This evening, while going through some old books that belonged to my great-great grandmother, I found myself Googling her name, and within minutes, I was able to trace my family tree (on my dad’s side) back seven generations. All the way back to Robert Sands, born 1750 in Prince George’s County, Md. He and his wife, Sarah, had my great-great-great grandfather, Rear Admiral Benjamin Franklin Sands, who, along with his son and his son’s son, plus a couple cousins, is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. There were even two U.S. Navy ships named after the good admiral and his son, Admiral James Hoban Sands.

From Benjamin Franklin Sands’ headstone in Site 108-A of Arlington:

SANDS
IHS
SACRED
TO THE MEMORY OF
REAR ADMIRAL
BENJAMIN F. SANDS.
U. S. N.
Born February 11th, 1812.
Died June 30th, 1883.
AND OF HIS WIFE
HENRIETTA M. SANDS.
Who Died August 13th, 1883.
in the 77th Year of her Age.
REQUIESCANT IN PACE.

I remember my Mom telling me that my grandfather and my dad both had the opportunity to attend the Naval Academy without the need to get an appointment (a legacy admission, I guess). There is even a Sands Road at the Academy, named in honor of one of the admirals.