West Fork Store & Post Office circa 1900
Reynolds County is available for adoption.
If you have a local connection to Reynolds County
or an interest in Missouri in general,
Please consider joining the MOGenWeb as a County
Coordinator.
Requirements are simple, peruse them here.
https://mogenweb.org/moccguide.htm
MOGenWeb Policies and Procedures
https://www.mogenweb.org/pol-pro.htm
Contact Bob
Jenkins if you are interested.
In addition:, we would appreciate any
contribution that you would like to make to this
site: biographies, obituaries, birth,
marriage, death info, grave info,
photographs....etc
Reynolds County, Missouri
📜 Brief History of Reynolds County, Missouri
- Formation (1845): Reynolds County was carved from portions of Ripley, Wayne, Washington, and Ste. Genevieve Counties. It was named after Thomas Reynolds, Missouri’s governor from 1840–1844.
- County Seat: The seat was established at Centerville, which remains the administrative center today.
- Courthouse Fires: The county courthouse has burned multiple times:
- 1863: Destroyed by Confederate forces during the Civil War.
- 1871: Burned again, destroying all records.
- 1872: Temporary quarters also burned
while a “fireproof” courthouse was under construction.
These losses make early genealogical research in Reynolds County particularly challenging. - Geography: Located in the Ozark Foothills, Reynolds County is known for rugged beauty and natural landmarks. It includes parts of the Mark Twain National Forest and the popular Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park.
- Population Trends: The county grew steadily through the 19th century, peaking at over 10,000 residents in 1920, before declining to just over 6,000 by 2020.
- Cultural Identity: Early settlers were largely of American, Irish, German, and English ancestry, shaping the county’s cultural and religious traditions.
✨ Genealogical Note
Because of the multiple courthouse fires, many early records were lost. Researchers often rely on church registers, cemetery records, census data, and family histories preserved outside official archives..
