Abram David "Major" Reynolds

Abram David "Major" Reynolds was born Aug. 13, 1847.

Named for his late uncle, he was an entrepreneur at an early age, adept in traveling to make trades for his father.

In June 1863, he entered Virginia Military Institute as his father insisted he must do before enlisting in the Confederate army.

In 1864, A.D. left Virginia Military Institute and returned home. His father relented and allowed him to enlist. Bolstered by his training at the military institute, by age 17 he became a major in the 3rd Virginia Reserves.

Following the war, he attended Bryant and Stratton Business College in Baltimore. On Oct. 1, 1872, shortly after moving to Bristol, he married Senah Ann Hoge. The couple had six sons and one daughter.

A.D. started a tobabbo business in Bristol, but in 1897 he sold the business citing religious conviction that tobacco was a sin. 

A pioneer in the Prohibition movement, he served as an officer in Tennessee and was nominated as vice president for the party.

A generous philanthropist, in 1920, he established a missionary emergency fund to support missions and scholarships for students preparing for Christian work.

His son, Richard Samuel Reynolds, Sr., founded the U.S. Foil Co. in Louisville, Kentucky. It was well-known for its Reynolds Wrap product. Richard Samuel also developed the tin container for his uncle R.J.'s Prince Albert tobacco.

Abram David Reynolds died Sept. 23, 1925.