Henry Addison Reynolds

Henry Addison Reynolds, the son of Arthur Campbell Reynolds and Mary Malisa Loving, was born and raised in Montague county, Texas. Although I never knew Henry, I have had the privilege of knowing four of his six children. I know that he would be proud of all his children and I also feel that the story of Henry Addison Reynolds can best by told by his daughter Viola Reynolds. In the Book "History of Montague County" she wrote:

Henry Addison Reynolds, the eleventh child of Arthur Campbell and Mary Malisa (Loving) Reynolds, was born October 14, 1886. His father, the son of Henry and Mary (Brown) Reynolds, and his mother, the daughter of Solon A. and Ann (Stevens) Loving, moved to Montague County from Titus County in November of 1877 and settled on a 320 acre tract of land three miles N.E. of Nocona.

Henry, with his brothers and sisters, lived there until 1890 when his father retired and bought five acres in the northeast part of Nocona. Mr. Reynolds built a house and moved his family into town where he no longer actively farmed. The Reynolds sons continued, under their father's supervision, to farm the land, raising wheat, oats, cotton, corn and cattle. Each day they walked the three miles to and from their farm work.

After graduating from public school in 1904 Henry attended Draughon's Business College for two years. On his return to Nocona, he became part owner and clerk in the Farmers Union Grocery Store. On October 11, 1908 he married Anna Louise Battles. By this time he was weighing cotton and working at the cotton yard.

When his mother died in February 1913, he, his wife and child moved into the house with his father who was too old to live alone and care for his needs. At this time Henry became the bookkeeper for Curlin Gin, a job he held for many seasons. In 1917 he build a three bedroom house on the farm and moved his family into it in December of that year.

During WWI he was a cotton buyer but he took a big loss when the cotton market dropped. Henry was an outdoorsman and a lover of nature. He liked to farm and was a successful farmer for many years so he returned to the farm. During the 1920's, he did custom threshing of grain in Montague and Cooke counties. He used a steam engine and a separator, the forerunner of the modern combine.

In 1928 Henry moved into Nocona and worked for the city as secretary and water commissioner. In 1931 he moved back to the farm home and began working for the Montague AAA, a job he held for about twenty years. He became a charter member of the Upper-Elm-Red Soil and Water Conservation, and he served on that board until his death.

Henry leased his farm land to Doug Johnson Drilling Company in 1942. During that time a number ow wells were dug, but only four produced oil and gas. The income from these was a great help duringWWII while all three of Henry's sons were away from home serving in the armed forces. Henry Reynolds also served on the school board and was a trustee when the old three-story building was erected. He was a Democrat and a very concerned citizen. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge in which he took an active part all his adult life.

There were six children born to Henry and Anna Lou Reynolds. They are: Mary Fleming born 1909 - deceased at 3 months; Viola born 1911 and married V. H. Reynolds in 1935; Eugenia born 1913 and married Lewis Russell in 1930; Orville born 1917 and married LaVerne Meeks in 1939; Arthur (Jack) born 1920 and married Iva McClennen in 1947; and Clyde born in 1924 and married Dorothy Howard in 1946.

Harold L. Reynolds, a grandson and presently Principal of Nocona High School now owns the farm land which has been in the family these 110 years. Other grandsons include: Donald W. Russell of Bowie; Michael Russell of Lewisville; Joe Reynolds of Arlington; Stephen Reynolds of Washington; Mitchell Reynolds of Alvarado; Reginald Reynolds of Sulphur Springs; Roger Reynolds and Phillip Reynolds both of Grand Prairie and Larry Paul Reynolds deceased.

There are four granddaughters. They are Linda Reynolds Kevil of Arlington; Donna Reynolds Martin of Grand Prairie; Becky Reynolds Scroggins of Decatur and Patti Reynolds Tucker of Nocona.

Henry Reynolds died peacefully in his sleep on February 24, 1962. Anna Reynolds suffered a stroke in January 1980 and died on Christmas Eve 1980. Both are interred in the Nocona Cemetery.