Hanna Ouchterlony

From Sawiki

Hanna Cordelia Ouchterlony, born 14 September 1838 in Värnamo in Sweden, died 28 February 1924. Sweden's first Commissioner, introduced the Salvation Army (Frälsningsarmén) in Sweden in 1882 and in Norway 1888.

Hanna Ouchterlony was the eldest of the six children of Fabian Constantin Ouchterlony (1803-1880) and Hilda Johanna Servais (1809-1873). Her father was a deputy county court judge but abandoned his legal career in 1835 when he bought a farm near Värnamo. Hanna was at first educated at home with her brothers. In 1849 she lived with her mother's sister and her husband in Finland for a year to study languages. At the age of 19 she went to stay with her father's sister and her husband, a major in the Swedish army, in Stockholm. She stayed there for seven years and took part in society life in Stockholm where she had many relatives. On her return to Värnamo she set up a bookshop. She had from early years been interested in religion and devoted herself to helping others in the community and also set up a Sunday school and organised meetings for worship.

In 1878, she met Bramwell Booth, the son of William Booth. He was then 22 years old and visited the family Billups, friends of the Booth family, who were in Sweden to build the Halmstad - Nässjö railway line. Bramwell Booth held meetings and preached at the Värnamo railway station. Hanna Ouchterlony was in the audience and became very interested in the Salvation Army. She continued to correspond with Bramwell Booth after his return to England. In 1881, after the death of her father, she was invited to stay in the home of William and Catherine Booth for five weeks.

On her return to Värnamo she bought the old post office building and began to organise meetings there. In 1882 she returned to London and resided there for seven months to study the work of the Salvation Army. In November she was designated, with the rank of major, as leader of a group of five people and sent to Sweden to introduce the Salvation Army there. The first public meeting was held on 28 December 1882 in a rented theatre in Stockholm. The Salvation Army meetings attracted much attention but also opposition and ridicule. However,it expanded rapidly in Sweden.

In 1887 Hanna Ouchterlony was promoted to commissioner. Also in 1887 the new permanent headquarters of the Salvation Army, financed by a public appeal, were inaugurated in Stockholm. In 1888 she founded the Salvation Army in Norway. In 1891 she was ordered to relinquish her command in Sweden and Norway and became attached to the International Headquarters in London. She travelled extensively in Denmark, Germany and the United States. After an eight months' stay in the United States where she addressed more than 200 meetings she produced a report on the work of the Salvation Army among Scandinavian immigrants. In 1894 she returned to Norway as commissioner of the Salvation Army there and held this post until 1900. After a period of ill health she retired in 1904 but continued to speak at Salvation Army meetings. Her last public appearance was at the 40th anniversary of the introduction of the Salvation Army in Sweden in 1922. She was awarded the Salvation Army's Order Of The Founder in 1923.

When she was promoted to Glory in 1924 her funeral was attended by a crowd of 10.000 people and the streets of the funeral procession were lined by people. In 2005 the Salvation Army in Sweden instituted the annual "Hanna Prize" in memory of Hanna Ouchterlony. The prize is awarded to a worthy recipient not connected with the Salvation Army for his or her contribution to others which in some special way is considered to reflect the ideals and principles of the Salvation Army.

Family

She was the daughter of "vice häradshövding" (deputy county court judge) Fabian Constantin Ouchterlony and his wife, Hilda Johanna Servais. The Ouchterlony family of Scottish descent, arrived in Sweden when her great grandfather settled in Karlshamn in Sweden.

Family tree:

• Father: Fabian Constantin Ouchterlony (1803 - 1880) "vice häradshövding" (deputy county court judge) and farmer.
• Grandfather: Isaac Ouchterlony (1766 - 1835), a civil servant and honorary "kammarrättsråd" (Member of Administrative Court of Appeal).
• Great grandfather: John Ouchterlony (1729 - 1778) captain of a merchant ship, Karlshamn, Sweden.