Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial ...

John Reynolds, born about 1625-30 in
England. The name in early New Eng-
land records appears as Renalds, Ranals,
Runnels, and in other forms. John Reynolds
appears first of record in Weymouth,
Massachusetts, where he was
granted five acres in the first division of
land, December 14, 1663. This was the
seventy-seventh lot from the Braintree
line, and he received an additional fifteen
acres in the second division of the same
date. He sold out his holdings in the
autumn of 1664 and in the spring of 1665
located in Westerly, Rhode Island. Here
he suffered hardship and oppression be-
cause of the dispute with Connecticut
about the boundary. He soon removed
to Stonington and purchased one hundred
acres on the east side of the Mintucket
River, January 28, 1677. ^^ received a
grant of fifty acres May 25, 1679, and one
hundred acres adjoining March 8, 1680.
Again, November 14, 1690, he received
twelve acres. He died late in that year.
He married Anne, daughter of Thomas
Holbrook of Weymouth. Their young-
est child, John Reynolds, born about 1662,
received the homestead in consideration
of care of his parents in their old age. In
1701 he exchanged this property for a
large tract of wild land near Lake Amos,
in Preston, and subsequently acquired
other tracts. His property was divided
among his children before his death,
which occurred April 13, 1734. His wife,
Abigail, was received in the Stonington
Church, April 2, 1689, and was living in
1733. He was received in full communion
at Stonington, May 29, 1705. Their third
son, Jonathan Reynolds, was baptized
June 21, 1700, in Stoningfton and lived in
Preston, where he cared for his aged par-
ents, inherited the homestead and died
January 7, 1743. He married (second),
April 6, 1727, Hannah Tracy, born April
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
27, 1709, daughter of Christian and Lydia
(Parrish) Tracy. Ebenezer Reynolds,
fifth son of Jonathan, born February 24,
1738, bought land in Stonington, was an
innkeeper and farmer near the line between
north Stonington and Griswold,
and died December 16, 1820. He married,
October 27, 1759, Sarah Eggleston, a de-
scendant of Joseph Eggleston who settled
in North Stonington about 1670. He
died August 26, 1826. Their third son,
Jonathan Reynolds, born November 6,
1778, was an innkeeper and farmer in
Stonington, died August 16, 1839, in
Franklin and was buried in Stonington.
He married, in 1795, Susanna Billings,
born January 19, 1775, died February 10,
1829, daughter of Peleg and Mary (Stanton)
Billings, granddaughter of Robert
and Mary Billings, great-granddaughter
of John and Mary, great-great-granddaughter
of John and Hannah (Thompson)
Billings. The last named John was
son of John and Hannah (Lord) Bil-
lings. Hannah Lord was daughter of
Thomas and Dorothy Lord, of Hartford,
in 1636.
Henry Billings Reynolds, eldest child of
Jonathan and Susanna (Billings) Rey-
nolds, was born October 19, 1796, in
Preston, was a teacher in early life and
also went to sea as supercargo. In 1830
he settled on a large farm on Brown Hill
in Lyme, where he continued nine years,
after which he purchased another farm
which he tilled until 1854. He died December
17, 1876, in Lyme. He was a
member of the North Lyme Baptist
Church and an exemplary and useful
citizen. He married, March 27, 1825,
Mandana Merriss, born February 4, 1808,
daughter of John and Eliza Merriss. She
died April 25, 1871. They were the parents
of Ephraim Otis Reynolds, who was
born July 29, 1837, in Lyme and was edu-