Women of Faith in the Latter Days

From Deseret News:

The first book in a series dedicated to highlighting the inspirational lives of Mormon women is finally hitting bookshelves. “Women of Faith in the Latter Days,” the first of seven volumes, features the biographies of women born between 1775 and 1820. Each biography was submitted by a contributor and edited by Richard E. Turley Jr. and Brittany A. Chapman of the Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“The women who appear in Volume 1 … were generally first-generation Latter-day Saints who experienced characteristic trials of their day, including abandonment by family or friends when they joined the church, persecution after joining, and the hardships of pioneering again and again as they moved from one location to another,” the editors wrote in the preface.

The realization that little has been published regarding the faith and dedication of the women in the church, both past and present, sparked the idea for the series. Approximately half the people in the history of the church have been women, Turley said in December 2010. “Most of history we’ve created focuses on men. We’ve recognized a huge gap that needs to be filled,” he said.

Plans for the series were announced in May 2010. Subsequent volumes will follow at about one-year intervals and each will cover a 25-year time span. Volume 2 includes women born between 1821 and 1845; Volume 3 from 1846 to 1870; Volume 4 from 1871 to 1895; Volume 5 from 1896 to 1920; Volume 6 between 1921 and 1945 and Volume 7 from 1946 to 1970.