Reuben F. Delo was born on October 13, 1827, in Knox, Pennsylvania. He eventually moved to Albion, Indiana, and he graduated from Wittenberg College in 1853. He married Margaret C. Munn on December 26, 1854, and they had at least four children: James, born around 1856; Wallace, born around 1859; Eva, born around 1861; and Albert, born around 1865. He worked as a Lutheran clergyman in Albion, and by 1860, he owned $400 of real estate and $300 of personal property.
In October 1861, he received a commission as a chaplain in the 30th Indiana Infantry. The regiment took part in the Battle of Shiloh, the siege of Corinth, the Battle of Stones River, the Battle of Chickamauga, and the Atlanta campaign. He mustered out on September 29, 1864.
He moved to Three Rivers, Michigan, after leaving the army, and he resumed his work as a minister. By 1870, he owned $2,800 of real estate and $4,000 of personal property. He moved to Springfield, Ohio, in the 1870s, and he served as a financial agent for Wittenberg College. He applied for a federal pension in September 1881 and eventually received one. By 1890, he was suffering from “stomach trouble.” He moved to Salida, Colorado, in the early 1890s, and he died there on September 27, 1897.