Ada Florence Kinton (April 1, 1859 – May 27, 1905) was an English-born Canadian artist, educator,

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

officer and newspaper editor.

Biography

The daughter of John Louis Kinton, a college teacher, and Sarah Curtis Mackie, both

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

s, Kinton was born in

Battersea Battersea is a large district in south London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and extends along the south bank of the River Thames. It includes the Battersea Park. History Batter ...

in London. After completing high school, she attended art school, receiving an art master's certificate. Kinton taught art at a ladies'

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...

in England and then took a postgraduate course at the

South Kensington School of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It offe ...

. In 1883, she met General William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army. In 1886, she went to Canada and taught art in

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

and then

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. In 1889, Kinton joined the Salvation Army in Toronto. She worked in various Salvation Army institutions such as the Drunkard's Home, the Children's Shelter and the Rescue Home for Women. In 1892, she became associate editor for the Canadian edition of ''

The War Cry ''The War Cry'' is the official news publication of The Salvation Army. Today national versions of it are sold in countries all over the world to raise funds in support of the Army's social work. History The first edition of ''The War Cry'' w ...

''. Kinton wrote articles for the paper and also produced illustrations. In 1891, she became a captain in the Salvation Army. In 1893, she was asked by the new Canadian leader

Herbert Booth Herbert Henry Howard Booth (26 August 1862 – 25 September 1926) was a Salvation Army officer, the third son of five children to William and Catherine Booth (Mumford), who later went on to serve as an independent evangelist. He oversaw th ...

to act as private secretary for his wife; her duties also included looking after the Booth children. While travelling with the Booths in Australia, she developed

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

. After resting with her sister in

Huntsville Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in th ...

, she resumed travel with the Booths in the United States. She suffered a relapse in 1903 and returned to Huntsville. She died in Huntsville at the age of 46. In 1907, her autobiography ''Just One Blue Bonnet: the Life Story of Ada Florence Kinton, artist and salvationist'' was published with her sister Sara Amelia (Kinton) Randleson as editor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kinton, Ada Florence 1859 births 1905 deaths Canadian women artists Canadian newspaper editors Salvation Army officers Artists from London People from Battersea English emigrants to Canada Alumni of the Royal College of Art Women newspaper editors