A young man by the name of John Wesley Reynolds worked part-time for a monument retailer in the small community of Simpson, IL. The owner of the monument company got into a position where he could not pay young Reynolds his wages, so the owner deeded the company to Reynolds in exchange for his wages, $54.70. Hence, the name of the company was changed and the J.W. Reynolds Monument Company was on its way with one employee and three or four monuments. The J.W. Reynolds Monument Company was originally founded in 1888 by John Wesley Reynolds and family.