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William Henry Harrison Reynolds, son of Joseph and Harriet (Hall) Reynolds, was born July 28, 1811. William served as a Union Soldier in the Civil War from 1861 until 1866. He first enlisted for three years and after receiving his discharge, he re-enlisted as a veteran and served until he was mustered out on April 20, 1866, after nearly five years of service.
He first served as a private in Col. Richard J. Oglesby's Company C, 8th Infantry regiment at Cairo, IL where he was engaged in reconnoitering expeditions in Missouri. He joined the Army of the West under General Grant and was in many severe battles, among which were Ft. Donelson, Shiloh, Corinth and the siege and capture of Vicksburg. After winter quarters in New Orleans, in the spring of 1865, he was part of the capture of Mobile, then to Shreveport, Louisiana and finally at Marshall, Texas. He had many narrow escapes and was wounded while making a charge at Raymond, Mississippi, having the flesh torn from one of his fingers. At the Battle of Shiloh, he received a bullet through his pants, one through his blouse and one struck the stock of his gun; his comrades on either side were killed.
At the age of 24, when he first enlisted, he is described in the Company papers as being 5 ft, 8 inches tall, with dark complexion, hazel eyes and black hair.
After his discharge in 1866, William returned to farming in Coles County, IL. In 1872 he went to Kansas and farmed on 160 acres until returning to Coles County, IL in 1876, where he remained on his farm near Greasy Creek until his death in 1915.
During his life, William married four times. In 1858, he married Mary E. Harvey; she died in 1861. In 1864, he married Hester Tuttle; she died in 1867 leaving one child, Minnie. He the married Margaret Collins in 1869 and they had five children prior to her death in 1892. Finally, in 1893, he married Susie A. Gray and they had three children prior to his death in 1915.
William's children are listed below:
| Minnie Belle Reynolds | Born in 1865. Married William L. Morrison, and died in 1923. |
| Maynard Oscar Reynolds | Born in 1870. Married Flora Bryant, and died in 1910. |
| Martha Jane Reynolds | Born in 18. Married Ira Douglas Taylor, and died in 1907. |
| John W. Reynolds | Born in 1877 and died in 1963. |
| Charles Obe Reynolds | Born in 1879 and died in 1970. |
| Nettie E. Reynolds | Born in 1884 and died in 1921. |
| Iva Vestine Reynolds | Born in 1895. Married Ray Simpson, and after his death married William Bevers. Iva died in 1974. |
| McKinley Reynolds | Born in 1897 and died in 1922. |
| Alpha Dolly Reynolds | Born in 1899 and died in 1920. |