William Booth

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William Booth bigraphy, stories - Founder of the Salvation Army

William Booth : biography

10 April 1829 – 20 August 1912

William Booth (10 April 1829 – 20 August 1912) was a British Methodist preacher who founded The Salvation Army and became its first General (1878–1912). The Christian movement with a quasi-military structure and government founded in 1865 has spread from London, England to many parts of the world and is known for being one of the largest distributors of humanitarian aid.

Gallery

File:William booth birthplace.JPG|Plaque on the house in Nottingham in which William Booth was born on 10 April 1829 File:William booth statue.JPG|"William Booth" statue at his birthplace in Nottingham File:Reverend William Booth.jpg|Reverend William Booth, General of the Salvation Army File:Abney park booth.jpg|Memorial to William and Catherine Booth in Abney Park Cemetery File:General William Booth memorial (Battery Park, New York) 01.jpg|General William Booth memorial in Battery Park, New York City

Children of William and Catherine Booth

William Booth and Catherine Mumford were married on 17 June 1855 at Stockwell New Chapel, at that time part of Surrey. They had eight children:L. E. Lauer, ‘Clibborn, Catherine Booth- (1858–1955)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Oct 2006 D. C. Lamb, ‘Booth, (William) Bramwell (1856–1929)’, rev. L. E. Lauer, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004

  • Bramwell Booth (8 March 1856 – 16 June 1929)
  • Ballington Booth (28 July 1857 – 5 October 1940)
  • Kate Booth (18 September 1858 – 9 May 1955)
  • Emma Booth (8 January 1860 – 28 October 1903)
  • Herbert Booth (26 August 1862 – 25 September 1926)
  • Marie Booth (4 May 1864 – 5 January 1937)
  • Evangeline Booth (25 December 1865 – 17 July 1950)
  • Lucy Booth (28 April 1868 – 18 July 1953)

The Salvation Army

The Christian Mission becomes The Salvation Army (May 1878)

The name The Salvation Army developed from an incident in May 1878. William Booth was dictating a letter to his secretary George Scott Railton and said, "We are a volunteer army." Bramwell Booth heard his father and said, "Volunteer, I’m no volunteer, I’m a regular!" Railton was instructed to cross out the word "volunteer" and substitute the word "salvation". – A Very Short Biography The Salvation Army was modelled after the military, with its own flag (or colours) and its own music, often with Christian words to popular and folkloric tunes sung in the pubs. Booth and the other soldiers in "God’s Army" would wear the Army’s own uniform, ‘putting on the armour,’ for meetings and ministry work. He became the "General" and his other ministers were given appropriate ranks as "officers". Other members became "soldiers".

Though the early years were lean ones, with the need of money to help the needy an ever growing issue, Booth and The Salvation Army persevered. In the early 1880s, operations were extended to other countries, notably the United States, France, Switzerland, Sweden and others, including to most of the countries of the British Empire: Australia, Canada, India, South Africa, New Zealand, Jamaica, etc.

Often the beginnings in other countries occurred through "salvationist" activities by non-officers who had emigrated. With some initial success they would contact London to ‘send officers.’ In other cases, like in Argentina, a non-salvationist told Booth that there were thousands of British people there who needed salvation. The four officers sent in 1890 found that those British were scattered all over the pampas. But the missionaries started ministry in Spanish and the work spread throughout the country – initially following the rail-road development, since the British in charge of building the rail-roads were usually sympathetic to the movement.

During his lifetime, William Booth established Army work in 58 countries and colonies, travelling extensively and holding, "salvation meetings."