William Franklin Raynolds was born on March 17, 1820 in Canton, Ohio, the fourth of six children to William Raynolds (November 2, 1789 - September 20, 1829) and Elizabeth Seabury (née Fisk 1796 - April 13, 1853) [REF].
William F. Raynolds entered the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, on July 1, 1839 after being appointed from Ohio [REF].