May 5, 2020
Larry Spurgeon’s paper on Stonewall Jackson’s sister Laura Jackson Arnold is now on Stonewall Jackson’s web page of our website.
You can access the paper directly by taking this link: http://www.jacksonbrigade.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Laura-Arnold-paper-Final-Draft.pdf
Larry Spurgeon (BBA, JD) is Senior Lecturer Emeritus of Wichita State University. Larry now resides in Rockbridge County, Virginia and is an interpreter at the Stonewall Jackson House Museum in Lexington, Virginia.
We already have the following papers by Larry on the Jackson Brigade website:
1. Stonewall Jackson’s Slaves – paper by Larry Spurgeon
2. Stonewall Jackson in Fayette County – paper by Larry Spurgeon
3. Stonewall Jackson in Fayette County – paper by Larry Spurgeon
Larry writes the following about his latest paper:
“This paper is on [Stonewall] Jackson’s sister Laura Arnold. I was supposed to do a presentation about her at the Stonewall Jackson Symposium at VMI scheduled for June, and this paper was to be distributed to attendee’s etc. The symposium has been suspended indefinitely but I want to send it to some of the historic sites concerning the Jackson family. This has a lot of information, much of it new, about Laura – the scandal, the divorce, her family, etc. I found quite a few interviews of her in newspaper articles, never cited before.”
“Through this research I hope to bring Laura back to life, in a sense, so I would love to have as many people as possible read it.”
“As you will see, I believe that Laura was an extraordinary woman, and that some of the stereotypes and assumptions about her in the past are simply wrong. Her relationships with Thomas and Anna are at the core of this, and I think there have been some erroneous conclusions by some writers. Her life, and the lives of her children, are intertwined with so many important events, and people. Thanks for the quick response, and I hope your members find it interesting.”
Enjoy reading Larry’s paper.
Stay safe and healthy.
Dan