Eleanor Junkin was the first wife of Confederate Civil War General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.
"Remembered by all who knew her as a person of singular loveliness of character; as possessed of great natural intelligence, which was developed in a family of high cultivation; while her native modesty and conscientiousness ripened, under parental culture, into a beautiful type of Christian womanhood."
"About fourteen months after the marriage, in giving birth to a child, that never breathed, the mother died also, so that all that was dearest to him on earth was laid in the grave."
For a long time he visited her grave daily, and always stood over it with uncovered head, absorbed in tender and loving memories. Showing his desire to profit by his great sorrow, he wrote: " Objects to be effected by Ellie's death; To eradicate ambition; to eradicate resentment; to produce humility. If you desire to be more heavenly-minded, think more of the things of heaven, and less of the things of earth."
Elinor Junkin or "Ellie," as Jackson called her, was the daughter of the president of Washington College in Lexington. In the summer of 1853, the two married. Jackson adored his new wife, writing to his sister that Ellie was a "great source of happiness." This happiness didn't last long, however. Ellie died just 14 months after their marriage while giving birth. The couple's son was not alive when he was bom. Their deaths shattered Jackson. He wrote to an old classmate, "I desire no more days on Earth." In an effort to escape his grief, Jackson traveled to Europe in July 1856.
Source: Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson by Robin S. Doak
From the "Life and Letters of Stonewall Jackson" by his wife – Mary Anna Jackson pages 83 and 85
Contributor: Billy Walker (31535270)
Eleanor Junkin was the first wife of Confederate Civil War General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.
"Remembered by all who knew her as a person of singular loveliness of character; as possessed of great natural intelligence, which was developed in a family of high cultivation; while her native modesty and conscientiousness ripened, under parental culture, into a beautiful type of Christian womanhood."
"About fourteen months after the marriage, in giving birth to a child, that never breathed, the mother died also, so that all that was dearest to him on earth was laid in the grave."
For a long time he visited her grave daily, and always stood over it with uncovered head, absorbed in tender and loving memories. Showing his desire to profit by his great sorrow, he wrote: " Objects to be effected by Ellie's death; To eradicate ambition; to eradicate resentment; to produce humility. If you desire to be more heavenly-minded, think more of the things of heaven, and less of the things of earth."
Elinor Junkin or "Ellie," as Jackson called her, was the daughter of the president of Washington College in Lexington. In the summer of 1853, the two married. Jackson adored his new wife, writing to his sister that Ellie was a "great source of happiness." This happiness didn't last long, however. Ellie died just 14 months after their marriage while giving birth. The couple's son was not alive when he was bom. Their deaths shattered Jackson. He wrote to an old classmate, "I desire no more days on Earth." In an effort to escape his grief, Jackson traveled to Europe in July 1856.
Source: Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson by Robin S. Doak
From the "Life and Letters of Stonewall Jackson" by his wife – Mary Anna Jackson pages 83 and 85
Contributor: Billy Walker (31535270)
