These are the papers of Commissioner Catherine Bramwell-Booth (1883-1987) and family. The collection, broadly speaking, comprises three groups of material: her own personal papers, Booth family papers, and collected papers from a variety of sources.
The majority of the personal papers concern Catherine Bramwell-Booth's life following retirement from Salvation Army officership; a small number of letters, personal papers and an address relate to her earlier life and work.
The papers of the wider Booth family include correspondence, mainly between Catherine's parents (Bramwell and Florence Booth) and grandparents (William and Catherine Booth) and their family members and friends, as well as manuscripts, photographs, diaries and personal effects. The Booth family papers are contained in two series: CBB/5 Family albums and CBB/8 Booth family papers.
The collected papers include correspondence sent by Catherine Bramwell-Booth and other collected material relating to her life, work and achievements.
The composite nature of this accrued collection means that there was no 'original order' so a logical structure was imposed.
The records are arranged as follows:
- CBB/1 Correspondence (1894-1987)
- CBB/2 Personal papers (1909-1932)
- CBB/3 Writings (c1930s-1970s)
- CBB/4 Special events (1948-1983)
- CBB/5 Family albums (c1860s-1960s)
- CBB/6 Press cuttings (1939-1984)
- CBB/7 Promotion to Glory (1987)
- CBB/8 Booth family papers (1880-1987)
- CBB/9 Bible (1948 [1952])
The Booth family papers in series CBB/8 comprise:
CBB/8/1 Correspondence (/0 William Booth correspondence; /1 Catherine Booth (née Mumford) correspondence; /2 Florence Booth (née Soper) correspondence; /3 Soper family correspondence; /4 Bramwell Booth correspondence; /5 Letters responding to 'The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon' and the Eliza Armstrong case)
CBB/8/2 Manuscripts (/1 Catherine Booth's Reminiscences; /2 Unidentified manuscript re William Booth's tours; /3 Notes by William Booth; /4 'The Story of My Life' by Lucy Booth-Hellberg; /5 State Regulation of Vice [Catherine Booth?]; /6 Poetry by Catherine Bramwell-Booth)
CBB/8/3 Diaries of Florence Booth (/1 Official diary 1885; /2 Official diary 1886; /3 Official diary 1887; /4 Loose pages from official diaries 1898-1912)
CBB/8/4 Photographs
CBB/8/5 Miscellaneous (/1 Invitation to Bandmasters', Deputy-Bandmasters' and Songster Leaders' Council, London; /2 Dutch commemorative plate for the 70th birthday of Bramwell Booth; /3 Telemessage from Queen Elizabeth II on the death of Catherine Bramwell-Booth)