Macoupin County
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Biography - GRANVILLE GILES RENO

One of Shipman township’s well known citizens, who has long been successfully identified with stock-raising and agricultural pursuits, is Granville Giles Reno. He was born on his father’s homestead, a portion of which is now included in his own farm, on the 3d of February, 1855, and is a son of the late William S. and Martha (Haycraft) Reno.

The Reno family is of French extraction, the name originally having been spelled Renault, and numbers among its members some of America’s famous citizens. A great uncle of our subject, Philip Reno, was a captain in the Revolutionary war and was awarded a grant of one thousand acres of land for his services. This tract embraced the present site of the city of Peoria, Illinois. General Reno, who was killed at the battle of Antietam during the Civil war, was also a distant relative. William S. Reno, whose birth occurred in Bourbon county, Kentucky, on the 10th of November, 1810, was a son of Charles and Lucy (Smith) Reno. The father, who was a planter originally came from Hardin county, Kentucky, whence he removed to Bourbon, locating on a large estate where his son William S. was born and reared. When old enough to begin his business career, the latter operated a tannery and at one time he also owned a distillery. About 1844 he came to Illinois, locating in the vicinity of Medora, where he bought a farm that he cultivated during the remainder of his life. Before leaving the Blue Grass state he was united in marriage to Miss Haycraft, who was a native of Hardin county, that state, her birth having occurred on the 29th of September, 1815. Mrs. Reno was a daughter of the Rev James and Frances (Van Metre) Haycraft, who were the parents of nine children. In the paternal line the family was of English extraction, but the mother was of Dutch descent as the name would suggest. The Rev. James Haycraft removed from Kentucky with his family about 1832. Mr. and Mrs. Reno’s family consisted of six children: Bluford, who passed away at Medora at the age of seventy-six years; Lucy, the deceased wife of Madison Darr; Samuel, who was living in Cherokee county, Kansas, when he died; Mary Elizabeth, the widow of William Forwood, of Springfield, Illinois; James William, who is living near Medora, Illinois; and Granville G., our subject.

In the immediate vicinity in which he is now residing Granville Giles Reno was reared to manhood, the district schools in the neighborhood having afforded him his educational advantages. When he was a youth of seventeen years he and his brother James W. purchased their father’s farm, consisting of one hundred and ninety acres of land located on section 19, Shipman township. This they cultivated in partnership, extending their holdings, as they were able to until they had acquired four hundred and forty acres of tillable land. In 1892 they divided their property equally, each receiving with his share a portion of the old family homestead. Here Mr. Reno has ever since engaged in general farming; he also is an extensive feeder and raises and breeds a good grade of Shorthorn cattle and Poland China hogs, while he keeps some draft horses. His farm is highly improved and well kept up, being equipped with a full line of modern farming implements.

On the 16th of December, 1877, Mr. Reno and Miss Ellen Rhoads were united in marriage. Mrs. Reno is a daughter of the Rev. John D. and Mary (Jolly) Rhoads. Her paternal grandfather was Jacob V. Rhoads, a Baptist minister, who came to Illinois from Kentucky in 1831. With his family he located at Medora, North Chesterfield township, formerly called Rhoads’ Point. There in connection with his ministerial duties he engaged in farming until his death, as did also his son John D., who was reared to agricultural pursuits. Mrs. Reno is the second in order of birth in a family of six, the other members being: Margaret, the wife of Thomas Stover, of Medora; George W., who is living in Bird township, this county; Stroud K., a resident of Brighton township; Willis M., who lives in Shipman township; and Jacob V., who makes his home m the vicinity of Ainslee, Custer county, Nebraska.

To Mr. and Mrs. Reno the following children have been born, one of whom died in infancy: Effie May, the wife of Benjamin Burr, who owns and operates a coal mine at Carterville; Edward, a newspaper man of St. Paul, who married Esthei Odell and has one child, Jerome; Rollin Ray, in the civil service commission, Washington, D. C., who is married and has three children, Wendell, Carl and George; and Guy and Mary, both of whom are unmarried and living at home.

The religious views of the family coincide with those of the Baptist denomination with which they affiliate, while fraternally Mr. Reno is identified with the Modern Woodmen of America. In politics he gives his support to the democratic party and at the present time is acting as supervisor of Shipman township and he has been collector, while for twenty-one years he has been a director of the school district. Charitable in his judgments, liberal in his views and cordial in his manner Mr. Reno is one of the popular men of his community, not only readily making friends, but possessing those fine, inherent qualities that enable him to retain their loyalty.


Extracted 17 Nov 2018 by Norma Hass from History of Macoupin County, Illinois: Biographical and Pictorial, by Charles A. Walker, published in 1911, Volume 2, pages 582-583.


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