VMI Archives Historical Rosters: Washington Franklin Sydnor

Historical Rosters Database

Washington Franklin Sydnor

Roster ID 788
This is a summary. Contact the Archives for additional biographical information.

First Name:	Washington
Middle Name:	Franklin
Last Name:	Sydnor
Suffix:
Affiliation:	Class of 1860
Biography & Genealogy:	Washington Franklin Sydnor, Class of 1860. Genealogy: Born 29 July 1838, Dinwiddie County, Virginia. Father: Capt. Joseph A. Sydnor (1814-1864); Mother: Mary Virginia Meredith (1821-1896); Paternal Grandfather: Capt. John Taylor Sydnor; Paternal Grandmother: Mary Thweatt; Maternal Grandfather: Lewis Meredith; and Maternal Grandmother: Mary Roper. Marriage: 6 June 1866 to Sarah Elizabeth Davidson. No children. VMI Record: Enrolled on 21 July 1855. He repeated his 4th Class (Freshman) year due to academic deficiencies. His 1st Class (Senior) year he participated with some other VMI cadets in providing a guard a the execution of John Brown in Charles Town, Virginia. He graduated 36th in his class on 4 July 1860. Military Record: Civil War - 1st Lieutenant, Company "C" , 41st Virginia Infantry Regiment -"McRae's Rifles;" entered service 9 May 1861 for one year; discharged in May 1862; re-enlisted and elected 1st Lieutenant in Company "G", 41st Virginia Infantry Regiment, on 4 April 1863; received a shell wound to the middle third of his left thigh during a skirmish east of Chancellorsville on 1 May 1863 and promoted to Captain; hospitalized in 1863 and 1864; listed on the roll for Graham's Horse Artillery as a Private during 1864 and/or 1865; retired to the Invalid Corps in 1865. Occupation: Civil Engineer before the Civil War; Chief of Police in Petersburg, Virginia in 1870 and 1871; Yardmaster for the Atlantic, Mississippi, and Ohio Railroad in Petersburg in the 1870s; 6th Assistant Superintendent and a guard at the Virginia State Penitentiary in Richmond in the early 1880s; and a Salesman for Baughman Brothers in Richmond up to his death. Death: 28 December 1887 in the family home at 11 Guarantee Street in Petersburg, Virginia. Burial: Blandford Cemetery in Petersburg, Virginia.

View full image

About the Database

The database currently includes the names of all enrolled students (both graduates and non-graduates) from VMI's opening in 1839 through the World War II era. In addition, you will find biographical and genealogical information, including a summary of military service during the Civil War, for many individuals who attended in the 19th century. The database also includes some historical Faculty and Board of Visitors members, as well as U. S. Army students sent to VMI for training during World Wars I and II. The latter groups were not VMI cadets. For further information about an ancestor listed in the database, please contact the VMI Archives. We can check the complete record, let you know if other information available, and provide copies of original documents. This database is for historical research. We do not release information about living individuals.