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Items in the collection are copies. The originals are located in the LDS Church History Library.
Spurred by James C. Nackos as early as 1958, the Hellenic Latter-day Saint Society was formed to serve Greek members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Nackos approached the LDS Church's General Authorities, and under the direction of Quorum of the Twelve Apostle LeGrand Richards, established the society in 1959. The group held its first meeting over 8-9 October 1959. The society started out slowly, but by 1961 its members established the organization's rules and by-laws, with a purpose "To promote the interest of our children in the great heritage and the land of the fore-fathers, in folklore and the language, history and Genealogy [sic]." Dues were $1 per family per year, and the society raised its dues in 1963 to $2.
The society sought to strengthen each other in their Greek origins. Beginning in 1962 they sponsored a Greek language school in order to assist them in their genealogical research, an important element to the LDS faith. The society held lectures on Greek literature, history, and folklore, instructed its members in cultural dances, and various activities revolved around Greek customs.
The collection only covers the years 1959-1966. It is unclear if the society functioned after 1967.
The collection consists of a book compiled by Harry George Greaves and Sarah S. Greaves. The first folder in the collection includes meeting minutes and a brief history of the society, and the rest of the collection contains brief biographies of Greek-born members of the society.
Hellenic Latter-day Saint Society Records, 1959-1968, Utah State Historical Society.
Gift of Helen Z. Papanikolas, November 2003.
The Hellenic Latter-day Saint Society Records are the physical property of the Utah Historical Society, Salt Lake City, Utah. Literary rights, including copyright, may belong to the authors or their heirs and assigns. Please contact the Historical Society for information regarding specific use of this collection.
Greaves, Harry George and Sarah S. Greaves,