Dennis W. Reynolds was born on January 14, 1847, in Jackson County, Illinois. By 1859 Reynolds was living in Cherokee Bay in Eastern Randolph County. The term Cherokee Bay can mean one of two things. Sometimes it refers to a specific community or “town site” and others it refers to a general area or the land between the Current River and the Black River.
At the young age of 18 Reynolds opened his first mercantile business at Cherokee Bay. This business was interrupted by the Civil War. On March 11, 1862, Reynolds enlisted in the Confederate Army. He served in the 16th Missouri Infantry which was sometimes referred to as the 7th Missouri Infantry though this should not be confused with the “Irish Seventh” a famed Union regiment that was also from Missouri. He was paroled from service on June 5, 1865, at Jacksonport in Jackson County.
Reynolds returned home to an economically depressed region with little to no money and little hope for the future like so many Confederate veterans returning from the war. For a few years he farmed and saved his money. In 1875 Reynolds became a partner in a new mercantile venture in Corning, Clay County. Three years later Reynolds was in a strong enough financial position to open a store in what would become the town of Reyno. Reyno was named for the Reynolds family.
Reynolds built a home, a store, and a hotel along with investing in cotton gin and other businesses. Me became a Master Mason and was a founding member of the Reyno Baptist Church.
Reynolds had seven children. His daughter Anne Elizabeth Reynolds was born on November 6, 1867. She married Joseph N. Martin on February 9, 1888. The Martins would make their home at Pocahontas and become one of the leading families in the county.