Our Daily Show! 100 Years Ago W/ Lacy: Rev. Reynolds Becomes Pastor... After the Election
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ALTON - On October 20, 1924, Reverend John Gilliford Reynolds visited Alton to notify the officers of Elm Street Presbyterian Church that he was accepting the call to the pastorate, extended to him at a congregation meeting recently. But he had one stipulation. Reynolds wanted to remain in Toledo, Ohio until after the election, as he “wishes to do his duty as a citizen, and cast his ballot.” He and his family would lose their votes by moving before the election. The 19th Amendment had been ratified in 1920, so this was only the second presidential election that John’s wife, Nina, could vote in, despite the fact that she was in her sixties at the time. The election took place on Tuesday, November 4, 1924. The Reynolds family came to Alton the next week and Rev. Reynolds’s first service as pastor of Elm Street Presbyterian Church was Sunday, November 16.
While we don’t know who exactly Reynolds voted for, Calvin Coolidge won the presidential election and A. Victor Donahey won the Ohio gubernatorial election. Both men were running for reelection of their respective positions, and President Coolidge’s clever campaign slogan was “Keep COOLidge.”
Rev. Reynolds served as pastor of Elm Street Presbyterian Church for almost a decade, and died on May 28, 1934, a year and a half after he and his wife Nina celebrated their golden wedding anniversary. John and Nina had both been public school teachers in Madison County before John became a minister, and in addition to assisting John with his pastoral duties, Nina was an important part of the Sunday school at Elm Street Presbyterian. Nina Bingham Reynolds died on December 1, 1947 and is buried with her husband in the Reynolds family plot in Godfrey Cemetery.
Sources
“150 Guests at Reception.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), September 8, 1932.
“Coolidge Campaign Memorabilia.” Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation, 2024.https://coolidgefoundation.org/coolidge-campaign-memorabilia/
“Honors Paid by People to Old Pastor-Teacher.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), May 30, 1934.
“Minister of Elm Street Church Dies.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), May 28, 1934.
“Mrs. Nina Reynolds Dies at Age 85.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), December 2, 1947.
“New Minister Buys a Home.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), November 20, 1924.
“New Pastor Next Sunday.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), November 3, 1924.
“North Alton: Install Pastor Tonight.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), May 7, 1925.
“North Alton: Rev. J.R. Reynolds Accepts Call.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), October 21, 1924.
“Reception to Pastor and Wife This Evening.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), November 24, 1924.
“Sunday at the Elm Street Presbyterian Church.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), November 5, 1924.
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