Norval W. Reynolds is actively connected with a profession which has important bearing upon the progress and stable prosperity of every community, being a representative of the bar at Kemmerer. He was born in Factoryville, Wyoming county, Pennsylvania, December 9, 1849. His father, Joseph W. Reynolds, also a native of the Keystone state, came of Scotch-Irish ancestry, the family having been founded in America by four brothers who came to the new world from England prior to the Revolutionary war, and among the ancestors of Norval W. Reynolds were those who participated in the struggle for independence. His father was a millwright and later in life turned his attention to carpentering and to farming. He enlisted for service in the Civil war and went to the front, his death resulting from wounds which he had received in a battle near Petersburg. He had joined the army as a member of Company H of the One Hundred and Eighty-seventh Pennsylvania Infantry, and although a musician, he went into the ranks and was wounded, his death resulting on the 10^th of March, 1866. His political endorsement was given to the republican party and he was a prominent member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In early manhood he had wedded Phebe Stark, who was also a native of Pennsylvania and a descendant of General John Stark of Revolutionary war fame. Her death occurred in 1898, when she had reached the advanced age of eighty-one years. In the family were eight children, all of whom are yet living.
    Norval W. Reynolds was the fifth in order of birth and while spending his youthful days in his mother's home he pursued his education in the public and high schools at Nicholson, Wyoming county, Pennsvlvania. He started out to provide for his support when a lad of eighteen years. His early experiences were those of the farmbred boy and after leaving home he took up the profession of teaching, which he followed for five years in Wyoming county, Pennsylvania, imparting readily and clearly to others the knowledge that he had acquired. He then entered the lumber business, which he followed for five years. While engaged in teaching he had devoted the hours that are usually termed leisure to the study of Blackstone and other commentaries on law and later in life he systematically took up the study of law in the office of Stanley Harding in Wyoming county, Pennsylvania. After his admission to the bar he practiced law for a short period in the east and then came to Wyoming, settling in Lincoln county on the 12^th of May, 1907. Here he turned his attention to ranching and the raising of live stock near Cokeville, where he secured a desert claim and also homesteaded. He is now extensively engaged in farming and in raising live stock as well as practicing law and is regarded as one of the foremost business men of this section of the state.
    On the 20^th of May, 1871, in Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania, Mr. Reynolds wedded Miss Emma Squier, a native of the Keystone state and a daughter of Arah Squier. They have two living children; Effie P., the wife of George F. Alleman, who is a ranchman residing near Cokeville: and Marshall Stark, who is an attorney at law, having graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with the LL. B. degree in 1905. Mr. and Mrs. Alleman have six children; Emma D. and George Reynolds, who were born in Wyoming county, Pennsylvania; Winton H., who was born in Rock Springs, Wyoming; and Norval W., Susan and Arthur Marshall, all born in Cokeville. The son, Marshall S. Reynolds, following his graduation from the University of Pennsylvania, began practicing law at Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, where he remained for a year, after which he returned to Wyoming and opened an office in Cokeville. For two years he served as county attorney. He later located for practice in Kemmerer on the 1st of January, 1914, and was in active practice until August 25, 1917, when he joined the Third Company of the Coast Artillery in the Officers Reserve Corps and is now stationed at Fort Scott, having been promoted to judge advocate, attached to the First Company of Coast Artillery. His father has taken over his practice and is handling important interests at the bar, being connected with much litigation that figures prominently on the court records.
    In his political views Mr. N. W. Reynolds is a republican, having always supported the party since reaching adult age. He was made a Mason in Kemmerer and is a loyal follower of the craft. He belongs to the Methodist church and is serving on its board of directors. His military record covers service in the Spanish-American war, at which time he organized Company M of the Ninth Regiment of the Pennsylvania militia, which later became Company K of the Thirteenth regulars. This regiment was organized at Scranton, Pennsylvania, but never entered active service. Mr. Reynolds, however, was made captain of the company, which stood ready to go to the defense of the colors at any time called, but the early close of the war led to the regiment being mustered out without having seen service at the front. Mr. Reynolds was for six years clerk of the courts of Wyoming county, Pennsylvania, occupying that position from January 1, 1893, until January 1, 1899. He also served as constable for six years and was chief of police for a period of three years. His activity in politics has been a potent force in the attainment of republican successes in the communities in which he has lived. He is an active supporter of all progressive civic measures and at all times he keeps thoroughly informed concerning the vital and significant problems of the age, political or otherwise. He is a thoroughly proficient lawyer, careful and systematic in the preparation of his cases, strong in argument and clear in his reasoning, and at the same time he has that keen business discernment which has promoted his success in connection with live stock raising and ranching. In a word he is one of the representative men of his section of the state.