Laura Jackson Arnold (Photo via West Virginia & Regional History Center)
Laura Jackson Arnold was the younger sister of Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, famed Confederate general, who forged her own path to support the Union in the divided community of Beverly, western Virginia.
Orphaned when she was 5, Laura and Thomas went to their Jackson kinfolk at Jackson’s Mill in Lewis County. When their grandmother died four years later, Thomas stayed to be raised by his uncles, while Laura went to her mother’s family near Parkersburg. Despite being raised in different families and situations, the brother and sister remained close and corresponded and visited regularly. By 1842, 16-year-old Laura lived with relatives in Beverly, Randolph County, and Thomas was on his way to West Point.
Laura married 42-year-old Jonathan Arnold when she was 18. They moved into a substantial brick house in Beverly, the county seat of Randolph County. Jonathan was a leading citizen and landowner in the county. They had four children, although one died in infancy. Her eldest, Thomas Jackson Arnold, was named for his uncle and lived with his Uncle Thomas in Lexington for a school term.
The Arnold House in Beverly
When Union troops won the Battle of Rich Mountain at the beginning of the Civil War, they marched into Beverly right past the Arnold House with a band playing and flags flying, and young Thomas Arnold under guard, having been picked up along the road. He was soon freed, and Gen. McClellan came to pay his respects to the Arnolds, having been a classmate of Thomas Jackson at West Point.
The Union troops stayed in Beverly, occupying the town for most of the way. Soldiers were often boarded in private homes, including the Arnold House. When there was fighting, Laura Arnold was said to have given assistance to wounded of either side carrying "bandages to dress the wounds of the injured, and a pot of hot coffee with which to revive those who needed nourishment." Beyond that, she welcomed the federal soldiers and helped them feel welcome so far from home. Despite the Arnold family owning enslaved persons, she became a strong Union supporter in defiance of her husband's and brother's Confederate viewpoints.
This jewelry box was made for Laura by a soldier and is on display in the Beverly Heritage Center
This wartime difference led to a personal conflict, and Jonathan and Laura divorced after the war. At a time when divorce was rare and scandalous, Laura was accused of consorting with the Union troops, although many of her neighbors spoke up that there was nothing improper. While Jonathan stayed in the family home, she lived at times in Ohio, where she became active in veterans’ organizations and was celebrated as “Mother of the Regiment.” In later years, she moved back to West Virginia to live with her son Stark’s family in Buckhannon, where she died in 1911.
Visitors to Randolph County, West Virginia, can see an exhibit about Laura Jackson Arnold at the Beverly Heritage Center and see the Arnold House on the historic walking tour of Beverly. See www.beverlyheritagecenter.org for more information. The Arnold House is now available to rent on airbnb.
