Biographical Sketch of William F. Reynolds, Leeton, Johnson County, MO >From "History of Johnson County, Missouri," by Ewing Cockrell, Historical Publishing Company, Topeka, Cleveland, 1918. ********************************************************************** William F. Reynolds, an honored pioneer of Henry county, Missouri, was born July 28, 1854, the son of Samuel M. and Elvira (Fewel) Reynolds, natives of North Carolina. Samuel M. Reynolds was killed August 16, 1862, at the battle of Lonejack and his widow later married W. T. Wil- son and they reside on the farm in Henry county, which Mr. Reynolds improved before the Civil War. A sketch of Mrs. W. T. Wilson will be found elsewhere in this volume. One brother and one sister of William F. Reynolds are now living: Samuel M., Jr., Corder, Missouri; and Mrs. W. H. Dorman, Clinton, Missouri. Mr. Reynolds attended school in Cal- houn, Clinton and Warrensburg, Missouri. He was a student at the Warrensburg State Normal School early in the seventies. After leaving school he engaged in farming and stock raising in Henry county and, except for the eight years Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds resided in Warrensburg in order to educate their children there, he has ever since resided on the home place in Henry county, near Leeton. October 15, 1878, William F. Reynolds and Sallie B. Robinson were united in marriage in Warrens- burg. Sallie B. (Robinson) Reynolds is the daughter of Jehu and Julia Ann (Oglesby) Robinson, of Warrensburg. Jehu Robinson was a pioneer of Johnson county of the early thirties. He built a house of three stor- ies near Montserrat, shipping the pine lumber from Cincinnati, Ohio to Lexington, Missouri, from which place he hauled it to Warrensburg. The third story was the first Masonic hall in Johnson county. It was furn- ished in 1856 and is still standing. Jehu and Julia Ann Robinson were the parents of the following children: Mary Margaret; John E., deceased; Louisa H., deceased; Dr. Joseph F., Nevada, Missouri; J. T., deceased; Sallie B., the wife of the subject of this review; and James L. To William F. and Sallie B. Reynolds have been born the following children: Joseph O., who is cashier of the Farmers Bank in Leeton, a sketch of whom appears in this volume; John R., the well known farmer and stock- man residing on the home place near Leeton, Missouri; Anna Belle, at home; and M. Dearing, at home. Although the Reynolds farm, comprising 240 acres, lies one and a fourth miles across the county line in Henry county, Mr. Reynolds is claimed by Johnson county. He is one of the most excellent farmers and is owner of one of the finest and best im- proved places in Leeton neighborhood, a highly valued and most desir- able citizen, and the pioneers of this county claim him as their own. Part of the present Reynolds place is the original Fewel farm, which was entered from the government in 1849 by William Fewel. The Tebo, a small stream, runs through the place and the farm is well watered. Mr. Reynolds is still actively engaged in farming and stock raising. Both Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds enjoy the stories of the days long past and re- call much of the life in this section of the state in the early days. Mr. Reynolds often broke prairie land with a team of oxen, when the rattlesnakes were in abundance. He remembers the day his father left home to join the Confederate service at the battle of Lonejack. William F. was a child eight years of age and he climbed on the horse, behind his father, and insisted upon being taken with him. The boy was deter- mined not to get off "Celum" and was removed, profesting vigorously. A neighbor brought the horse home after the battle. The empty saddle was the first news of the father's death. William F. Reynolds is a third cousin of Richard Pearson Hobson, the hero of the "Merrimac," of Spanish American War fame. ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: <> Penny Harrell ====================================================================