Benjamin F. Sands - Family

Family

Rear Admiral Sands belonged to a prominent military family. His uncle, Lt. Col. James Harvey Hook (1791–1841), served in War of 1812 and was later Assistant Commissary General of the U.S. Army. In 1836, Sands married Henrietta French (1817–1893), the sister of General William H. French. Their son, James H. Sands, also achieved the rank of Rear Admiral in the U.S. Navy and served as Superintendent of the Naval Academy, while another son, George Henry Sands (1855–1920), was a colonel in the US Army and served in Cuba during the Spanish American War. Two other sons, William F. and Francis P. B., also served in the Navy. A daughter, Marion, married Rear Admiral Samuel Rhoads Franklin. Sands' eldest brother, Lewis Hook Sands (b.1805), was a colonel in the US Army and served as an Indian agent in the Midwest. A nephew, James Hook Sands, was a captain in the Indiana Cavalry during the Civil War who later served in the regular army during the Indian Wars. A grandson, Alfred Lawrence Pearson Sands (1882–1960), the son of George Henry, was a colonel in the Army while another grandson, William Franklin Sands (1874–1946), was a U.S. diplomat who served in Korea, Japan, Central America and Russia. Admiral Sands' uncle, Maj. Richard Martin Sands (1791–1836), died during the Seminole War, and his cousin, Robert Martin Sands (1825–1903), was a lieutenant colonel in the 3rd Alabama Reg., Army of Northern Virginia, CSA.