The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07.
Smith, Gipsy
1860–1947, English evangelist, originally named Rodney Smith, b. Wanstead. His father, a Gypsy, was also an evangelist. When Rodney was still a youth he became a member of General Booth’s Christian Mission of London, which later became the Salvation Army. However, his connection with the organization was severed in 1882. From 1883, Smith’s evangelistic labors gradually extended throughout England and to Scotland, the United States, Australia, and South Africa. He was a special missioner (1897–1912) of the National Free Church Council and after World War I toured England for the Methodist Church. He wrote Gipsy Smith: His Life and Work (rev. ed. 1925).
