West Virginia Statewide Files WV-Footsteps Mailing List WV-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest Volume 99 : Issue 61 Today's Topics: #1 Pioneers of Jakson Co.WV by John H [Joan Wyatt ] Administrivia: To unsubscribe from WV-FOOTSTEPS-D, send a message to WV-FOOTSTEPS-D-request@rootsweb.com that contains in the body of the message the command unsubscribe and no other text. No subject line is necessary, but if your software requires one, just use unsubscribe in the subject, too. To contact the WV-FOOTSTEPS-D list administrator, send mail to WV-FOOTSTEPS-admin@rootsweb.com. ______________________________X-Message: #1 Date: Wed, 29 Sep 1999 20:54:20 -0400 From: Joan Wyatt To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-ID: <37F2B4BA.A89A0356@uakron.edu> Subject: Pioneers of Jakson Co.WV by John House Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; x-mac-type="54455854"; x-mac-creator="4D4F5353" MIME-Version: 1.0 X-MIME-Autoconverted: from 8bit to quoted-printable by bl-14.rootsweb.com id EAA23991 Pioneers of Jackson Co, WV by John House Heart of Mill Creek Reynolds Family James M Reynolds, who married Angeline Skidmore, was a son of John Reynolds, who was born in 1827 and died in 1891. They were married in 1847, and lived for a while with her parents. Their oldest child was A.T. Reynolds, usually called "Taylor." he was born on the Skidmore farm in September of 1848. Some time after his birth, his father moved across into the cove on the south side of Salt Lick hill, and built a house, the orchard he then planted is still standing, that is many trees are and still bear fruit. From him, Salt Lick hill, or more correctly speaking, the highest point of the hill, took the name of "Runnel's Knob", by which it is sometimes known. Taylor Reynolds lives on the ridge just beyond a twin peak of the above mentioned knob. I think it is on a part of the old Reynolds farm, I stayed there the night of the 16th of September, 1904, and found them most pleasant and hospitable people. His wife was a daughter of Mark and Hannah Harpold Staats, mentioned before. They are all readers and very intelligent, tow of the daughters are, or were, teachers in the schools of Jackson County. James M Reynolds afterward married the divorced wife of Abraham Rader for his second wife, and lived at the forks of Grass Lick. On the morning of the 17th, I watched the sun rise from the top of the twin peaks to which should be given the name of Reynolds Knob. I had come in the evening before, about sundown, "weary, hungry and dispirited", tired out, with a ride of about twenty five miles, and had been very hospitably received by those of the household present, although all total strangers to me, the family consisted of two young ladies, Misses Emma and Hannah Reynolds, and a younger girl, Mary, of perhaps sixteen. There was also present an aunt and some of her children from Pennsylvania, and a young man, a cousin also from Pittsburgh, whose name I do not now recall. The father and mother an one or two of the younger children were on a visit to Charleston, but were expected home at any hour. They did get in about nine o'clock, and although they had other company and were themselves tired and travelworn, made me as welcome as if I were a "long lost uncle". It was probably near one o'clock when we retired, and perhaps between seven and eight the next morning when the family arose. I. However, awoke about daylight, and going quietly downstairs, took quite a morning stroll before the family was stirring. From the top of the knob, which stands about one hundred fifty yards east of the house, I beheld one of the most glorious views that can be imagined. The knob itself was covered thickly with peach trees, some of the later varieties of which were still hanging thick with fruit, large and handsomely painted in red and gold by the lavish hand of nature. At its western base clustered the house and farm building, surrounded and partially hidden, by apple, peach and plum trees. To the south were the low rolling hills of the Grass Lick country, mostly cleared and well sodded with blue grass, on which were grazing herds of cattle and flocks of sheep. Hill and valley being dotted with farm houses and orchards. To the north was the wide valley of Mill Creek and the hills around Ripley, the Mill creek Sandy divide on which was discernible the Pleasant View Church at the head of Crooked Fork, "A city set upon a hill that cannot be hid", and beyond this to the west and northwest, miles and miles away - The Hills of Ohio, how sweetly they rise In the beauty of nature, to blend with the skies, With fair azure outline, and tall ancient trees Ohio, my Country, I love thee for these. How good to see agin the hill tops of the dear old Buckeye state (the state of my birth). Salt Hill and Reynolds Knob are the highest land in the vicinity, though not in Jackson County, as someone states. These are nine hundred and ten feet high, while lands near Liverpool reach eleven hundred, and are higher still in the vicinity of Limestone Hill and Kentuck. So far as I can ascertain, Sorrel Knobs reach as high as eleven hundred and forty feet in the Limestone Hill county, which is the highest elevation. On other sides, the view was bounded by the line of hills circling the headwaters of Mill creek, Elk Fork, Tug Fork, and Parchment. The shortest lookout is perhaps to the high dividing ridge about the head of Joe's Run, some six or eight miles away. While I watched, the sun came up, grand, majestic and glorious, over the summit of the neighboring peak, flooding the hilltops with light and driving shade, smoke and fog lower and lower into ravine and lowland. The founder of the Reynolds family was Reuben Reynolds, who came from Botetourt county, Virginia, and settled on Poca River, Walton District, Roane County. His wife was Virginia (maiden name not learned). Their children were: Benjamin Reynolds, married a Dye, in 1838 or 1839. He at one time lived on the Kyger place where Hardman Station now stands. Thomas Reynolds, son of Reuben, married Lucinda Tolley. They lived on Tug Fork. They had a son, W. L. Reynolds, born in 1841, he married Emily D. Miller, daughter of Joshua and Samantha Runyan Miller, William L. Reynolds was in Company B, Ninth West Virginia Infantry. William Reynolds, son of Reuben, married Mary Wolfe, a daughter of Jonathan Wolfe. Their daughter married Bazil Wright. Sarah Reynolds, daughter of Reuben, married Ferdinand Sallaz, a Swiss Frenchman. Nancy Reynolds, daughter of Reuben, married a Wood. Elizabeth Reynolds, daughter of Reuben, married John Casto, son of William Casto, and later she married R.S. Deweese. Vincent Reynolds, married Isabel Wright. John Reynolds was born in 1827 and died in 1891. (Wife's name not learned.) James Reynolds, their son, married Angeline Skidmore. A.C. (Taylor) Reynolds was their son.