The Salvation Army's 'Hallelujah Wedding'
Salvation Army officers from across the region gathered in Tacoma for a rare, festive union, highlighting the communal bonds and strict internal rules of the faith in 1888.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Tacoma, July 31.—What was called 'a hallelujah wedding' took place at the Salvation Army barracks. Captain August Keif of Portland was married to Captain Laxxie Keifert, lately stationed at Park City, Utah. The ceremony was performed by Rev. Davis, pastor of the Methodist church, Seattle. The army, reinforced by large delegations from Portland and Seattle, marched the streets in the evening and arrived at the barracks after 8 o'clock. Following some addresses, the wedding took place about 9 o'clock. Capt. Lawaidaie of Seattle was bridesmaid, and Private Daly, of Seattle, best man. Rev. Mr. Davis, in an address before the ceremony, said he had watched the movements of the army since its arrival on the Coast and was convinced it did good work, and that the members were sincere. Ten cents admission was charged to witness the wedding, and the price was willingly yielded up by great numbers. Afterwards ice-cream and bride's cake was sold at 25 cents, and it taxed the supply more than once. It was an occasion of a general jubilee, and a large sum accrued to the treasury. Capt. Keif was converted in Sacramento about three years ago; Capt. Keifert is one of the oldest officers in the army on the Pacific Coast and one of the first women to join it. They are known as the 'musical wonders.' The rules of the army require that engagements to marry continue for a year before consummated. This law they have observed. By way of a wedding tour they will accompany Major Hull down on a visit to the neighboring corps on the coast, and then return and probably take charge of this post.
“It was an occasion of a general jubilee, and a large sum accrued to the treasury.”
In the late 19th century, the Salvation Army functioned not just as a religious organization, but as a tight-knit, transient community that relied on public events to sustain its local missions. Today, the Army remains a fixture of Seattle's social safety net, though the spectacle of a 'hallelujah wedding' serves as a reminder of how early evangelical groups sought to build public solidarity through communal celebration.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.