Louie B. Felt

rdf:langString Louie B. Felt

rdf:langString Louie B. Felt

rdf:langString Louie B. Felt

rdf:langString Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

rdf:langString South Norwalk, Connecticut, United States

rdf:langString Photo of Louie B. Felt

rdf:langString Louie Bouton

rdf:langString

rdf:langString Joseph Bouton

rdf:langString Mary Rebecca Barto

rdf:langString Joseph Felt

rdf:langString Sarah Louise "Louie" 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. She was the General Primary president for longer than any other president. Louise Bouton was born in South Norwalk, Connecticut. She and her family were members of the LDS Church and moved to Utah Territory in 1866. Along the way, Bouton met Joseph Felt and after they married they were sent to live in Muddy River in an effort to settle the area. The settlement was not successful and they returned to live in Salt Lake City, where Felt was a stake young women's organization officer and ward Primary president. Encouraged by Louise, Joseph married two other women, and though Louise was unable to have children, she helped raise the children and grandchildren of her sister wives. In 1880, Felt was appointed as general Primary president in 1880, but was not involved in its administration until 1890. Felt and the members of the Primary raised funds for charity, for the initial publication of The Children's Friend, and for the construction and administration of the LDS Children's Convalescent Home and Day Nursery. Felt received training in Progressive education and used her knowledge to make changes to Primary curricula. She divided children into age groups and included stories, crafts, and games in lessons. Felt was very close friends with her sister wives and the Primary secretary, May Anderson. Anderson lived in the same home as Felt and they shared a bedroom. Two Mormon historians speculate that their relationship may have been romantic, an argument partially based on florid descriptions of their love for one another published in The Children's Friend. Three other Mormon historians counter that such florid prose describing intimacy was normal for relationships between women in 19th-century America and assert that their relationship was platonic.