The origins of Robert Reynolds are unknown to me.

Date of Birth: Based on when his children married and had children, it is estimated he was born 1600, or earlier. (Oldest grandchild born 1648).

Immigration: By 1634, ship unknown (admitted to membership in the First Church of Boston, August 10, 1634) The Great Migration Begins, Anderson, 1995, is the definitive work on immigrants for which there is definitive, objective, evidence of their being on our shores by December 31, 1633. Anderson admits there may have been others in America before December 31, 1633, but they did not meet his critieria for objective evidence. Robert Reynolds is not in the book. Douglas Reynolds, a descendant, contributed this information to me gleaned from the genealogy of Robert Reynolds by Marion Reynolds, 1931, indicating that Robert Reynolds if not here by 31 Dec 1633, was here shortly thereafter:
 
"In the book, The Winthrop Fleet of 1630, p.48. a provisional list of male passengers on the fly-leaf of Winthrop's Journal contains a "Reynold". A picture of the fly-leaf appears in the Book.  Thus, there is a  written "list" of various passengers.  We also know that
Robert's Boston home-lot was next to Gov. Winthrop's lot  and was a large and well located property reflecting that he arrived early on with Winthrop. Robert was the first owner of this lot as confirmed by the Boston Book of Possessions. We also know that Robt became a Freeman on Sept. 3, 1634. Because so few persons became Freeman, it might appear that he would have been living in Boston with his peers a while before that privilege was bestowed upon him. However, the time each person waited for Freeman status varied. See also Rev. Runnels' history published in 1873 where he concluded
that Robert arrived before 1632."
 
He should be a prime candidate to be in "The Great Migration... Continues" currently being published a letter at a time. The "R" book probably won't be published for awhile into the future.
 
Wife and family: It appears that his wife, Mary, and children accompanied him. It appears that all of his children were born in England before migration. The Whitney page shows her last name as Pulleyne. I don't know the evidence that identifies her.

Residences: There are records that suggest that Robert may be the Robert Reynolds first seen in  Watertown, then in Wethersfield, Conn; but for sure it is he that is later in Boston and lived his remaining years there.

Will and Estate - He did have a will and an estate. I have not located a copy as yet. This appears to be the primary evidence for the wife of John Whitney II being his daughter.

Associations: He may have been related to John Reynolds, a contemporary immigrant, of Connecticut.

Biography: See Michael Roman's sketch of Robert Reynolds

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The History of Robert Reynolds - Marion H. Reynolds, 1928

See also the Whitney Genealogy by Pierce for mention of Robert (daughter Ruth married John Whitney II). (This genealogy is on-line at genealogylibrary.com, as well as having been transcribed, at the Whitney Home Page.)

Also see the Family History and Descendants of John and Sarah Reynolds for mention of records in which the historian of John Reynolds finds Robert Reynolds and speculates they are kin of some kind. (available at genealogylibrary.com)

Owned Benjamin Franklin's Birthplace: One of his "homelots" in Boston was the place on which
Benjamin Franklin was born January 6, 1705, while it was still owned by the Reynolds family.

What is source for Wife's identity? I see on quite a few web pages the wife of Robert Reynolds shown as Mary Pulleyne. What is the evidence showing her identity?

Robert and Mary had five children who grew to adulthood and married, giving us five branches of the Robert Reynolds family. Four were girls and their progeny will bear the names Whitney, Abey/Abdy, Mason, and Sanger. One child was male, Nathaniel, and carried the family name. He fought in King Philips War and later moved to Bristol, Rhode Island. The children and grandchildren that I have accumulated from various sources are presented below. For more details and, in some cases, more generations downstream, see my data base.
 

 
 Descendants of Robert Reynolds

 1   Robert Reynolds 1600 - 1659
..  +Mary [Pulleyne?] 1600 - 1663

........... 2   Ruth Reynolds 1623 - 1692
...............  +John Whitney II 1621 - 1692
........................ 3   John Whitney III 1643 - 1726
............................  +Elizabeth Harris 1644 - 1726
........................ 3   Ruth Whitney 1645 - 1718
............................  +John Shattuck 1647 - 1675
........................  *2nd Husband of Ruth Whitney:
............................  +Enoch Lawrence 1649 - 1744
........................ 3   Nathaniel Whitney 1647 - 1733
............................  +Sarah Hagar 1651 - 1722
                        Nathaniel and Sarah are Ancestors of our Kansas Pioneers
........................  *2nd Wife of Nathaniel Whitney:
............................  +Sarah 1658 - 1746
........................ 3   Samuel Whitney 1648 - 1731
............................  +Mary Bemis 1644 - 1730
........................ 3   Mary Whitney 1650 - 1693
........................ 3   Joseph Whitney 1651 - 1702
............................  +Martha Beach 1650 -
........................ 3   Sarah Whitney 1653 - 1720
............................  +Daniel Harrington 1657 - 1728
........................ 3   Elizabeth Whitney 1656 -
............................  +Daniel Warren 1653 -
........................ 3   Hannah Whitney 1658 - 1693
........................ 3   Benjamin Whitney 1660 - 1736
............................  +Abigail Hagar 1669 -
........................  *2nd Wife of Benjamin Whitney:
............................  +Elizabeth 1660 -

........... 2   Tabitha Reynolds 1625 - 1661
...............  +Michael Abey 1620 - 1662
........................ 3   Mary Abey 1648 -
........................ 3   Tabitha Abey 1652 -
........................ 3   Matthew Abey 1650 -

........... 2   Nathaniel Reynolds 1627 - 1708
                 Served in King Philips War
...............  +Sarah Dwight 1638 - 1663
........................ 3   Sarah Reynolds 1659 -
........................ 3   Mary (1) Reynolds 1660 -
........................ 3   Nathaniel Reynolds 1663 -
...........  *2nd Wife of Nathaniel Reynolds:
...............  +Priscilla Brackett 1646 -
........................ 3   John Reynolds 1668 -
........................ 3   Peter Reynolds 1670 -
........................ 3   Philip Reynolds 1672 -
........................ 3   Joseph Reynolds 1677 -
........................ 3   Hannah Reynolds 1682 -
........................ 3   Mary Reynolds 1684 -
........................ 3   Benjamin Reynolds 1686 -
........................ 3   Ruth Reynolds 1688 -

........... 2   Sarah Reynolds 1629 -
...............  +Robert Mason 1629 - 1680

........... 2   Mary Reynolds 1630 - 1711
...............  +Richard Sanger 1620 - 1691
........................ 3   Mary Sanger 1650 -
............................  +John Harris 1650 - 1690
                           Died during march on Quebec, 1690
........................ 3   Nathaniel Sanger 1652 - 1735
............................  +Mary Cutter 1657 - 1711
                            Mary Cutter is a cousin to us via Williams and Cutter
........................ 3   John Sanger 1657 -
........................ 3   Sary Sanger 1661 -
........................ 3   Sarah Sanger 1663 -
........................ 3   Richard Sanger 1667 -
........................ 3   Elizabeth Sanger 1669 -
........................ 3   David Sanger 1671 -
 
 

The line of descent from Robert Reynolds to the Kansas Pioneers is:

 
 1   Robert Reynolds 1580 - 1659
....  +Mary Pulleyne 1592 - 1663
.... 2   Ruth Reynolds 1623 - 1692
..........  +John Whitney II 1621 - 1692
........... 3   Nathaniel Whitney 1647 - 1733
.................  +Sarah Hagar 1651 - 1722
.................. 4   Nathaniel Whitney II 1675 - 1730
........................  +Mercy Robinson 1676 - 1740
........................ 5   Nathaniel Whitney III 1696 - 1776
..............................  +Mary Child 1700 - 1776
............................... 6   Nathaniel Whitney IV 1728 - 1776
.....................................  +Abigail Joslin 1735 -
...................................... 7   Abigail Whitney 1763 - 1847
............................................  +Elijah Bruce 1760 - 1835
............................................ 8   Abigail Whitney Bruce 1806 - 1884
..................................................  +Nehemiah Willis Fisher 1805 - 1859
................................................... 9   Eleanor Serepta Fisher 1843 - 1924
.........................................................  +Henry Gilbert Baldwin 1836 - 1894
                                         Henry and Eleanor were the Kansas Pioneers in 1870's
                                           Henry was a Civil War Veteran
.......................................................... 10   Arthur Willis Baldwin 1876 - 1961
................................................................  +Inez Evangeline Hallock 1886 - 1976

Related Links:

The Reynolds GenForum

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