are kept in the L. Tom Perry Special Collections,

Harold B. Lee Library The Harold B. Lee Library (HBLL) is the main academic library of Brigham Young University (BYU) located in Provo, Utah. The library started as a small collection of books in the president's office in 1876 before moving in 1891. The Heber J. Gr ...

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

:
Collections relating to May Booth Talmage

Transcription of letters from James E. Talmage to May Booth TalmageDigitized diary, 1887-1892