Peachy Taliaferro Wilson 1832-1898

P. T. Wilson, Born 26 October 1832 Christian County, Kentucky, Died 13 Feb 1898 at Sitapur. See close up of Wilson below.

In a short 1894 autobographical note Wilson writes "In India I have been architect and builder, educator, doctor and surgeon, preacher and evangelist. For some years I was superintendent of pilgrim hospitals in the Himalaya mountains. As such I had charge of forty native doctors and other medical subordinates, with eight hospitals. These were for the accommodation of the pilgrims who came annually by thousands to worship at the shrines of Budrinath and Kidarnath, located at the foot of the peaks of the same name. These mountains stood some twenty-three thousand feet above the level of the sea, and their snow-capped summits shimmering in the sunlight ever tell of God's purity. In my travels I have seen many glaciers, but that of Kidarnath is surpassed by few. I have ascended by the side of it to an altitude of eighteen thousand feet above the sea. I have camped at Budrinath temple, eleven thousand feet above the sea, in a tent eight by ten feet, for weeks, when the snow and ice lay all around in the midst of summer. The pilgrims were dying with cholera and I was doing what I could to care for the sick and dying, being the only white man within ten days' travel. While in these mountains I did a large surgical practice, performing amputations and many major operations, including over one hundred cases for relief of vesical calculi; and more than once I was thanked by the surgeon-general of the Northwest Provinces for my surgical work." Illustrated American,1894, 16, 445-6.

Rudyard Kipling used the name Peachy Taliaferro Carnehan in his 1888 short story The Man Who Would be King . The names Peachy Taliaferro Wilson, the missionary, and John F. Dravo, a prominent industrialist, were suggested as potentially interesting names for characters by Alec and Edmonia Hill whom Kipling knew in India. Edmonia writes in 1936:

Allahabad, August 1888. -When The Man Who Would Be King was germinating in R. K.'s mind he was lunching with us. Suddenly he demanded names for his characters. A[lec] promptly said, 'Well, the queerest name I ever heard was that of a missionary I met in the Himalayas when we were both tramping- "Peachey Taliaferro Wilson."' Of course Rudyard seized that at once. I could think of no name to give, so R[udyard] said, 'Well, who was the most prominent man in your home town?' Of course you know that I replied 'Mr. Dravo,' and sure enough he used these very names, adding a t to Dravo. [Hill, E., The Young Kipling. Atlantic Monthly, 157, 406-415, April 1936.]

Carl Griesbach, was impressed by an aspect of his personality not mentioned by his missionary colleagues in the memoir below or in his autobiographical note above. On the envelope of the glass negative of the photo of Wilson in the GSI Calcutta (below) Griesbach praised his gift for telling Shikari stories (verbal stories about big game hunting).

Frederick E Wilson of Harsil It is unlikely that Kipling knew of the philanthropic work of Peachy Wilson in Garhwal, but he appears to have known of F. E. Wilson (1817-1883), a deserter from the Afghan war who established himself in the remote mountains of Garhwal as a hunter and successful merchant, eventually minting his own coinage from the proceeds of selling furs and timber. Although Kipling appears to have borrowed Peachy Wilson's names, he apparently modelled Peachy Carnehan's character in The Man who would be King upon the extraordinary exploits of Fredrick Wilson (described in The Raja of Harsil by R. Hutchison, 2010).

Memoir of Rev. Dr. P.T. Wilson

From Pages 30-33 Report and Minutes of the 35th Session of the North India Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church held at Shahjahanpur 4-10 January 1899, Lucknow, Methodist Publishing House, 1899.

We commemorate today, the death of one who, less than a year ago, was among us a noble standard- bearer, vigorous for his years and with promise of many days of work for the Master. He took his post with the rest for the campaign of another year, but soon was not, for God took him. The Lord's plans do not always take in ours, and our brother's appointment had been made for a higher world.

Peachy Taliaferro Wilson, who died suddenly of heart failure, February 13th of last year, at Sitapur, was born in Christian Co., Ky., United States of America, Oct. 26th 1832. His family removed, when he was quite young, to Illinois, where he graduated from McKendry College. This was followed by a course in theology at the Garrett Biblical Institute, Evanston, Illinois. He was one of a party of nine who were appointed to our mission in India in 1862. In June he was ordained deacon and elder by Bishop Ames at Youngstown, Ohio, and September 2nd he sailed with the party from Boston, reaching Calcutta Jan. 28th, 1863.

Although the missionary career of our brother is well known to many persons here, it may be well that our memorial record include a brief outline of his work. Dr. Wilson's first appointment was at Lukhimpore, Oudh, at which time he was married to Miss Mary Whitcomb, of America. From 1864 to 70 his appointment was Rai Bareilly. It was remarked by his presiding elder during those years that his was the best Hindustani work in Oudh. Two very effective Indian members of the North-West India conference are the fruit of that work. In 1870 Dr. Wilson was transferred, in broken health, to Pauri, Garhwal, where he remained till 1873, doing good service but without recovering health. This led to a long furlough in America, from 1873 to '78. When he left India it was thought he never 'could risk this' climate again.

But although this was confirmed by medical opinion both in India and America, Dr. Wilson never relinquished his hope and purpose of returning. While in America he lectured extensively on mission work, meanwhile also studying and taking a medical degree from a medical college in California, and immediately following this an additional degree from another medical college located in Chicago. During this furlough Mrs. Wilson, who had been in feeble health, died leaving four children; one of these, Miss May Wilson, is a consecrated effective missionary among us now. Dr. Wilson arranged homes for his children and returned to India in 1878 as a self-supporting missionary, in connection with the South India conference of that time, and was stationed at Roorkee. The English congregation was very small, and an officer who appreciated much the services of our lamented brother, remarked to a friend,'This is a grand man to be dependent on such meagre support.' While here Sir Henry Ramsay, commissioner of Kumaon and Garhwal, offered Dr. Wilson the post of Inspector of Pilgrim Hospitals in Garhwal, which place he faithfully filled for four years, often in situations of extreme loneliness. Some of us can remember touching stories of his humane work in the mountains. Most appreciative recognition of his work was made by Government.

Carl Griesbach's 1882 photo of Dr. Peachy Wilson (aged 50 when Inspector of Pilgrim Hospitals) in front of his hospital in Garhwal (Griesbach Photo 764(571)) .

In 1883 Dr. Wilson resigned this appointment and accepted the post of superintendent of the Agra Medical Missionary Training Institution, during the absence of its founder Dr. Valentine, in Scotland. For three years he served this institution. While here he was united in marriage with Miss Helen Johnstone of Scotland, who was doing medical work in connection with the Baptist Mission of Agra, and for fifteen years these devoted workers gave themselves hand in hand to consecratd service for the bodies and souls of men. The medical work Dr. Wilson did while in Agra was gracefully recognized by Government. In 1888 he was transferred to the north India conference to take charge of the Budaon station. He was afterwards presiding elder of the district. Here for five years a blessed work was carried on—medical, educational, evangelistic. A dispensary was opened, a boys' boarding school was formed, the girls' boarding school was matured, continual itinerations and revivals were kept up, and thousands were baptized. It was my privilege to visit Budaon district a few times during those years and witness the zeal for souls of Dr. and Mrs. Wilson. We were together in the crowded congregation of Seigler Hall, and in the quiet muhallah work of lowly outcasts, in Budaon city, and in journeys among outlying villages distant from the station. Everywhere it was the same humble, loving ministration to body and soul. Numbers were added to the church in those years, of such as will hail the departed in the world beyond.

At the conference session of 1893 at Bareilly, Mrs. Wilson was taken ill, and after a prolonged sickness was ordered home. Accompanying Mrs.Wilson, our brother went from India after his second term of fifteen years service. The time of this furlough was spent in Scotland and the United States, visiting various parts of both countries in the interest of mission work. Dr. Wilson also spent some time in maturing his knowledge medicine, for which he had natural taste ; and it may be said in this connection, that perhaps none of our missionaries who have come to the field with medical qualification, have made more of the heallng art than he did. This statement is based on his varied opportunity in Garhwal, Agra, Budaon and Sitapur. In 1895 Dr. and Mrs. Wilson returned to India, invigorated in body and spirit, for renewed work, and he was appointed residing elder of the new district of Sitapur. Those were busy closing years of an earnest life. Medical work was taken up, chapels were built, new sub-circuits were formed, a boys' boarding school was established, and much of this was done with funds raised beyond the mission appropriation. Vigorous itinerations and visits to outstations were kept up. In the report mentioned he wrote,'Sometimes the marches have been long, the rivers deep and the boats shabby.' In his second year's report he says, ' We have had much of His presence and a revival spirit has prevailed blessings coming to many.' In his last report, prepared only a few weeks before his death, he wrote, 'We have had a continual revival spirit and a number have been converted.' Dr. Wilson was acting as chaplain for the non-conformist soldiers of Sitapur. A number of men attending the soldiers' chapel were saved, and some of us have heard their testimony to a new life. In 1897 a very fatal attack of cholera broke out among the soldiers and within a few days forty men had succumbed to the fell disease. Dr. Wilson's quiet courage and fidelity to duty was signally manifested in that trying time. He was assiduous and sympathetic in ministering to the stricken, cheering with words of hope, and whispering consolation in the ears of the dying. He was faithful in exhortation to the living and remained with the dying till the end came and they were laid in the grave. Dr. Wilson, in taking up the work of a new year, seemed to have a premonition that the time was short. The Hindustani workers observed this in the instructions he gave them. To Mrs. Wilson he would say, 'Should I be here we will do this,' or 'Should I not be here do that.' All business and accounts were carefully squared to date. Our brother had completed a busy round of Sabbath morning services, the large Hindustani Sabbath school had been held, from that he went to the parade service, where an earnest sermon on purity of life was preached. Immediately after this he drove to the military hospital for a service with the sick, thence home for breakfast [where he died].

On estimating the character of Dr Wilson, salient characteristics will at once occur to all who knew him. He was a man of transparent life and purpose. The sincerity of his motives or the import of his words were - never open to doubt. He was a man in whom there was no guile. We can easily recall how harmless his life was. In absence, one had nothing to fear from his words. He was forbearing, and charitable, towards all who differed from him. He was universally loved by the native Christians and the kind feeling of the non-Christians toward him was notably manifested on the news of his death. Dr. Wilson's motto was “ holiness to the Lord,' and the motto was embodied in the life of the man. He walked with God. His humility and unaffected modesty were beautiful traits. Coupled with quiet unobtrusive piety and charming gentleness of character, there was zeal for the end in view, and firmness and persistence of purpose, perhaps not always discerned by those unacquainted with his real spirit. There was an ever present desire to glorify God and help men. Dr. Wilson was a true, consecrated missionary, given to the work from the deepest conviction of a divine call, and from sincere love of souls. There was no hesitancy, no questioning, no conferring with flesh and blood. From the time the call of God and of the Church came in America, till the loyal heart ceased suddenly to beat in Sitapur, during thirty-six years, there was but one thought, one purpose. When we supposed his work was done in India, and Board and physicians thought he could not return, he stood to his conviction and purpose and in due time came back to the most successful part of his missionary career. Dr. Wilson was a man of remarkable faith and trust in God.

Dr Wilson translated the following into Urdu: Binney's Theological Compendium, Wayland's Moral Science, Michael the Miner, Mary Lathrop, and Grandfather Ormand's stories for his Children.

Footnote: Peachy Taliaferro Wilson was the second son of Dr. William Wilson and Lucy W. Gilmer who presumably knew Peachy R. Taliaferro (1805-1852). Peachy mentions Gilmer in his short 1894 biography.