John Wilson Gift

John Wilson Gift

John Wilson Gift (c. 1841 - 1927) was an American Bahá’í who was the first Bahá’í of the city Peoria, Illinois.

Biography

Gift was born in Salona, Centre County, Pennsylvania but he was raised mostly in Williamsport. His mother was named Catherine Lyle. He had two brothers and five sisters, and one of his brothers fought and died in the American Civil War.

Gift also fought in the Civil War, joining the Iowa Volunteers probably as a Lieutenant, but ultimately he achieved the rank of Captain in the 12th Regiment of Iowa Volunteers. He was captured alongside most of his Regiment during the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862. The attack at which he was captured was probably during the April 6 assault by the Confederates that caught the Union by surprise and of thousands captured at what was called the Hornet’s Nest. He was a prisoner of war for seven months.

In November 1861 Gift married his first wife, Sarah I. Miller, and they had two sons, Frank and Charles. After the war he rented a mill in Hopkinson, Iowa, and then bought one in Marion County which he sold in order to purchase one in Monticello. In 1870 he moved to Macon, Missouri, where he began operating a mill in 1873 and in approximately 1875 he moved to Eureka where he lived until moving to Peoria, Illinois, in 1880 where he purchased Globe Mills which later became Globe Roller Mills. He also established the Peoria Cattle Company with partners in 1883. While living in Peoria Gift's family attended the St. Paul German Reformed Church.

Gift's father and perhaps mother were living with him in the early 1880's but by 1883 his father had moved to Prairieburg, Iowa, where he passed away and his mother died in Ruthann, Iowa, where she was likely living with a daughter in September, 1907. In 1880 he began serving in the Regiment’s Reunion Organization and he served in the body until 1903 and attended several reunions, with a fellow veteran, Luther Kaltenbach, later writing about “frequently” visiting Gift prior to 1903. He was also a member of the Grand Army and Loyal Legions veteran groups.

In 1890 Gift constructed a “mansion” in Peoria which was a three story house with a castle turret. It had electricity, forced air central heat and tiled bathrooms and became a landmark property which was restored in the 2000's. He also established an estate which included a collection of souvenirs from the 1893 Columbian Exposition as well as the 1904 St. Louis World Fair. His wife, Sarah, passed away on July 9, 1897. In 1901 he helped write biographies of several fellow Civil War veterans.

Gift discovered the Bahá’í Faith in 1915 first hearing about it from Elizabeth Diggett. He then met Dr. Zia Bagdadi and Albert Vail who delivered several talks on the religion in Peoria in 1916. In 1918 at the age of seventy-seven he married his second wife Maye Harvey who was a Bahá’í and only thirty-two years old. He had reached out to her after learning she was a Bahá’í in the area and may have heard of her through their mutual interest in philanthropy. According to a newspaper article he did not tell his children about the wedding in advance and they had thought he was going on a vacation.

In 1919 Gift and his wife both signed a petition requesting that 'Abdu’l-Bahá make a second visit to America which was sent to the Holy Land. In 1920 they moved to Phoenix, Arizona, to teach the Faith in the city and he was sent to the National Convention that year as a delegate for Phoenix, however by 1922 they had returned to Peoria. John’s two sons died in 1924. In 1927 he passed away in Peoria the same year that the city established a Local Spiritual Assembly.