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 Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

(LDS Church) and was the wife of James E. Talmage, a member of the

Quorum of the Twelve Apostles A quorum is the minimum number of members of a group necessary to constitute the group at a meeting. In a deliberative assembly (a body that uses parliamentary procedure, such as a legislature), a quorum is necessary to conduct the business of ...

. 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 1 ...

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

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: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the European

Mission Mission (from Latin 'the act of sending out'), Missions or The Mission may refer to: Geography Australia *Mission River (Queensland) Canada *Mission, British Columbia, a district municipality * Mission, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * ...

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, Utah County, Utah, United States. The population was 10,251 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Alpine has been one of the many quickly-growing cities of Utah ...

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

Lancashire, England Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

. 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 st ...

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 a city in and the county seat of Utah County, Utah, United States. It is south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front, and lies between the cities of Orem, Utah, Orem to the north and Springville, Utah, Springville to the south ...

when she was 16. May began taking classes at

Brigham Young Academy Brigham Young University (BYU) is a private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsored by the Church of ...

under Karl G. Maeser and James E. Talmage. 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, Davis County, Utah. It is part of the Ogden–Clearfield metropolitan area. The population was 32,945 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Kaysville is home to the USU Botanical Ce ...

, 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, partic ...

. The couple wed on June 14, 1888, in

Manti, Utah Manti ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Sanpete County, Utah, Sanpete County, Utah, United States. The population was 3,429 at the 2020 United States Census. Description Manti was the first community in Utah to be settled outside the Wasa ...

, in the

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

. 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 Ensign College is a private college in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Founded in 1886, the college is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and operates under its Church Educational System. It also includes ...

, so the couple moved to

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

. 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 ] A Sunday school, sometimes known as a Sabbath school, is an educational institution, usually Christianity, Christian in character and intended for children or neophytes. Sunday school classes usually precede a Sunday church service and are u ...

and Primary (LDS Church), 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'', 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' C ...

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, 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 United States Census ...

Publications

* * * * * * * * * *

References

External links

Archival collections

The following collections are kept in the L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library,

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...

:
Collections relating to May Booth Talmage

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