First post and genealogy on Zollars, Reynolds and Gardner families

[rzollars]

Ok.  So, I thought I should probably get post something.  I joined because my husband and I (Buddyboy) have been trying to research his family history in Elk County.  I wish I had a lot more time to work on these things.  It's a lot of fun, but unfortunately doesn't provide me with a paycheck.  Maybe I'll be able to really delve into it after retirement.

The families names from Elk County that we have been researching are mostly from three families:  Zollars, Reynolds and Gardner.  The Zollars and Gardner families were mostly from Longton area and the Reynolds were mostly from around Busby.  Anybody have any interesting information or stories on people with these names?  If so, I'd like to share information.

Lately I have been working most on the Reynolds lines.  We have actually been trying to put a book together about them, but I don't know when we will get it done.  It is a little overwhelming.  Anyway, we recently found out that my husband's Great-Uncle also came to Elk County and is buried in the Longton Cemetery with some of his family.  His name was Edward E. Reynolds.  I'd really love to find out more about him and his family.  

Also, while I am posting, let me say Thank you to whoever put this forum together.  This is really great!  I wish they had similar ones for other counties.  Have a great day everybody!

[Marcia Moore]

The Reynolds family from Busby that you are working on - is George W. Reynolds one of them you are researching?

[Buddyboy]

Yes, he was my grandma Minnie Gertrude Reynolds Zollars', dad. The only thing that we knew about them was family stories, at least some of which we have found to not exactly be true. Supposedly Grandma didn't talk much about them. She and Grandpa Zollars died in the 50's before I was born in the 60's. Being the youngest of the youngest branch I had the Zollars genealogy drilled into me from an early age along with the idea that I must have an heir and a spare to carry on the family name. The side branches were not emphasized in the genealogy lessons. I did my job and don't regret it, but am looking more now at the stories that flesh out the begats.

[Marcia Moore]

All I know about George W. Reynolds is that he was the fourth postmaster to serve at the Painterhood Post Office, serving from June 25, 1879 until the Painterhood Post Office was discontinued on Nov. 3, 1879.  The Painterhood Post Office was in what is now known as the Busby community, but at that time it was known as the Painterhood community.  It later became known as the Amy community, and there was an Amy Post Office there, then it soon became known as Busby, and there was a Busby post office there.

[Buddyboy]

Thanks Marcia. I had not heard about that one. From what we have gathered, Grandpa tried a little of everything. He was a miller and a farmer mainly though. Grandma Rachel we think was his fourth wife. He had a bunch of kids with each. We know that at least two died, one in in childbirth with the child being buried with her. The other one, besides Grandma Rachel, was in one census with him with a child. The next census, she was gone. Grandma Rachel outlived him. Do you have any information on the family?

[Marcia Moore]

No, I don't have any information on the family.  I have been working on the histories of the old Elk County Post Offices, and just happened to see his name listed.  The information came from the National Archives.

[dandymomma]

The name George W. Reynolds sounds very familiar to me. I am searching for my papers, and will let you know what I find.

I know of a Feilding Louis Reynolds (died May 20, 1902) who married Armilda (Mittie) Jane Taylor in 1888. They had a daughter (among other children I'm sure), Flora Edith Reynolds (my Great Grandma) who married James Elmer Taylor. Among thier children, Loretta Pearl Taylor married Delbert Monroe Riggs (my Grandma and Granddad).

[dandymomma]

I have searched in every concievable place for those papers, and I can't find them anywhere. If there is psychic among us, please give me a clue!!! 

Anyhoo, I do have a couple pics. And I am desprately trying to remember where I took them. I'm pretty sure it was Severy.

[dandymomma]

I found something!!!!

Minnie Reynolds was the 15th child (born Feb 4, 1886) of Anderson Reynolds (born Nov 4, 1833; died Dec 19, 1896) and Kisiah Brown (died Dec 12, 1893).

Minnie and Fielding Louis were siblings.

Wait, you said George W. Reynolds was her father. Do you know any of her brothers' or sisters' names? We can see if any of them match up with my records.

[Buddyboy]

We couldn't find the names of Fielding Louis Reynolds or Anderson Reynolds in our records. This is the way my line goes from George Washington Reynolds. G.W. was born in Bedford, Lawrence County, IN and had at leat four wives. The first one was Sarah H. Grindstaff with which he had William C.M., Mary E., Emily Jane, Nancy, Alice and a stillborn baby. Sarah died in childbirth with the stillborn baby in 1855. The next wife was Jane Cobb with which he had Luther, who was killed on San Juan Hill. That is the only child that we know of with this marriage. The next marriage was to Rebecca Miller with which he had Robert. This is the only child we know of. We think this might be the marriage that family stories talk about. Supposedly G.W. married a southern woman, which Rebecca was from a Confederate stronghold in Missouri and had been born in TN. When he joined the war, she divorced him, according to family stories. Of course in the family stories, the name is Harriet and she supposedly took the girls with her and he sent the boys to live with his next wife, Rachel W. Cox. This was my great grandma. The children that he had with Rachel are: Leetha who married John W. Miller, a barber in Longton; Ullysses Simpson Grant who married Susan McIntire Mahoney and Lena Ada Zellner; Peter who married Harriet M. Young, Ada who died as a child, Isaac Newton who married Eva Lovina Sing; Abraham Burgess who married Clara Patterson and Florence Harriet Keats Brittain, who had a child Don Brittain that is talked about elsewhere in this forum; Minnie Gertrude, who was my grandma, more on her later; Franklin Edward who married Sadie Billie Burch; and Ava Mae who died as a child from a horse accident.
Minnie Gertrude Reynolds married Matthew Matthias Zollars and had the following children: Herman D. who married Georgia Beardsley Bone and Winnie Leona Welch Holland; Agnes Iona who married William O. Taylor and Richard Laypath; Alice Lee who married Benjamin Tillman Busby; Mary Louise who married William Adrian Beverlin and Louis Miles Newberry; Evelyn Billie who married John Robert Grant and is buried somewhere in the cemetery in Howard; Justeen Theophilus who married Mary Nadine Nay and Ruth Martin Vestal; Elmore Burgess who married Betty Ernestine McWherter and Valera Mae Zumbrun,  and finally Eleanor Minnie who married Delbert Ira Rothgeb, Joe Romo and Murray Hagedorn. Elmore was my dad and Valera Mae was my mom.
George Washington Reynolds' brother Edward E. came to Elk County also. They settled on farms next to each other near Busby. Edward had three marriages. The first marriage was to Mary M. Lewis and had the following children: Olivia E.; Abraham Lincoln who married an Effie; J.K. (male); Clem B.; M.E. (female); Dovey, who died as a child; Bedai who died as a child; Estella who married Samuel Shipley and an infant son who was stillborn. Edward's second marriage was to Ella Holmes and they had the following children: Edward A.; Angie May; Walter R., who died as a child and Frank Orlando. There is a plot in the Longton Cemetery with these buried there. Edward's third wife was Romelia (?) Dame. She is buried in a county grave in the Longton cemetery five years after Edward died.
We have additional information on these families and George and Edward's brothers and sisters, if you are interested. They, for the most part, stayed in Lawrence County, IN.