HistoricSiteMarkers
Reconstruction & Gilded Age

The Reverend J.H. Reynolds

Sherman, Grayson County, Texas

Marker Inscription

Kentucky native John Humphreys Reynolds served as a Methodist circuit rider in Tennessee, where he married and began a family. In 1879, he moved his ministry to Texas, working to serve churches in the north central part of the state. In Sherman, he organized the Willow Street Methodist Church, later named Key Memorial for Bishop J.S. Key. Reynolds served as pastor to numerous area congregations and preached well into his nineties. Known affectionately as Uncle Johnny, he was a supporter of temperance and education, and was a 32nd degree Mason. Recorded - 2004

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Kentucky-born John Humphreys Reynolds rode the Methodist circuit in Tennessee before moving his ministry to North Central Texas in 1879. In Sherman he organized the Willow Street Methodist Church, later renamed Key Memorial for Bishop J. S. Key, and preached to area congregations well into his nineties. A temperance advocate, educator, and 32nd-degree Mason, he was known affectionately as "Uncle Johnny."

Why it matters

Reynolds represents the circuit-riding preachers who carried religion, temperance, and schooling to the scattered settlements of a growing Texas.

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Related people

  • ยท John Humphreys Reynolds
  • ยท Bishop J. S. Key

Themes & tags

EducationLandmark

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