England Nonconformists Salvation Army (National Institute)

History and Beliefs
The Salvation Army was the only major Christian denomination founded in England in the 19th century. It is largely an evangelical organization and developed out of Methodism, but is separate from that church. The founder, William Booth, had first been a minister in the Wesleyan Reform movement and later in the Methodist New Connexion. Wiggins gives a good summary of the parts played by William and Catherine Booth in reaching out to the poor and under-privileged, and of the early history of the church. Among the social and medical projects founded by the Salvation Army are:


 * Overnight accommodation for homeless men in cities.


 * Opening a safe match factory with better wages to replace unhealthy home-based piecework.


 * Rescue homes for former prostitutes.


 * Eventide Homes for elderly women.


 * Darby and Joan Homes for elderly couples.


 * Men’s Social Work Homes.


 * Prison Gate Homes acting as transition places for former prisoners, together with counselling and other prison work.


 * Colonies to provide temporary accommodation for the poor and destitute and teach them a trade.


 * Labour Bureau to match workers with vacant jobs.


 * Elementary schools and ones for handicapped children.


 * Homes and hospitals to care for single mothers and to train midwives.


 * Homes for orphans and abused children, as well as adoption and fostering services for which some records are held at their headquarters.


 * Emigration assistance for the destitute, including chartering ships and assistance in establishing themselves in South Africa, Canada, Western Australia and elsewhere.

The Salvation Army was founded in the late 1860s, originally being called the Christian Mission, and organized in a similar manner to the army with officers being the general, colonels, majors, lieutenants and so forth. Officers are trained by the church and employed as full-time, paid ministers of the Gospel, being given written commissions. Officers were posted wherever they were needed and in the early period they may have been in one place for only a few months, so this complicates finding members’ records. Military style uniforms are worn with a peaked cap for men and a bonnet for women. The changing styles, and insignia for rank and corps can assist in identifying people by date and place.

Ordinary members were called soldiers after St. Paul’s advice to Timothy to be a good soldier of Jesus Christ, but they may have unpaid, lay positions such as Home League Secretary or Corps Sergeant Major collectively known as local officers. Women have from early times been equally eligible for any office—48 years before the franchise was given to 30-year-old women in Britain!

A wife took the same rank as her husband and they were considered a team. The organization has evolved so that today each territory (a country or region of one) is divided into divisions then corps or centres. Formerly the social services and public relations work were administered separately from the spiritual activities.

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Information in this Wiki page is excerpted from the online course English: Non-Anglican Church Records offered by The National Institute for Genealogical Studies. To learn more about this course or other courses available from the Institute, see our website. We can be contacted at [mailto:wiki@genealogicalstudies.com wiki@genealogicalstudies.com]

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