William Knights and National Gideons meeting

This is a picture from a national meeting of
the Gideons before 1936.  The two men in
the front row are unidentified but the men
in the back row are the co-founders of the
Gideons International and are left to right:
William J Knights (1853-1940), John H
Nicholson (1859-1946) and Samuel E Hill
(1867-1936).  At the time the group was
organized all three were traveling salesmen
and lived in Rock County, Wisconsin.  Mr
Knights had moved to Wild Rose from New
York in about 1872 and in the 1890's was
living in Janesville and Evansville until he
returned to Wild Rose after 1900.  He sold
a number of things but he was an insurance
agent for the longest time.  Mr. Nicholson
was born in Buffalo, NY and moved to
Monroe and then Janesville and later Beloit.
He moved to Nebraska to live with a daughter
after that.  He sold, paper, aluminum and
insurance.  Mr. Hill was born in Vermont,
came to Wisconsin and lived in Beloit.
Denver, and the State of Washington. 
Hill was  a paint salesman, and a traveling
salesman.  The Wild Rose Pioneer Museum
has a plaque telling of Mr. Knights role in
naming the group Gideons and how one
person can make a difference.