Genealogy of a part of a branch of the Reynolds family in the United States, 1617-1904

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929.2
R3331
1164545

GENEALOGY COLUZCTION

ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY

3 1833 01426 8103

GENEALOGY

PART OF A BRANCH

REYNOLDS FAMILY

IN THE

UNITED STATES.

^

1617-1904.

1164545

"Vol. Ill of the Battle Abbey Koll Ijy the Duchess of Cleve-
land, gives five names of Renard in the men at arms who came over
from Normandy with the Conqueror; that this same device of the
three foxes obtained more than five hundred years ago in the
French family ; and that its antiquity is to a certain extent guaran-
teed by the fact that in the earliest times the symbols adopted were
largely representations of animals. As a rule they adopted what
they called a "canting" device, that is, an allusion to the real name
of the proprietor, simply that the illiterate men at arms should at
once distinguish it. For instance, the name DeWolf, comes from
an old line and has a wolf as the crest, and for the same reason the
old Norman name of Renard has the fox, which is of course for the
sake of the illiterate men at arms who would immediately associate
it with the name as they would not perhaps a star or a circle or
some such device which has no possible connection with the
name. The French coloring was a blue shield with three gold
foxes upon it."

iLl}t ISrgnnlbH 3Familg

The Reynolds Family

One record has been stated as follows :

William Reynolds, born in 1560 in (Gloucestershire,
England, (some say the family came from Wales) married
Esther in 1594.

I'heir son, William Jr., born 1596 in Gloucester,

England, married Ruth 1615. It has been stated,

but not proven, that this William jr. had two brothers,
Christopher and John, all linen weavers by trade, and that
about the year 1634-5 they sailed from England and landed
on the Island of Bermuda From thence Christopher came
to the Carolinas and William to New England (probably
New Plymouth, now Salem, Mass.) John remained in
Bermuda, and in later years his son, John, came to and
settled in Pennsylvania.

There were three early settlements of the Reynolds
family in Rhode Island : Jonathan at Bristol ; John, called
John the Carpenter, in what is now Exeter, and James in
what is now North Kingstown. By the marriages of three
sons of said James to three daughters of James Greene, we
have the ancestry of their descendants back to Henry, King
of France, 1030, and to Robert, Earl of Leicester, England,
I ^10.

}t Wit^nalhs iFamtIg

The correct report of our branch, beginning with
James Reynolds, whose will is on record in North Kings-
town, R. I., proved 1702, is as follows :

James Reynolds, born 16 17, possibly in Gloucester,

England, married Deborah ; he died in 1702.

Their children were John, James, Joseph, Henry, Deborah,
P'rancis, Mercy, Robert, Benjamin and Elizabeth.

Joseph Reynolds, born November 27, 1652, married ;
(first wife not known) had son John. It is thought he
lived in Exeter, R. I. Died 1739.

Children of Jose]>h Reynolds, by his second wife :

Joseph Jr.

4

James.

7

Sarah.

Rol)ert.

5

Mercy.

S

Suzann:

Samuel.

6

.Mice.

The writer after careful research believes the following
record to be correct from James, 161 7 :

William Reynolds, 1^60,

England.

William Reynolds Jr.. 1 596.

England.

James Reynolds. 161 7,

England ;

d. 1702, U.S.

Joseph Reynolds, 1652,

U. S.; d.

1 73'>

lohn Reynolds.

John Reynolds Jr. (lilind).

Eldred Reynolds.

Joseph Langford Keynokls.

Kli Whitney Reynolds.

Joseph Everett Reynolds.

\ Kthel Scott Reynolds (Kme

ry).

Joseph La.N(JFORD Retnolds.

ull)r IRrtfnnl&a iFamtly

Joseph Langford Reynolds was born on the old farm
in the village of Wickford, a part of North Kingstown, R. I.,
Dec. 31, 1796. Died in Monson, Mass., June 9, 1S85.
He had three brothers and three sisters : John, Henry,
Sheffield C, Sarah, Martha L. and Mary G. He passed his
life up to the age of fourteen at North Kingstown, attending
school at the village of Wickford, R. I. In the year 181 1
he went to Portsmouth, R. I., and engaged in farming,
but returned home the following year. At the age of 16
he went to Coventry, R. I., to learn machine-making with
Hinds, Arnold & Co., where he remained three years. He
then went to Bozrah, Conn., making brass andirons. He
afterwards took service with Eli Whitnev, the inventor of
the cotton gin, at Whitneyville, Conn., making muskets for
the United States government. Here he remained for
three years, at the expiration of which he went to Paw-
tucket, R. I., and engaged in the machine business.

In 1820 he went to Brimfield, Mass., and engaged in
the manufacturing of cotton sheeting.

In 1 82 1 he went to Monson, Mass., and associated
himself with the Hampden Cotton Mfg. Co. He first
became general overseer for the company, and afterwards
acted as agent for twenty-five years.

In 1850 the company, as some mark of appreciation of
the long and valuable services of Mr. Reynolds, presented
him a handsome solid silver pitcher, bearing the inscription.

Sllir Srynnlfta JFamilg

PRESENTED To JOSEPH L. REYNOLDS, ESQ.,
KY THE HAMPDEN MANUFACTURING COM-
PANY AS A TOKEN OF THEIR SENSE OF
THE SKILL, ABILITY AND INTEGRITY
EVINCED BY HIM IN THE ^L\NAGEMENT
OF THEIR AFFAIRS FOR A (^)UARTER OF A
CENTURY. 1850.

This "token" (siher pitcher) and the old grand-
father's clock, one hundred years old in June, 1904, are
both in possession of the writer, September, 1903.

The Hampden Company finally dissolved, and Mr.
Reynolds engaged in running his own enterprise, having
rebuilt the Rockland mill, purchased of the Hampden Co.,
June 5, 1869.

In the year 1879 Mr. Reynolds, having reached the
age of 82, retired from active business, leaving its cares and
details to the management of his sons, R. M. and Theodore
Reynolds.

He added much to the embellishment of the town of
Monson, and for many years enjoyed living in his handsome
and commodious residence in South Monson, which he
erected in 1845.

'I'he Reynolds family contributed liberally towards the
cost of building Memorial Hall ; the cost was forty-odd
thousand dollars, of which the Reynolds family gave
several thousand dollars.

Mr. Reynolds was State Senator in 1854; Justice of
the Peace for many years ; first Master of Thomas and

5Ii|r UrgnnliJa iFamilg

Day Spring lodges of Masons, Thomas lodge removing to
Palmer, Mass. Day Spring lodge was constituted 1862.

On July 13, 1824, Joseph Langford Reynolds was
united in marriage with Sylvia, daughter of William Smith
of Brimfield, Mass. She died Aug. 9, 1836, leaving four
children: Eli Whitney, Joseph Langford Jr., Sarah,
Abraham Haskell.

On March 8, 1837, he married Oral, daughter of Rice
Munn, of Monson, Mass., the family having been among
the first settlers of the town. Three children were born to
them, one of whom died in infancy :

Rice Munn Reynolds, b. Dec. 18, 183S: d. April 3, [898.
Theodore Reynolds, b. Oct. 31, 1843; d. March zq. 1 <>oo.

olltr Erguul&a S^amilg

Eli Whitney Rkvnolds, eldest son of Joseph Langford
Reynolds Sr., was born in Monson, Mass., March 29, 1825.
He was educated in the public schools and academy of the
town. He was a man of rare intelligence and ability. By
birth and education he was well fitted to fill positions of
trust and honor. For several years he assisted his father
in the management of his large mill interests. He after-
wards engaged in the mill business in Manchester and
Nashua, N. H. Later he interested himself in the building
trade in Keene, N. H. April 2, 1853, he married Saphronia
Adelaide, daughter of James Scott, of Stoddard, N. H.
Two children were born to them :

Joseph Everett Reynolds, b. F"elDruaiy 22, 1S54.

Whitney Smith Reynolds, b. Sept. 11. 1856; d. Oct. 30, 1.S60.

Saphronia A. Scott, wife of E. W. Reynolds, died
Se])tember 18, 1863.

August 22, 1864, Eli Whitney Reynolds married Mrs.
Mary Hixon in Boston, Massachusetts. There were no

children born to them.

1164545

Joseph Enekett Reynoi^ds.

®l|r iRegnol&0 3TamUg

Joseph Everetj' Revnc^lds was born in Nashua, N. H.,
February 23, 1854. I'he family moved to Keene, N. H.,
where they resided for several years. The mother dying
SeiJt. 16, 1863, brought many changes in the family circle.
Joseph, who was about nine years of age, was left in the
care of a domestic; the boy felt the loss of his mother
very keenly. This was during the third year of the Civil
War. The father was in the employ of the government at
^Vashington.

Mr. Reynolds was educated in the public schools of
Keene, N. H., and the 1-ryant Stratton Commercial
College, Boston, Mass. He is a member of Hockomocko
lodge, I. O O. F., Westboro, Mass., and of Siloam lodge of
Masons. For thirty years he was engaged in the manu-
facturing of straw and felt hats in Holliston, Wrentham
and Westboro, Mass., and Stamford, Conn. August, 1900,
he came to Monson, Mass , to live at the earnest solicitation
of many of Monson's representative citizens. He now
occupies the handsome and commodious residence erected
by Joseph Langford Reynolds in South Monson in 1845,
and later occupied by Theodore Reynolds, uncle of Joseph
E. Theodore Reynolds, who died March 29, 1900, had
added to and improved the Reynolds homestead. The oak
finished dining room and tine library addition are to his
credit.

Joseph Everett Reynolds married Sarah Isadora,
daughter of George L. and Elizabeth S. Rixford, in
Holliston, Mass., July 24, 1876, Rev. Joshua G\\\ being the

®I|r Upgnnlba iFamilg

ofificiating clergyman. Two daughters were the result of
the union :

Ethel Scott Reynolds, b. Nov. 24, 1877.
Vivian Revnolds, b. April 4. iSSo.

Vivian Reynolds.

1IKI..MA El.IZABKTH E.MEKY.

lisTiiKR Reynolds K.mkky.

allH' Urgnnliia IFamtIg

Ethel Scoit Reynolds married Edward W. Emery,
son of George F. and Sarah Elizabeth (Belknap) Emery,
in San Francisco, California, Sept. 20, 1897.

Thelma Elizabeth Emery, b. Nov. 21, 1S98.
Esther Reynolds Emery, b. Sept. 5, lyoo.

Mr. and Mrs. Edward W. Emery reside in Westboro,
Mass., in the former home of their parents (Reynolds).

Note — Esther Reynolds Emery was born three hundred and
six (306) years after the first William married the first Esther in

Of those whose names appear in the foregoing record,
the following are living at the time of this writing Sept. 15,
1903:

Kli \\'hitney Reynolds — His wife.

Joseph Everett Reynolds — His wife; her parents.

Ethel S. Reynolds (Emery) — Her husband; his parents.

Vivian Reynolds.

Thelma Elizabeth Emery.

Esther Revnolds Emerv.