J. N. Reynolds (1799–1858) was born into obscurity. The date of his birth is rather obscure as well. He was born sometime in the fall of 1799 in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. There is even uncertainty if the “J” in his initials stands for Jeremiah or James. His father died a few years after his birth, leaving him obliged to not just defend himself against bullies, but also against his own obscurity.
One day, rumor has it, he stood upon a fence rail and railed against several men who laughed at his expense: “Gentlemen, I have no father to guide and protect me through life, and you have had your fun with me to-day. Many of you are old enough to be ashamed of thus rallying a young and unprotected boy; but, gentlemen, you know little about him of whom you are making fun, for I assure you the time is coming when you will feel proud that you ever rolled logs with Jeremiah N. Reynolds, and with this sentiment I bid you good-bye.”
The truth behind this story is not completely known, but there is plenty of truth behind the words. Reynolds would become a newspaper editor, author, lecturer, and explorer.
The young Reynolds became a proponent of Capt. John Symmes’s “Hollow Earth Theory.” Symmes believed that the earth was composed of numerous habitable concentric spheres. The spherical levels were accessible at the earth’s poles. Reynolds quit his job at the newspaper to join Symmes on the lecture circuit, speaking to sold out crowds. Reynolds would eventually abandon the theory, but his love for exploration continued. His passion transitioned into a sense of urgency for the U.S. federal government to sponsor an expedition to the South Pole, though not for the purpose of accessing the center of the earth.
His name was well acquainted with John Quincy Adams, who, while president, felt Reynolds’s sense of urgency was not misplaced, but was premature. He noted that such a great expedition “will however have no support in Congress. That day will come, but not yet nor in my time.”
Reynolds had spent a lot of time with whalers and seamen, probing their minds and taking notes about their voyages in the Pacific Ocean. His notetaking led to his book, “Mocha Dick: The White Whale of the Pacific,” which influenced Herman Melville, who would later write America’s first epic, “Moby Dick.”
From his time interviewing and taking notes, as well as his experiences with Symmes, Reynolds had accumulated a mass of exploratory information and theories. He presented his ideas before Congress in 1828 imploring them to sponsor an expedition. Congress declined.
Reynolds decided on a private expedition and was joined by John Frampton Watson from Philadelphia, who furnished the finances. With the newly fitted ship, Annawan, and two longboats, Reynolds, Watson, and the crew set sail for the South Pole in October 1829.
Combating stormy seas, they reached the Antarctic. Despite the rough waters, Reynolds, Watson and several others ventured to the frozen land in their longboats. They spent 10 days exploring and trying to survive. They nearly didn’t survive after they had lost sight of their ship. They all climbed into the longboats to search for the Annawan. After paddling and coasting for 40 hours, they pulled up to a large rock and got out. All the men fell asleep except Reynolds and Watson. In the middle of the night, the two men spotted light coming from the Annawan and were rescued.
Convinced they could venture no further into the Antarctic, they turned to the west coast of South America. The ship landed in Valparaiso, Chile, but the crew mutinied. Reynolds and Watson were left in Chile where they remained until the providential arrival of the American frigate Potomac in October 1832.
Reynolds could not forget what he had witnessed and continued to press Congress to sponsor an expedition. In 1836, Congress finally relented, but political infighting led to two years of delays. It was not until 1838 that the United States Exploration Expedition launched from Virginia, spending four years traversing the globe to great acclaim.
According to the Smithsonian Institute, “Today, the specimens [collected from the expedition] constitute the core of nearly every collection in every scientific department in the National Museum of Natural History.”
Reynolds may have been born into obscurity, and indeed his name (what of it is known for certain) has practically been forgotten to history, but the legacy he endeavored to establish is anything but obscure or forgotten.
