Reynolds was born at Little Falls,
Fayette County, Ohio, in 1812, shortly before the outbreak of the
War of 1812. After his graduation from the small Jefferson College at
Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, and the
Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, Reynolds became a minister of the
Lutheran Church and for some eighteen years served as professor of
Latin at the new
Pennsylvania College,
Gettysburg, founded in 1832. In May 1848, Reynolds gave an address at Gettysburg to the Historical Association of the Lutheran Church of America, on the subject of "The Swedish Church in America," after which the Association resolved "that Professor Reynolds be requested to furnish for publication a copy of his valuable discourse, delivered this evening..." He spent much time responding to this instruction, and became fascinated by the subject. When the work was printed in 1849, Reynolds announced that he was planning to learn Swedish, in order to complete the translation of a History of New Sweden, by
Israel Acrelius, which had been begun by the late Dr Nicholas Collin. He completed this work in 1874. In May 1851, Reynolds was visited there by
Lars Paul Esbjörn, accompanied by the young
Eric Norelius, who stayed on to become a student at the Capital University. He also made translations from Dutch, Icelandic, and Italian. In 1853, Reynolds accepted the position of principal of a seminary for women in
Easton, Pennsylvania, then from 1857 was president of a classical academy in
Allentown, Pennsylvania and then from 1862 to 1864 headed the
Illinois State University at
Springfield. In 1864 he switched his allegiance from the Lutherans to become a priest of the
Episcopal Church, and moving on again to head a seminary for women in Chicago, explaining that his only motive for becoming an Episcopalian was that in the Lutheran Church doors had been closed against him. In 1872 he was appointed as Rector of Christ Church, Harlem, in
Oak Park, Illinois, his final position. Reynolds became seriously ill in August 1876 and died at home in Oak Park on 5 September, after twenty days of great pain, suffered with resignation. ==Publications==