Published as it appeared on Dec. 20, 1878, in the Weekly Corvallis Gazette, Page 2, Column 4.
DEATH OF A CENTENARIAN
Grandfather Philip Reynolds died, November 21st, 1878, at the residence of John Newton, in Benton county, Oregon. He was born in the State of Virginia, about one hundred and ten or eleven years ago. Was married to Miss Sophia Hill. They lived in Ohio a number of years and were the parents of nine children — two sons and seven daughters — all of whom preceded him to the spirit land, except two daughters, one of whom lives in California, and the other in King’s Valley, Oregon. His wife has been dead over forty years. He crossed the plains to Oregon in 1852. In 1857 he made a public profession of religion and joined the Christian Church, receiving the ordinance of baptism at the hands of Rev. Lewis Casteel, near Monroe, in this county. Since that time he has been a consistent member of the Church, and a daily Bible reader — until his last illness. In consequence of his great age, he had become very forgetful, and could not remember his exact age; but from what we could gather, from circumstances, he was born about the year 1767. He lived to see his sixth generation. For a number of years previous to his death, he lived with his grand children. He could read fine print, without the aid of glasses. For nearly two years before his death, he became very helpless and unable to walk. But bore his sufferings with true Christian fortitude and was never heard to murmur or complain — but said “he was ready to go.” He died in great peace — with not even a struggle. “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.”
It was not generally known that we had a centenarian in Benton county. If we had been cognizant of the fact we should certainly have sought opportunity of an interview, ere the silver-haired veteran of a by-gone century had passed to the spirit land. The following brief notice of his life and death is from the pen of a grand daughter, Mrs. Geo. W. Kisor, of Philomath, who is now in her fiftieth year, and whose mother was the fifth grand child of Grandfather Reynolds. He was a most remarkable man and we should have been delighted to have heard from his own lips, some of the thrilling adventures of his long, eventful life. Mrs. Kisor writes from her home, in Philomath, under the date of the 15th inst., as follows: