Hello all-- I am forwarding this to you more for FYI reasons only. A group of concerned Hanover residents, myself included, have been working on this diligently and have located next of kin of the Sydnors, written to several groups including local and state officials/authorities, news & media forums, genealogists, heritage/historical groups, etc. You may find the information at the website mentioned most interesting. If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me privately. Sincerely, Sheri Millikin A LOST PIECE OF CONFEDERATE HISTORY & HERITAGE FROM HANOVER COUNTY, VIRGINIA Many of you have become aware of the Pebble Creek fiasco which is currently taking place in Hanover County. If not, you can visit the following website link for more information-- http://www.savinggraves.com/usa/va/pebblecreek/index.html What many do NOT know, is the rich Confederate History that goes along with this particular site and family. This site, now known as Pebble Creek subdivision, was originally known as Dungarvan/Dungarvon and was owned by Edward Garland Sydnor. Edward Garland Sydnor b. Oct 15, 1769 in Hanover Cty; d. 1854 in Hanover Cty. m. Jan. 18, 1800, Sarah "Sally" White. b. Dec. 14, 1775, d.5 Nov. 1855, dau. of Barrett (1727-1782) and Elizabeth (Starke) White. He acquired a plantation of 450 acres known as "Dungarvan"near Mechanicsville in Hanover Cty in May 1805 from John and Ann Seabrook and later acquired additional acreage from the same grantor in 1813. The grantor was either his brother in-law or his brother in-law's father, more likely the former. The name "Dungarvan" appeared in Kent Cty in England in the mid-15th Century. At the time of the 1810 census, there were two older boys and a female over 45 living in Edward Garland Sydnor's household in addition to his wife and children. He was an appraiser for Hanover Cty in 1815. In 1817, he agreed to the arbitration of a construction dispute with Archelaus Hughes. In 1830 he contributed the land on which the Bethesda Baptist Church was built. It was first located on a site on "Dungarvan" east of where Walnut Grove Baptist Church is now located. The church was moved to the present site of Walnut Grove in 1841 after the Bethesda Church was burned. Edward Garland Sydnor & Sarah "Sally" White had eight of nine children who lived to maturity, they were: 1. William B. Sydnor b. Oct. 12, 1800, d. Nov 19, 1800 2. Edward Sydnor b. b. Dec. 12, 1801, d. Sept. 22, 1865 near Mechanicsville. m. (1) Jul. 15, 1824 Margaret W. Cowley, d. Sept. 13, 1833 He m. (2) Dec. 2, 1834 Sarah Elizabeth Ladd, b. Nov. 18, 1813, d. Sept. 8, 1895, dau. of Amos and Mary B. Ladd. Sarah was a Quaker. 3. Elizabeth Garland Sydnor b. Dec. 12, 1803, March 15, 1821 (unm) 4. William Barrett Sydnor b. Mar. 26, 1806, d. Sept. 20, 1862 5. Frances Ann Sydnor b. Apr. 26, 1808, Oct. 26, 1809 6. George W. Sydnor b. Mar. 4, 1810, d. May 8, 1812 7. John Seabrook b. Jul. 24, 1812, d. Aug. 7, 1869; m. Dec. 1830 Sarah Columbia White. 8. infant daughter, b. and d. Mar. 24, 1815 9. Thomas White Sydnor b. Jun.1, 1816, d. May 4, 1890; m. (1) Oct. 15, 1840 Sarah Lincoln Matier Chapin; m. (2) Dec. 25, 1846 Blanche Walton McClanahan. Most of these descendants resided on the large tract of land, but each called their own homeplace something different. Edward Garland Sydnor, the father, owned "Dungarvan/Dungarvon". His son, William Barrett Sydnor, owned what was called "Meadow Farm" and it was at this farm/homeplace, according to Hanover County, It's History and Legends by Rosewell Page, page 54, "There was a famous school at "Meadow Farm", the residence of Wm.B. Sydnor, called "Meadow Farm Academy", where probably was raised the first Confederate flag." Other descendants of Edward Garland Sydnor owned the farms/homes known as "Howard's Sack", "Oakley Hill", "Walnut Lane", and "Mayfield". One article found in The Religious Herald of 1921, written by Henry C. Sydnor, the young son of William Barrett Sydnor and Sarah T. Sydnor, tells of the family's experiences during the Civil War during the Battles of Cold Harbor, Ellerson's Mill, and Mechanicsville. (Meadow Farm was only one mile from Ellerson's Mill) This family had sixteen children, five of whom were in the Confederate Army. There were several other descendants of Edward Garland Sydnor who also served the Confederacy. Another article from Richmond Homes and Memories included the following excerpt--"Nearer to Walnut Grove Church was the old home of the Edward Sydnor family, set well back from the highway, and having many special associations with the war time. It was of this home that the story was told of how Mrs. Sydnor, soon after the battle of Mechanicsville, came out on her front porch to find an officer of unimportant aspect sitting dreamily on a horse while the horse was calmly eating the tops of some beautiful flowering bushes that their owner greatly valued. Mrs. Sydnor, of course, had already gladly given to the soldiers everything that her home and her farm could provide--but she was not inclined willingly to have her remaining flowers destroyed by a horse that might just as well be nibbling at some of the nearby grass. She expressed her feelings in no uncertain words. But when the officer, aroused from his reverie by her outburst, turned around in his saddle, she saw that it was none other than General "Stonewall" Jackson, whose fine features were readily recognized. No Virginian could seem ungracious to General Jackson or to his horse--and so, the story ran, Mrs. Sydnor recanted and said it did not matter how many of her flowers were destroyed! General Jackson, we may be sure, was as courteous as was his hostess--but already the army was pressing on toward Gaines' Mill, a few miles to the east, and to a new encounter with the enemy that as making his next stand there." Finally, the most touching recollection I have run across that specifically refers to "Dungarvon/Dungarvan" is this, from Diary of the War by Professor William S. White, Jr. which was copied from a newspaper clipping). It is entitled, "Dungarvan, The Residence of the Sydnor Family, Hanover County, Virginia" and here is an excerpt-- "This Johnston house is the old Dungarvan mansion, for many years owned by the late Edward Sydnor, and its quaint-looking Dutch-gabled roof is associated with the very earliest recollections of the writer. And now, as I stand gazing upon its dear old walls, all perforated with the destroyer's artillery, the sweet scents of childhood again pass vividly before me in rapid panoramic brightness, and I think of the dear ones who welcomed me then and there; but they have been sleeping in yonder graveyard, and from heaven (if departed spirits witness or know of the wicked deeds done on earth) they behold the widespread desolation of the hearthstones where men, children and grandchildren, nephews, nieces, gathered around the aged couple." (The "yonder graveyard" referred to in this clipping is one of the two graveyards now being removed in Pebble Creek--see website link above. The other cemetery is a slave cemetery and the last burial in this one was in Feb. 1970) So, as you can see, here is a brief piece of Confederate history and heritage from one family in Hanover County,VA. It is a true shame that the leaders of this county, the very county in which I live and love so dearly, have such little regard for the founders of Hanover County or it's historical significance. Sheri Millikin Hanover Co, VA