John Wilfred Gant was awarded the Purple Heart Medal. In the honorary death certificate, John's death day is given as 13 Dec. 1945, I guess, it was when he was officially recognized as Missing in Action/perished. John Wilfred's name is immortalized on the Honolulu Memorial.
I did not write about John and his WWII service in the Memorial Day Memento, because at that time, I had no clue what the relation between him and our family could be. I reckon there is a possibly of some connection (?) as I have already found an Iowa Gant line in our family tree. Cousin Darwin D Gant of Paton, Green, Iowa was killed in WW2 as well. How the two men John Wilfred and Darwin are connected - I am trying to find out.
John's parents were Everett Jay Gant and India (Indiana) Ford of Iowa. They married on 6 May 1912 in Omaha, Douglas, Nebraska. India was the second wife of Everett's. There is a record of his first marriage (30 August 1909, Marengo, Iowa, Iowa) to Miss Grace Rumple (1), daughter of Daniel Rumple and Mary Hutchinson.
India was the daughter of Isaac Andrew Ford and Katherine Jane Miller (2).
Everett was born on 22 August 1886 in Victor, Iowa, Iowa. His parents were John Wendell Gant and Iva Hinder (3).
WW1 came, Everett was registered during the draft. He lived with his wife and children in Ohio, Des Moines, Iowa. He was a tall, stout man, his eyes were blue and hair was brown. The man had a 3-year training as an army musician (4).
In 1920 the family of Everett and India's lived in Des Moines, Ward 1, Polk County, Iowa. The couple had three children Alve L, Belva I. Everett worked as a brakesman with Steam Rail Road (5).
Alva Leo Gant, John's older brother was born on 7 Feb. 1913 in Redfield, Iowa (6).
Belva Imogene, the only daughter of Everett and India's was born on 12 Sept. 1914 in Redfield, Dallas County, Iowa (7).
Five years later, John and family lived in Polk City, Polk, Iowa (8).
I did not find John's WW2 draft registration record, but there is his father's paper (9). What is interesting, in that document Everett's eye color is marked as gray (not blue as it was in the previous war record). He was 5 ft 11 and he weighed about 210 pounds.
John Wilfred's grandparents were James Gant and Maria Preedmore (10).
Iowa, County Marriages
Name John W. Gant
Event Type: Marriage
Event Date: 30 Dec 1880
Event Place: Victor, Iowa, Iowa, United States
Gender: Male
Age: 26
Marital Status: S
Birth Year: (Estimated) 1854
Father's Name James: Gant
Mother's Name: Maria Preedmore
Spouse's Name: Iva Hinder
Spouse's Gender: Female
Spouse's Age: 20
Spouse's Birth Year: (Estimated) 1860
Spouse's Father's Name: John G. Hinder
Spouse's Mother's Name: Sarah H. Jenkins
⇒ his great-grandparents Joel Gant (b. about 1811 in Ohio) + Elizabeth Reed (b. about 1812 in Ohio). Joel and Elizabeth married on 14 April in Belmont, Ohio (11).
In 1850 Joel, Elizabeth, children, and Joel's mother lived in Seneca, Monroe, Ohio (12).
⇒ his great-great grandparents Reuben Gant + Chloe Long
As I found out, then the line goes to William Gant born in England about 1741.
Resources:
1."Iowa, County Marriages, 1838-1934," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XJHL-6Y8 : 3 November 2017), Everett J. Gant and Grace Rumple, 30 Aug 1909, Marengo, Iowa, Iowa, United States; citing reference p98 Lic. 67, county courthouses, Iowa; FHL microfilm 988,206.
2. "Iowa, Delayed Birth Records, 1850-1939," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q24X-MNCZ : accessed 14 June 2019), India Ford, 09 Mar 1891, Redfield, Dallas, Iowa, United States; citing reference ID 238249, State Historical Society of Iowa, Des Moines; FamilySearch digital folder 101716641.
3. "Iowa, Delayed Birth Records, 1850-1939," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q246-N29Z : accessed 14 June 2019), Everett Jay Gant, 22 Aug 1886, Victor, Iowa, Iowa, United States; citing reference ID 216808, State Historical Society of Iowa, Des Moines; FamilySearch digital folder 101713796.
4. "United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZ2H-XJ2 : 13 March 2018), Everett J Gant, 1917-1918; citing Des Moines City no 2, Iowa, United States, NARA microfilm publication M1509 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,643,078.
5. "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDM3-6N7 : accessed 14 June 2019), Everett J Gant, Des Moines Ward 1, Polk, Iowa, United States; citing ED 83, sheet 13A, line 45, family 315, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 507; FHL microfilm 1,820,507.
6. "Iowa, County Births, 1880-1935," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V4DF-1N7: 10 March 2018), Everett J Gant in entry for Alva Leo Gant, 07 Feb 1913; citing Redfield, Iowa, United States; county district courts, Iowa; FHL microfilm 1,034,111.
7. "Iowa, County Births, 1880-1935," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XVVR-36D : 10 March 2018), Everett Jr. Gant in entry for Belva Imogene Gant, 12 Sep 1914; citing Redfield, Dallas, Iowa, United States; county district courts, Iowa; FHL microfilm 1,034,111.
87."Iowa State Census, 1925," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKQQ-K9PR : 16 March 2018), E J Gant, Polk City, Polk, Iowa, United States; citing Polk City, Polk, Iowa, United States, Iowa State Historical Department, Des Moines; FHL microfilm 1,429,498.
9. "United States World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKCH-8M85 : 6 November 2017), Everett Jay Gant, 27 Apr 1942; citing NARA microfilm publication M1936, M1937, M1939, M1951, M1962, M1964, M1986, M2090, and M2097 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
10. "Iowa, County Marriages, 1838-1934," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XJHC-QY5 : 3 November 2017), James Gant in entry for John W. Gant and Iva Hinder, 30 Dec 1880, Victor, Iowa, Iowa, United States; citing reference p5, county courthouses, Iowa; FHL microfilm 988,207.
11. "Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XDW3-2YQ : 10 December 2017), Joel Gant and Elizabeth Reed, 14 Apr 1836; citing Marriage, Belmont, Ohio, United States, p 207, Franklin County Genealogical & Historical Society, Columbus; FHL microfilm.
12. "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MX3Q-D6T : 12 April 2016), Joel Gant, Seneca, Monroe, Ohio, United States; citing family 109, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
