January 22, 2015. Nuevo Vallarta, Mex. The Salvation Army.

My niece, the Wonderful Wendy, sent me a link to a You Tube, giving the history of The Salvation Army, including the life of William Booth, the founder and first General. In the video, they show early clips. Some of the films are the first ever recorded anywhere. It was fascinating to see the pictures of the early bands and the uniforms, which were definitely not standard. The history of The Salvation Army is familiar to me but I enjoyed it anyway as the organization was important in the life of my family. My grandparents Walter and Polly Houghton lived in London, on the north side, living a proper middle class life attending the Anglican church. Around 1895, when Walter was walking home from his office, where he worked with the family firm as an architect, he stayed and listened to William Booth preach at an open air meeting. When he got home, he told his wife that they should go and listen to that man, as he was preaching the real gospel. The next evening, they both went to listen. To their great surprise, they joined the organization, which had huge implications for their family. Their extended family were horrified, but my grandparents became loyal members of The Salvation Army for the rest of their lives. They brought up their five children in the organization and two of their children became officers, one being my Mother, Frances. Now, four generations down from Grandma and Grandpa Houghton, no one is associated on a daily basis with The Salvation Army. My grandparents would definitely not be pleased!!