"A Pioneer History of Becker County Minnesota" by Alvin H. Wilcox (1907),
Chapter XXI, History of Detroit Township, pages 351-352.

Reuben Reynolds 

           
Reuben Reynolds was born at Covington, Genesee County, New York, on the
25th day of April, 1820, where he remained with his father's family on a 
farm until his sixteenth year, when they moved to the state of Michigan.
At the age of nineteen he purchased of his father his time and commenced
to work on a farm for small wages to earn sufficient money to pay his 
father to go to the district country school, and within the short period
of four years had by his tireless industry and indefatigable labor paid
his indebtedness to his father and received education sufficient to enter
the ministry of the Methodist Church, where he almost at once acquired a 
great reputation as an evangelist. His intense earnestness and great
power as an extemporaneous speaker made him famous as a revivalist 
through all Michigan.

In 1855 he came to Minnesota with his family in a covered waggon, and
settled at Rochester in Olmstead County, where he remained until the
spring of 1870, when he moved to northern Minnesota, first settling at
Alexandria, from which place in 1871, he moved to Otter Tail City, and a
little later, when the new land district was created, moved to Oak Lake,
and a few months later to Detroit [now Detroit Lakes]. During his
residence at Oak Lake and Detroit he held the position of receiver in the
United States Land Office. Judge Reynolds did not commence the study of 
law until after he was forty years of age, but aided by his studious 
habits and vast amount of general information he soon became a fine lawyer,
and in the field of advocacy he had few equals. Governor Hubbard appointed
him judge of the district court, which position he held at the time of his
last illness, which terminated his life, March 8th, 1889.

Mrs. R. Reynolds



Posted by Dick Campbell <campbell45@juno.com>