Person:Rachel Rigdon (1)

On March 27, 2012, Violet Reynolds Ashton, 96, gave this discription of her paternal grandmother to Rebekah Carlisle: After Rachel was widowed she earned money by raising wild canaries, wall papering & selling a linament (Reynolds' Linament), the recipe of which she kept secret. Violet remembers that her grandmother always dressed old-fashioned, wearing long dresses & aprons. Violet's mother, Gladys Savidge Reynolds made a new dress for her mother-in-law in an attempt to give her something more modern to wear - but Rachel never wore it. Rachel lived on West Union Road in Spencer Township, across from Violet's maternal grandparents, Samuel Savidge and Nettie Louth Savidge. The Savidges had a large frame home with porches and a large barn. It was the gathering place on Sundays, holidays and butchering time. These frequent reunions included relatives from Violet's maternal and paternal side, as well as neighbors and friends. Rachel was a regular part of the gatherings. She was known as a funny lady. Violet & her cousin, Frances Miller Reeder, recently remembered an incident that occurred at one family gathering (probably at butchering time). Rachel drank an abundance of cider. When asked how she was going to get along later that night, she replied that she was simply going to hang her bare ass out the window and shit away! The fact that Rachel was able to keep her family together and provide for them, despite being widowed when the children were young, shows the type of grit that she had. She seems to have been well-liked and loved and was obviously a fun person to be with. She must have been quite a lady. rc

Obituary

The Journal-News, Spencerville, Ohio, Thursday, February 3, 1944 Obituary found on ancestry.com and transcribed by RC

RACHEL REYNOLDS OF WEST UNION COMMUNITY DEAD

Rachel R. Reynolds, of the West Union Community, died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. George Miller, Route 2, Spencerville, Saturday at 5:30 a.m. Death was due to complications. She had been sick for two years.

She was the daughter of John and Catherine (Crider) Ridgon, and was born in Allen county, September 11, 1861. At the time of her death she was 82 years, 4 months and 18 days of age.

She is survived by 3 sons, William Reynolds, Spencerville, Ed. Reynolds, RFD Spencerville, and Charles Ray Reynolds of Warren, Ohio; a daughter, Mrs. George Miller, of RFD Spencerville; 2 brothers, Charles Rigdon, Southworth, and Wm. Rigdon of RFD Spencerville. Also by 30 grandchildren and 24 great grandchildren.

Funeral services were held Monday at 2 p.m., at the West Union church in charge of Rev. E. E. Stopher and Rev. J. D. Young and C. B. Miller & Son, and interment was made in the West Union cemetery.

Rachel's gravestone

Rachel, summer of 1942, age 81

Family gathering c 1888

Widow Rachel with extended family c 1910

1. ↑ Ohio, United States. Ohio Marriages, 1800-1958. (FamilySearch).
2. ↑ Ohio, United States. Ohio Births and Christenings, 1821-1962. (Online: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.).
3. ↑ ^3.0 3.1 Allen, Ohio, United States. 1880 U.S. Census Population Schedule
   p 444.

   John Rigdon, 46, head of household, b. 1834 in Ohio, father b. in Kentucky & mother in Ohio, married to Catherine, 40. Children at home: Theresa J., 20, Rachael, 17, Charles M., 14, Joseph E. 11, William, 6, & Nancy E. 4.

4. ↑ ^4.0 4.1 Allen, Ohio, United States. 1930 U.S. Census Population Schedule.

   68; widowed; head of household; no other names listed

5. ↑ Allen, Ohio, United States. 1870 U.S. Census Population Schedule.

   9; living with parents & Theresa, Charles & Joseph

6. ↑ ^6.0 6.1 Reynolds, Rachel R., in Allen, Ohio, United States. 1900 U. S. Census Population Schedule
   ED 26 p 8B fn 157.

   HOH: Rachel R. Reynolds, 39, b. Sep 1861 in Ohio; parents b. in Ohio; widowed; m/o 5 children, all living in household: William M., 19, Rosa J., 17, Theodore, 15, Edward, 12, and Charles, 6.

7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3} fn 29, in State of Ohio, Bureau of Vital Statistics. Ohio Deaths 1908-1953. (Ohio, United States: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.).

   Rachel R. Reynolds, d/o John Rigdon & Catherine Crider (b. in Knox County, Ohio); b. 11 Sep 1861 in Allen County, Ohio, d. 29 Jan 1944 in Spencer Township, Allen County, Ohio, 82y 4m 18d, widowed, living at RFD #@ Rural, buried 31 Jan 1944 in West Union Cemetery.

8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2} Rachel Rigdon Reynolds, in Find A Grave.

   Includes obituary: According to her death certificate, Rachel lived 82 years, 4 months and 18 days. Cause of death, carcinoma of pelvis and right kidney.
   
   Death notice in the Lima News, Lima, Ohio dated Saturday, January 29, 1944
   
   Spencerville-Mrs. Rachel A. Reynolds, 82, of the West Union Community, died at 3:30 a.m. Saturday at the home of her daughter, Spencerville, Route 2. Death was attributed to complications following an illness of two years. She was a life-long resident of this community.
   
   She is survived by three sons, William and Ed Reynolds, both of Spencerville, and Charles Ray of Warren; one daughter, Mrs. George Miller of Spencerville; two brothers, Charles Rigdon of Southworth and William Rigdon of Spencerville; 30 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren.
   
   Funeral services will be conducted at 2 p.m. Monday in the West Union church with Rev. E. E. Stoper and Rev. C. J. Young in charge. Burial will be in the West Union cemetery. The body will remain at the C. B. Miller and Son Funeral Home until time of services at the church.

9. ↑ Reynolds, Rachel R., in Allen, Ohio, United States. 1910 U. S. Census Population Schedule.

   HOH: Rachel R. Reynolds, 49, widowed; her sons, Edward, 21, and Raymond, 16, at home.

10. ↑ Reynolds, Rachel, in Allen, Ohio, United States. 1920 U.S. Census Population Schedule.

    HOH: Rachel Reynolds, 57, b. abt 1863 in Ohio; parents b. in Ohio; widowed; living alone.

11. ↑ ^11.0 11.1 Reynolds, Rachael, in Allen, Ohio, United States. 1940 U.S. Census Population Schedule.

    HOH: Rachael Reynolds, 78, b. abt 1862 in Ohio; living in same house; no others in household.

12. ↑ ^12.0 12.1 Reynolds, Rachael, in Allen, Ohio, United States. 1930 U.S. Census Population Schedule.

    HOH: Rachael Reynolds, 68, b. abt 1862 in Ohio; parents b. in Ohio; widowed; no others in household.