Frank Y. Taylor
Frank Young Taylor was a son of John Taylor, third president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and his wife Margaret Young Taylor. He was born on November 4, 1861, in Salt Lake City, and died on March 18, 1953, at the age of ninety-one.
Professionally, Taylor was a mining engineer, railroad surveyor, assistant architect for the Manti Utah Temple, realtor, and financier. He directed Church real estate operations for five years after his retirement. He continued to participate in business in Utah until the age of ninety.
He presided over the Granite Stake in Salt Lake City for twenty-eight years, from 1900 to 1928. Under his direction, the stake pioneered the Seminary program for high school students, stake missionary work, and a systematic stake supervision of temple work.
Roadshows, which were created as “merry-go-rounds,” and the M-men and Gleaner programs were also started by President Frank Taylor.
In 1909, he was inspired to set aside one night a week for family worship. A Granite stake committee, headed by high councilor Edward H. Anderson, editor of the Improvement Era magazine, “prepared a booklet suggesting a format that included prayer, singing and instrumental music, scripture reading and gospel instruction, discussion of family business, an activity, and, of course, refreshments.”
“The program was launched that same year at the second largest meeting held in the Granite Stake Tabernacle to date—2,164 enthusiastic people, most of them parents, attended. The president of the Church himself, Joseph F. Smith, addressed the people and heartily endorsed the program: ‘The inspiration that has come to President Taylor … is of the greatest importance to the Latter-day Saints.’”
This program was adopted church-wide in 1915. Although it fell into general disuse for a period of time, it was revived by the Primary and then by the priesthood correlation program of the 1960s. Family Home Evening continues to be a key to the strength of Latter-day Saint families throughout the world.
