Louie B. Felt
Encyclopedia
Sarah Louise Bouton Felt (May 5, 1850 – February 13, 1928) was the first general president of the children's Primary organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) between 1880 and 1925.
, the third child of Joseph Bouton and Mary Rebecca Barto. Her parents had become members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints several years before Louie's birth. In 1866, the Bouton family travelled to Utah Territory
to join the gathering of Latter-day Saints. On the journey to Utah, Louie met Joseph H. Felt. On December 24, 1866, Louie and Joseph Felt were married at Salt Lake City. Joseph Felt was the eldest son of Nathaniel H. Felt
.
Louie was not able to have children, and she suffered periods of great lonliness while her husband left Utah to work as a missionary
for the church. Later, Louie encouraged her husband to live the Latter-day Saint law of plural marriage
. Joseph married Elizabeth Mineer in 1875 and Elizabeth Tidwell in 1881. Louie got along well with Joseph's other wives and found great pleasure in caring for the children of her "sister wives".
During the government attempts to prosecute polygamists, Felt twice left Utah Territory to avoid testifying in court against Joseph. In 1918, 11 years after her husband's death, Felt was described as having been an exemplary wife fulfilling the role of a helpmeet to man.
, who was then the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
and the Acting President of the Church. Felt was set apart
by Taylor, who was assisted in the blessing by Eliza R. Snow.
Among Felt's accomplishments as leader of the Primary are the following:
On October 6, 1925, Felt stepped down as general president of the Primary due to failing heath. Her first counselor and close friend May Anderson
succeeded her. Felt died in Salt Lake City of a cerebral hemorrhage.
Felt had intense and committed relationships with other women, and some historians have suggested that one of these relationships was romantic, or possibly even lesbian
. At the age of sixteen, Louie became the first wife of Joseph Felt, said to be "a tender, thoughtful, loving and devoted husband". whom she married in 1866 at the age of sixteen. According to a biographical sketch published in 1919 in Children's Friend, Louie "fell in love with" Lizzie Mineer in 1874, and encouraged her husband to marry her as a plural wife
, in part to bring children into the family (Louie herself was infertile), and this marriage took place in 1876. In 1881, when Joseph married Elizabeth Liddell, Louie "opened her home and shared her love."
In 1883, Louie met May Anderson
, and their friendship soon "ripened into love", according to an anonymous biographical sketch of Anderson in The Children's Friend, which described their new relationship as follows:
Joseph Felt did not marry Anderson, but in 1889, at a time when Louie was ill, May moved in. As a polygamist, Joseph had two houses, and it is unclear where he spent most of his time. It has been suggested that Joseph lived in his other home after May moved in, though this conclusion is based on circumstantial evidence. The actual living arrangements of Joseph Felt are difficult to verify because after the 1890 Manifesto
polygamous families often sought to obscure their living arrangements.
After Joseph's death in 1907, Louie and May continued to live together, sleeping in the same bedroom, for 40 years until Louie's death. They were referred to by others as the "David and Jonathan
of the Primary", a term they embraced. May never married. After the death of one of Joseph's junior wives, Louie raised their children. At her funeral she was described as being "devoted to her husband and to his children. She was a good house-keeper, a real home-maker. Her devotion to her husband was the kind that helped him to stand by his ideals of right."
Though acknowledging a lack of direct proof, some historians speculate that Louie and May could have been what in modern times would be called lesbian
partners. This is based largely on the seemingly erotic connotations of their biographies that appeared in Children's Friend; for example, the statement that while the couple was working on Primary matters, "when they were too tired to sit up any longer they put on their bathrobes and crawled into bed to work until the wee small hours of the night". Other Mormon historians argue that female-female sexual intimacy would have been regarded as sinful at the time, and argue for a presumption that their relationship was purely platonic
. Other researchers have been non-committal on the issue; one has stated only that Anderson "was as close to President Felt as any woman could be". Both sides acknowledge, however, that the relationship between Louie and May was an intense one, and that they shared a deep love for one another.
Early life
Louie Bouton was born in South Norwalk, ConnecticutConnecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, the third child of Joseph Bouton and Mary Rebecca Barto. Her parents had become members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints several years before Louie's birth. In 1866, the Bouton family travelled to Utah Territory
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....
to join the gathering of Latter-day Saints. On the journey to Utah, Louie met Joseph H. Felt. On December 24, 1866, Louie and Joseph Felt were married at Salt Lake City. Joseph Felt was the eldest son of Nathaniel H. Felt
Nathaniel H. Felt
Nathaniel Henry Felt was a member of the Utah Territorial Legislature and a mid-level leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the 19th Century....
.
Louie was not able to have children, and she suffered periods of great lonliness while her husband left Utah to work as a missionary
Mormon missionary
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
for the church. Later, Louie encouraged her husband to live the Latter-day Saint law of plural marriage
Plural marriage
Polygamy was taught by leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for more than half of the 19th century, and practiced publicly from 1852 to 1890.The Church's practice of polygamy has been highly controversial, both within...
. Joseph married Elizabeth Mineer in 1875 and Elizabeth Tidwell in 1881. Louie got along well with Joseph's other wives and found great pleasure in caring for the children of her "sister wives".
During the government attempts to prosecute polygamists, Felt twice left Utah Territory to avoid testifying in court against Joseph. In 1918, 11 years after her husband's death, Felt was described as having been an exemplary wife fulfilling the role of a helpmeet to man.
Involvement in the Primary Association
On September 14, 1878, Louie B. Felt was chosen by Eliza R. Snow to be the president of the Primary Association in the Salt Lake 11th Ward of the church. On June 19, 1880, Felt was selected as the first general president of the Primary by John TaylorJohn Taylor (1808-1887)
John Taylor was the third president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1880 to 1887. He is the only president of the LDS Church to have been born outside of the United States....
, who was then the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is a priesthood calling in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . In general, the President of the Quorum of the Twelve is the most senior Apostle in the church, aside from the President of the Church...
and the Acting President of the Church. Felt was set apart
Setting apart
Setting apart is an ordinance or ritual in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints whereby a person is formally chosen and blessed to carry out a specific calling or responsibility in the church....
by Taylor, who was assisted in the blessing by Eliza R. Snow.
Among Felt's accomplishments as leader of the Primary are the following:
- the beginning of annual reports from local units (1881);
- the inauguration of annual officers' meetings (1889);
- the creation of The Children's Friend magazine (1902);
- the dividing of Primary children into junior, senior, and intermediate age groups (1902);
- establishment of the Primary Annual Fund (1902);
- annual general conferences for all Primary workers (1902);
- programs for enlistment and better attendance at Primary;
- the birth of the Primary Children's HospitalPrimary Children's Medical CenterPrimary Children's Medical Center is a 252-bed children's hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is owned by Intermountain Healthcare and operates in affiliation with the University of Utah...
(1911); - increased emphasis on quality teaching and teacher improvement establishment; and
- the spread of Primary groups into every stake and many missionsMission (LDS Church)A mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative area to which church missionaries are assigned. Almost all areas of the world are within the boundaries of an LDS Church mission, whether or not Mormon missionaries live or proselytize in the area...
of the church.
On October 6, 1925, Felt stepped down as general president of the Primary due to failing heath. Her first counselor and close friend May Anderson
May Anderson
May Anderson was the second general president of the children's Primary organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1925 and 1939. Anderson also served as the first counselor to general Primary president Louie B...
succeeded her. Felt died in Salt Lake City of a cerebral hemorrhage.
Same-sex relationships
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
. At the age of sixteen, Louie became the first wife of Joseph Felt, said to be "a tender, thoughtful, loving and devoted husband". whom she married in 1866 at the age of sixteen. According to a biographical sketch published in 1919 in Children's Friend, Louie "fell in love with" Lizzie Mineer in 1874, and encouraged her husband to marry her as a plural wife
Plural marriage
Polygamy was taught by leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for more than half of the 19th century, and practiced publicly from 1852 to 1890.The Church's practice of polygamy has been highly controversial, both within...
, in part to bring children into the family (Louie herself was infertile), and this marriage took place in 1876. In 1881, when Joseph married Elizabeth Liddell, Louie "opened her home and shared her love."
In 1883, Louie met May Anderson
May Anderson
May Anderson was the second general president of the children's Primary organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1925 and 1939. Anderson also served as the first counselor to general Primary president Louie B...
, and their friendship soon "ripened into love", according to an anonymous biographical sketch of Anderson in The Children's Friend, which described their new relationship as follows:
"Those who watched their devotion to each other declare that there never were more ardent lovers than these two. And strange to say during this time of love feasting, Mary changed her name to May because it seemed to be more agreeable to both".
Joseph Felt did not marry Anderson, but in 1889, at a time when Louie was ill, May moved in. As a polygamist, Joseph had two houses, and it is unclear where he spent most of his time. It has been suggested that Joseph lived in his other home after May moved in, though this conclusion is based on circumstantial evidence. The actual living arrangements of Joseph Felt are difficult to verify because after the 1890 Manifesto
1890 Manifesto
The "1890 Manifesto", sometimes simply called "The Manifesto", is a statement which officially disavowed the continuing practice of plural marriage in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
polygamous families often sought to obscure their living arrangements.
After Joseph's death in 1907, Louie and May continued to live together, sleeping in the same bedroom, for 40 years until Louie's death. They were referred to by others as the "David and Jonathan
David and Jonathan
David and Jonathan were heroic figures of the Kingdom of Israel, whose covenant was recorded favourably in the books of Samuel. Jonathan was the son of Saul, king of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, and David was the son of Jesse of Bethlehem and Jonathan's presumed rival for the crown...
of the Primary", a term they embraced. May never married. After the death of one of Joseph's junior wives, Louie raised their children. At her funeral she was described as being "devoted to her husband and to his children. She was a good house-keeper, a real home-maker. Her devotion to her husband was the kind that helped him to stand by his ideals of right."
Though acknowledging a lack of direct proof, some historians speculate that Louie and May could have been what in modern times would be called lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
partners. This is based largely on the seemingly erotic connotations of their biographies that appeared in Children's Friend; for example, the statement that while the couple was working on Primary matters, "when they were too tired to sit up any longer they put on their bathrobes and crawled into bed to work until the wee small hours of the night". Other Mormon historians argue that female-female sexual intimacy would have been regarded as sinful at the time, and argue for a presumption that their relationship was purely platonic
Platonic love
Platonic love is a chaste and strong type of love that is non-sexual.-Amor Platonicus:The term amor platonicus was coined as early as the 15th century by the Florentine scholar Marsilio Ficino. Platonic love in this original sense of the term is examined in Plato's dialogue the Symposium, which has...
. Other researchers have been non-committal on the issue; one has stated only that Anderson "was as close to President Felt as any woman could be". Both sides acknowledge, however, that the relationship between Louie and May was an intense one, and that they shared a deep love for one another.
See also
- Homosexuality and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsHomosexuality and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsHomosexual acts are prohibited by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Law of Chastity, as well as other sexual acts outside the bonds of marriage. Violating the Law of Chastity may result in excommunication...
- Clara W. BeebeClara W. BeebeClara M. Woodruff Beebe was the second counselor in the general presidency of the Primary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1905 to 1925....
- Matilda M. BarrattMatilda M. BarrattMatilda Moorehouse Barratt was a member of the first-ever general presidency of the Primary organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1880 to 1888....
External links
- Sara Jordan, Lesbian Mormon History, March 1997.