John Hugh Reynolds materials, 1855-1923

John Hugh Reynolds, born January 3, 1869, graduated from Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas. After graduation, Reynolds joined the faculty of the University of Arkansas where he developed an interest in Arkansas history. In 1903 he organized the Arkansas Historical Association--the predecessor to the Arkansas History Commission and later renamed the Arkansas State Archives. In 1905, Reynolds drafted legislation to establish a state archives, the Arkansas History Commission, and revised the commission's legislation in 1909. He served as the commission secretary from 1909 to 1911. In 1912, Reynolds was appointed President of Hendrix College, a position he held until 1945. This collection contains correspondence dealing with the early development of the Arkansas History Commission and the hiring of its first director Dallas Tabor Herndon, as well as other documents dealing with the creation of the archives. Reynolds died in Conway, Arkansas, on June 26, 1954.

Printing is not supported at the primary Gallery Thumbnail page. Please first navigate to a specific Image before printing.

Switch View to Grid View Slideshow

John H. McCulloch deacon ordination certificate, 1855 November 18

Certificate of the ordination of John H. McCulloch as Deacon into the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, by Bishop Hubbard Hinde Kavanaugh, on behalf of the Memphis Conference.
Arkansas Inter-Collegiate Oratorical Contest pamphlet, 1892 April 29

Pamphlet including the speeches "The Rise of the Democratic Idea" by J.H. Reynolds, of Hendrix College, and "Individual vs. State" by Calvin T. Cotham, also of Hendrix College. Both speeches were delivered at the Arkansas Inter-Collegiate Oratorical Contest in Conway, Arkansas.
Franklin County Records, 1906

T. A. Pettigrew

Form outlining the history of Franklin County, including the counties formed from it. This also contains information on the county's historical records and where to find them.
Arkansas History Commission Act, 1905 April 27

Circular number 1 from the Act of April 27, 1905, detailing instructions to the Arkansas History Commission for creating publications for the commission.
Letter from Jas [James] A. Venable to J.H. Reynolds, 1906 April 14

Jas A. Venable

Letter from Jas [James] Venable to J.H. Reynolds describing the cannon that was placed in the yard of the Arkansas Old State House after the Civil War. Venable describes how the trunnion was broken and then fixed by a local blacksmith.
Uniform Rules and Regulations, 1906 June 8

This pamphlet includes the uniform rules and regulations as "prescribed by the secretaries of the Interior, Agriculture, and War to carry out the provisions of the 'Act for the Preservation of American Antiquities'" in 1906.
Letter to J.H. Reynolds, 1908 January 20

Letter from John Wyors to J.H. Reynolds explaining a roster for Company D, First Arkansas Cavalry Volunteers that W. Yoes would like to have published in the Arkansas History Commission publication.
Letter from Mrs. Dunbar Rowland to J.H. Reynolds, 1910 August 26

Dunbar Rowland

This letter from Mrs. Dunbar Rowland gives advice on how to prepare a roster of Confederate troops for research purposes. Her husband, Mr. Dunbar Rowland, served as director of the Department of Archives and History for the State of Mississippi.
Letter from J.H. Reynolds to Dallas T. Herndon, 1917 January 16

John Hugh Reynolds

Letter from J.H. Reynolds to Dallas T. Herndon describing the urgency for getting "our" bill passed through the state government.
Letter from J.H. Reynolds to Dallas T. Herndon, 1921 August 1

John Hugh Reynolds

Letter from J.H. Reynolds to Dallas T. Herndon noting the willingness of Colonel Fordyce to allow the Arkansas History Commission to copy the autobiography of Reverend Cephus Washburn. It also details Colonel Fordyce's plans to help with writing a history of Camp Pike.
History of Pulaski County

History of Pulaski County, and its capital city Little Rock, including the creation of Arkansas Post as the state capital and its movement to Little Rock, Arkansas. This touches on important people in Pulaski County history, including Arkansas's first Governor [James] Miller, Chester Ashley, and Augustus H. Garland. This also includes population numbers and various counties that were created from Pulaski County.