Person:Mary Reynolds (8)

CENSUS: 1880 Census lists Mary Jane Workman, 27, widowed, in Wilson Township, Clinton County, Ohio as a domestic servant in the household of Samuel Parrett.

~BIOGRAPHY:William A. Reynolds, one of Spencerville's substantialcitizens and representative men, has been identified with the interestsof this town for the past 24 years, mainly, but not exclusively, in theline of lumber. Mr. Reynolds was born August 3, 1849, near Wilmington,Clinton County, Ohio, and is a son of George and Malinda (Moon)Reynolds, and a grandson of John and Julia (Lively) Reynolds.The grandparents of Mr. Reynolds were natives of Greenbrier County,formerly in Virginia, but now a part of West Virginia. In 1862, duringthe Civil War, they moved to Clinton County, Ohio, where the grandmotherdied, reaching old age although she had borne and reared nine sons andsix daughters. She possessed what has been considered a mark ofbeauty, perhaps on account of its rarity one black and one blue eye.The 13th child of the above family still survives, Mrs. Rebecca Flint,who resides a Paulding, Ohio. It is a curious and unusual coincidencethat Mr. Flint was also the 13th child in a family of 14 children. TheVirginia Livelys were large slave-owners.George Reynolds, father of our subject, and his twin brother,David, were born in Greenbrier County, Virginia, in 1822. GeorgeReynolds was a farmer from the humbler walks of life, dying in 1880, aged58 years. In 1847 he married (first) Malinda Moon, in Clinton County,Ohio, removing at an early day to Fayette County, Ohio. The children ofthis marriage were: William A.; James, who died aged six years; MaryJane, who is the widow of Joseph Workman, a veteran of the Civil War anda resident of Spencerville; and Malinda. The last named died with themother, at the time of birth, and both were laid to rest in the samecasket. George Reynolds marred (second) Charity M. Ellis, and five oftheir seven children still survive.William A. Reynolds was reared on a small farm in ClintonCounty, Ohio, and can remember as far back as his sixth year; for thenit was that he commenced attending school at Reeseville, two milesdistant. It was a long walk to take, but he was always a sturdy lad,and now is a splendid specimen of manhood, being six feet, one inch inheight, and carrying easily his weight of 240 pounds. He is the fatherof three sons, who are but a shade less developed. In the days when Mr.Reynolds was a boy, it was considered advisable for children to be "hardened" to the weather, and he was 12 years old before he owned anovercoat. At that age he was able to plow as well as his father;perhaps better, as the latter had been injured by being kicked by ahorse, and in later years depended largely on the filial care of oursubject. A handsome granite monument has been erected to the father'smemory by this same son.Until he was 24 years of age, our subject continued to work onthe home farm, and he assisted in the raising of the flax and inpreparing it for the loom; he also collected the walnut bark with whichto dye the material after is was woven. He has comfortably worn many asuit of jeans, as his sisters did dresses of linen and wools. He becamea thorough and practical farmer and in 1874 worked as a farm hand. In1875 he moved to Auglaize County and secured work in George Kephart'smill, taking much interest in his job of hauling logs. This was notlost on Mr. Kephart, and he soon made his new employee a fireman in themill. Later on, when the sawyer quit, Mr. Reynolds was promoted to thatposition, and, as before, worked so faithfully and carefully that Mr.Kephart valued him highly. He remained there for five years, receiving$20 a month for his services. In 1877 the mill was moved toSpencerville and Mr. Reynolds accompanied Mr. Kephart as head sawyer.In 1879 he branched out on his own account, buying logs and lumber forsome two years. At the death of Johnzey Keith, he purchased theportable mill the former had been running, and operated it until it wasburned in the great fire of June 1877. His next business venture wasthe purchase of the old sawmill on the west side of the canal, and sometime later he embarked in a lumber business in connection with the millwork. Since 1894 he has owned and operated a large lumber-yard. OnAugust 23, 1897, Mr. Reynolds was again burned out, sustaining a veryheavy loss.Upon resuming business, Mr. Reynolds formed a partnership withC. A. Mauk, and together they purchased the present lumber business,continuing to be associated for two years, when Mr. Reynolds bought hispartner's interest and has operated the business alone ever since. Thisconcern has furnished the material for nearly all the buildings inSpencerville since is has been established. Mr. Reynolds has many otherinterests. For about four years he operated a handle factory south ofhis present office, continuing it as long as conditions made itprofitable. From the date of the first oil boom, he has been interestedin oil development in this section and is now a contractor, with acomplete string of tools. He is a large owner of town realty and isalso proprietor of a farm of 200 acres in Amanda Township, located insection 17. At one time 130 acres of it were covered with a heavygrowth of timber. This he has utilized and transformed nearly theentire tract into one great grass pasture, having 50 acres yet that istimbered. He pastures a large number of fine sheep. In 1905 he erecteda new barn on the farm, with dimensions of 36 by 70 feet, and 20 feethigh. A commodious tenant house also stands there. In 1881 Mr. Reynolds was married in Auglaize County, Ohio, toMary C. Dietsch, who is a daughter of Michael and Lydia (Berringer)Dietsch, who were born in Auglaize County and reside there in the oldhome, just across the Allen County line. They are aged 74 years.They have two children: Mrs. Sarah Eisley and Mrs. Reynolds. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds are: John, who waseducated in a business college at Poughkeepsie, New York; Earl, who tooka business course at Delaware, Ohio; Wilmer, who is a student atSpencerville; Ruth, Myrel and Homer (all students), and Morris, theyoungest of the family, who is a bright and beautiful child of threeyears. Being seven years the junior of his next brother, he isnaturally the pet of the family, as well as one of its brightestmembers. Mr. Reynolds has kept his older sons with him educating themto business methods, and now paying them the same salaries they couldcommand elsewhere.The pleasant family home of Mr. Reynolds is situated on Fourthstreet, on the Lima turnpike road, being a modern residence shaded bybeautiful evergreens. When Mr. Reynolds came first to Spencerville,there were no pavements in the village, nor was it reached by a railroadline. Weeds stood as high as a horse on the preset site of the KeithHouse, and the well-known citizen, Johnzey Keith, owned the greater partof all the land north and south of the present railroad to the river.As a member of the early Town Council Mr. Reynolds has been personallyconcerned in much of the development and improvements that have takenplace. For over 18 years he has served on the Board of Education, hasbeen president of that body, and was its treasurer when the lastaddition was made to the new school edifice. Politically Mr. Reynolds is one of the county's leadingDemocrats, and on numerous occasions has served as delegate to countyand congressional conventions. For years he has been a member of theMethodist Episcopal Church, of which he is one of the directors, and isin every regard one of Spencerville's useful and popular citizens.

1.   Vital Records
   Volume 9.

   Death Certficate #8

2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Mary J Workman, in Find A Grave.

   Mary J Workman, 1852-1927. South side, row 14.

3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3} Workman, Mary Jane, in State of Ohio, Bureau of Vital Statistics. Ohio Deaths 1908-1953. (Ohio, United States: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.)
   cn 6904, 24 Feb 1927.

   MARY JANE WORKMAN, 74, widowed, white; b. 14 Dec 1852 in Ohio, d/o George Workman [Reynolds] b. in Virginia, & Malinda Moon, b. in Virginia; d. 24 Feb 1927 in Spencerville, Adams [Allen] County, Ohio; buried 28 Feb 1927 in Spencerville.