On May 15, 2022, Members of the General John A. Sutter Chapter joined with Associate Members from the Sacramento Chapter and the Charlotte Parkhurst Chapter to clean headstones at the Sylvan Cemetery in Citrus Heights, California.

We learned all about the proper way to clean headstones so that they are not damaged before we donned gloves, grabbed our supplies, and went to it. We spent about 2 ½ hours bringing to life those who had given theirs in service of our country.

As we worked on the graves, we lovingly identified the person beneath the headstone. Many of them were from the Spanish-American War. One favorite was Fernando Winn. He was a Private in Company F of the 22 Kansas Volunteer Infantry. He enlisted on May 2, 1898, and was discharged on November 3, 1898.

During this Company’s four months of active duty, this company never saw the war. However, they were involved in many other scandalous happenings. To learn more about this notorious Company, refer to the website: Spanish-American War: The 22nd Regiment Kansas Volunteer Infantry. (https://www.kansasguardmuseum.com/spanish-american-war-the-22nd-regiment-kansas-volunteer-infantry/)

However, Fernando was not done trying to serve his country yet. In 1918, at age 42, he completed a Registration Card. At that time, he was a conductor for the Southern Pacific Railroad in Roseville, California. Unfortunately, we were unable to locate additional military records. He died in 1949 and is buried in the Sylvan Cemetery where we are honored to be of service to him and the many others interred here.