Online Resources
Primary Organization Research Guide
Local Unit Records
Campina Grande Branch Primary Association minutes and records, 1974, LR 1345 18
Primary Association minutes for the Campina Grande Branch, Brazil North Mission.
Central Ward Primary Association minutes and records, 1911–1938, LR 1566 18
Primary Association minutes for the Central Ward, Bannock (Idaho) Stake.
Dargaville Branch Primary Association minutes and records, 1961–1967, LR 2147 18
Primary Association minutes for the Dargaville Branch, New Zealand North Stake.
Fa‘aala 1st Ward Primary Association minutes and records, 1958–1968, LR 2742 18
Primary Association minutes for the Fa‘aala 1st Ward, Savaii Samoa West Stake.
Farmington Ward Primary Association minutes and records, 1878–1949, LR 2816 18
Primary Association minutes for the Farmington Ward, Davis (Utah) Stake, including the first records of Aurelia Spencer Rogers and Bishop John W. Hess.
Homestead Ward Primary Association minutes and records, 1928–1973, LR 7710 18
Primary Association minutes for the Homestead Ward, Sacramento (California) Stake.
La Porte Branch Primary Association minutes and records, 1971–1973, LR 4572 18
Primary Association minutes for the La Porte Branch, Chicago (Illinois) South Stake.
Omagh Branch Primary Association minutes and records, 1964–1973, LR 6502 18
Primary Association minutes for the Omagh Branch, Ireland Mission.
Saint George 2nd Ward Primary Association minutes and records, 1880–1905, LR 7750 18
Primary Association minutes for the Saint George 2nd Ward, Saint George (Utah) Stake.
Salslavalu Primary minutes, 1952, LR 7852 38
Mission Primary minutes for Salslavalu in the Samoan Mission. Written in Samoan.
Sao Carlos Branch Primary Association minutes and records, 1961–1966, LR 8122 18
Primary Association minutes for the Sao Carlos Branch, Brazilian Mission.
Spanish American Branch Primary Association minutes and records, 1971–1972, LR 8588 18
Primary Association minutes for the Spanish American Branch, Utah Stake.
Twenty-seventh Ward Primary minutes and records, 1902–1904, LR 2398 27
Primary Association minutes for the Twenty-Seventh Ward, Ensign Stake (Salt Lake City, Utah).
Washakie Ward minutes, 1883–1910, LR 9928 22
Ward minutes for the Washakie Ward, Box Elder (Utah) Stake. Includes Primary Association attendance rolls for 1883–1884 and minutes for 1883–1885.
Manuscripts
Aurelia Spencer Rogers journal, 1881 January–1900 June, MS 4951
Journal for Aurelia Spencer Rogers, Primary president, Farmington Ward, Davis Stake. It includes records of the beginnings of Primary and her role in the Farmington Ward and, later, the Davis Stake.
Clara M. Cannon papers, circa 1882–1921, MS 4749
Papers of Clara M. Cannon, counselor in the Primary General Presidency under Louie B. Felt. Includes a diary, correspondence, and newspaper clippings.
Heber J. Grant letter of appreciation to Louie B. Felt, circa 1925, MS 5255
Letter of appreciation from President Heber J. Grant to Louie B. Felt, General President of the Primary Association.
Jane H. Blood diaries, 1862–1898, MS 8842
Diaries of Jane H. Blood, who served as Primary president in Kaysville, Utah, for 12 years.
Lillie T. Freeze papers, 1886–1928, MS 316
Papers of Lillie T. Freeze, counselor in the Primary General Presidency under Louie B. Felt. Includes writings, correspondence, and ephemera.
Reward of merit for Aurelia S. Rogers, 1879, MS 7556
Reward of merit for punctual attendance presented to Aurelia Spencer Rogers, Farmington Ward, Davis Stake.
Sarah Louisa B. Felt reminiscence, undated, MS 354
Reminiscence of Louie B. Felt being called as General President of the Primary Association.
Oral Histories
Christie A. Enodien interview: Ibadan, Nigeria, 2019 September 30, OH 15078
Includes Sister Enodien’s service as a stake Primary president. This collection is available as a limited-access collection; you must request digital access to view it.
Garegin G. and Armanush Galdunts interview: Yerevan, Armenia, 2018 August 25, OH 12970
Includes Sister Galdunts’s experiences serving in Primary. This collection is available as a limited-access collection; you must request digital access to view it.
Nicolasa Hernández Ríos interview: Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia, 2016 February 21, OH 9860
Includes Sister Ríos’s service in Primary. Interview is in Spanish. This collection is available as a limited-access collection; you must request digital access to view it.
Photographs
Aurelia S. Rogers and Primary children, circa late 1800s, PH 2473
A collage of colorized portraits of Aurelia Spencer Rogers and unidentified children.
Aurelia Spencer Rogers portrait collection, circa 1890–1910, PH 3746
Portraits of Aurelia Spencer Rogers.
Photograph of the Benjamin Ward, Nebo (Utah) Stake, Primary children and teachers.
Davis Stake primary leaders, circa 1912, PH 2560
Photograph of the Davis Stake (Utah) Primary leaders, including Primary General President Louie B. Felt.
Elba Ward Primary, 1903, PH 5431
Photograph of the Elba Ward, Cassia (Idaho) Stake, Primary children and teachers.
Portrait of Farmington Ward’s first Primary presidency (1878), circa 1890, PH 1700 4395
Portrait of Aurelia Spencer Rogers, Mary Catherine Millard, and Lucy Augusta Rice Clark, Farmington (Utah) Ward Primary presidency.
Primary Association float, 1915, PH 209
Primary Association float during the Pioneer Day Parade, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1915.
Primary Association gathering, 1914 June, PH 2271
Photograph of a large gathering of Primary children, teachers, and Primary General President Louie B. Felt, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Primary Association lantern slides, circa 1920s, PH 6252
Lantern slides of Aurelia Spencer Rogers, Farmington Ward meetinghouse, a dance festival, and unidentified children. You may need to sign in to your Church Account to view images under copyright.
Primary Association photographs, circa 1950–1973, PH 1799
Photographs from the Children’s Friend campaign, Primary Children’s Hospital, and Primary conferences. Must sign in and request digital access to view these photographs.
Photograph of unidentified Primary children and teachers. It is part of the Wells Ward, Grant (Utah) Stake photograph collection.
Seventeenth Ward Primary, circa 1888–1895, PH 4666
Photograph of Primary children and leaders of the Seventeenth Ward, Salt Lake City (Utah) Stake. Included in the photograph is the Seventeenth Ward Primary president Julia Cruse Howe.
Audio Materials
Children’s Friend of the Air, 1947–1948, AV 2947
Radio program that included dramatizations from stories in the Children’s Friend. It was produced by KDSH Radio of Boise, Idaho, and KDYL of Salt Lake City, Utah. Due to copyright restrictions, researchers must sign in to listen to it.
Children’s Friend of the Air, 1948–1952, AV 595
Radio program that included dramatizations from stories in the Children’s Friend. It was produced by KDSH Radio of Boise, Idaho, and KDYL of Salt Lake City, Utah. Due to copyright restrictions, researchers will need to sign in to listen to it.
Published Materials
Manuals and Workbooks
A Child’s Life of Our Savior by Wm. A. Morton, M231.29 M889c 1900
A beginner’s reader for children in Primary and Sunday School. Published by George Q. Cannon and Sons, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Bluebird Diary, M257.56 B658 1949 stu
Workbook for 10-year-old girls in 1949.
Deseret Sunday School Reader: First Book for Our Little Friends, M257.36 S9578f 1879b
A reader created for younger Sunday School children. Published by the Deseret Sunday School Union, 1879.
Home Builder Lessons for Bluebirds: Girls Ten Years Old, M257.56 B658 1955
Manual for 10-year-old girls in 1955.
Home Builder Lessons for Larks, M257.56 L324 1948
Manual for nine-year-old girls in 1948.
Home Builder Lessons for Seagulls, M257.56 S438 1949
Manual for 11-year-old girls in 1949.
Listen My Children: Primary Summer Program 1976, M257.5 S955 1976
The 1976 Primary Summer Program was to be presented throughout the United States as part of the bicentennial celebration.
Primary In-Service Guide, M257.56 P952i 1986
Manual prepared by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to help guide Primary workers in learning how to teach children.
Primary Visual Aids Cutouts: People / Set 1, 351540
Cutouts used by Primary workers to help teach Primary lessons, published in 1989.
Primary Visual Aids Cutouts: People / Set 2, 2348256
Cutouts used by Primary workers to help teach Primary lessons, published in 1989.
Recitations for the Primary Associations in Poetry, Dialogues and Prose; book no. 1; by E. R. Snow Smith, M288.1 S674r bk. 1 1882
Prior to the Primary organization teaching religious lessons, they taught poetry, prose, and recitations. This was one of the first books used by the Primary organization. It was written by Eliza R. Snow.
The Primary Helper, M287.2 M891p
Prior to the Primary organization teaching religious lessons, they taught poetry, prose, and recitations. This book was published by George Q. Cannon and Sons, 1899.
Periodicals
Improvement Era, M205.1 I34 v. 1–73 1897–1970
Magazine for the youth, parents, and teachers of the Mutual Improvement Association (M.I.A.); however, there are also articles about the Primary Association and leaders.
Juvenile Instructor, M205.1 I59 v. 1–64 1866–1929
Magazine for the Sunday School organization. For many years, the religious instruction of Primary-aged children occurred in Sunday School. There are many articles written for Primary children.
Millennial Star, M205.5 M646 v. 1–132 1840–1970
The November 27, 1930, issue was dedicated to Primary (specifically for the Primary organizations within the mission field).
The Children’s Friend, M205.1 C536 v. 1–69 1902–1970
Magazine produced by the Primary Association. Originally designed for Primary leaders and teachers, but gradually became a magazine for children.
Woman’s Exponent, M205.1 W872 v. 1–41 1872–1914
Newspaper written by women for women of the Relief Society. There are many updates on Primaries throughout the Church contained within the pages. There are also memorials for many of the Primary leaders.