Item Detail
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19678
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0
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0
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English
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The Sunset of Life : Mormon Women and Aging, 1865-1900
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Logan, UT
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Utah State University
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102
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Master's Thesis
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This thesis examined aging among late nineteenth-century Mormon women in Utah by utilizing primary documents written by elderly female pioneers. The study focused on the effects of aging with regard to three specific areas: community involvement, familial participation, and personal response. It is clear that Mormon women, like aged women throughout the country, relied on their female friendships, familial bonds, and spiritual reflection to navigate the aging process. Older women's community involvement centered on the Relief Society organization, which afforded older women many opportunities and also provided welfare services for invalid women. As women aged, they continued to play vital roles in family life and remained committed to unique Mormon family patterns. Mormon women's personal response to aging presented a poignant glimpse into the realities of old age and revealed that as they navigated the aging process, LDS women overwhelmingly turned to their religious faith and sought solace in their spirituality.