Passionate Abolitionist and
Witness to the American Civil War
Passionate Abolitionist and
Witness to the American Civil War
Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson is far better known who fought for the southern states in their combined causes of leaving the Union and perpetuating states’ right to continue the practice of slavery. This heroic depiction was in the main square of the Virginia Military Institue for over 100 years but by the end of 2020, following a series of deaths of Black people at the hands of the police, the Nation’s mood had changed. Many more people recognized that widespread discriminations against Black citizens were ongoing and, in addition, felt that the public display of memorials glorifying Confederates should no longer be tolerated. Accordingly, this statue, along with many others, was removed and stored away from public view.
The reason we do not show a photo or any other image of “our” Thomas Jackson is that we have been unable to locate single one from any stage of his life in both of the countries that he lived. However, we do have a huge volume of information about the history of the man, his family, his businesses, and his mission which is all collected together on this website.
Thomas Jackson, the author of this collection of letters, was born in Birmingham, England in 1805 and grew up in the Midlands town of Ilkeston, Derbyshire. His father, John Jackson, was a rope maker and he, in turn, had a sister who married another rope-maker, Charles Slater and they had a son they named Caleb Slater. (See Thomas Jackson Family Tree in Ancestry.com).
Thomas Jackson’s upbringing in his off-the-beaten-track town in rural England was not typical. His father John Jackson was an independent free-thinking craftsman who appears to have had nothing more than a basic education and had never traveled out of England. Despite these limited circumstances, he had become a fervent supporter of the North American colonies being granted their independence from England, a policy that was totally against the policies of King George III and his government. Because he insisted on speaking and writing in support of this cause, he was pilloried (locked up for ridicule on public display ) on three occasions and, because this did not shut him up, he was put in prison for a year!
“We and our whole family, have ever been in favor of free principles and republican government, and our father, who is now no more, suffered a long imprisonment, much hardship, and persecution from the government of George the III of England, entirely for his love of liberty.”
“[He] suffered persecution of a years’ imprisonment and three times in the pillory for what he spoke and published in the cause of the revolted colonies.”
(As a young man, John Jackson belonged to the Liberal Party and faced consequences of supporting the resistance of the American Revolution.)”
Probably as a result of being unable to work while in prison, John Slater struggled to make a living when he was freed. He was on the verge of bankruptcy several times until finally, he was declared totally bankrupt in 1925 leading to the final settlement in which others took all of his estates a year later.
But by then, his son, Thomas Jackson, had become radicalized into believing that America was indeed a land of milk and honey and had the most admirable government that administered the country for the good of all. As a result of this image, he moved to America as a young man and set himself up as a ropemaker in Reading, Pennsylvania.
“The Creditors who have proved their debts under a Commission of Bankruptawarde and issues forth against John Jackson the Younger, of Ilkeston, in the County of Derby, Rope Maker, are requested to meet the Assignee of the estate and effects of the said Bankrupt, onFriday the 16th day of June next, at Twelve o’clock at Noon, at the Court of Commissioners of Bankrupts, in Bassinghall Street in the City of London, ignorer to assent or dissent from the payment by the Assignee, out of he said Bankrupt’s estate, of wages due from said Bankrupt’s estate, of wages deform the said Bankrupt to his servant and also to assent or dissent from the said Assignee compromising a claim made by him against a person, debtor to the said Banktipts seta, and accepting a sum of money on account of and in full discharge of such claim; and on other special affairs.”
It was this situation that probably lead to Thomas and his brother Edward moving to America in 1829. In later letters, Thomas described himself as “driven by misfortune from my native country in my early manhood” (TJ Letter June 3, 1856).
Before he left, he had married Matilda Haywood In Birmingham, England on April 13 when he was 23 years old. Then leaving her behind, he and his brother Edward sailed to America to seek their fortunes. (He returned in 1831 to bring Matilda over to America and it was here that she had all her children.)
We are extremely fortunate to have unearthed an old newspaper article that includes an extensive interview with Thomas Jackson late in his life. In it, he lays out many of the hardships that he and his brother (like many new immigrants) endured when they first arrived in America hoping to start a new life. (Reading Times, Sept 9, 1870) In it, he describes how they deliberately chose to arrive in Philadelphia as it was the home to four successful rope manufacturers but, once there, they were unable to find to find any work at the trade that they were so well qualified in. Wandering around undecided what to do, they encountered the large Schuylkill Canal and decide to follow that away from Philadelphia in the belief that canals typically represented opportunities to make and sell ropes for towing . That is how they finished up 70 miles away in Reading, PA the city that became Thomas Jackson’s home for the rest of his life.
Visitors seeking to know Thomas Jackson’s determination and style can do no better than to read that article. They will see that the brothers started off by cutting down trees and constructing for themselves a 16ft X 8 ft wide shed which served for the start of their business for the first year. The article also reinforces that TJ was a powerful speaker and an eloquent writer. Through his many letters in this collection, he captured colorful details of his encounters with local citizens. None are more entertaining than the meeting with the Quaker superintendent of the navigation company from whom the brothers wanted to rent a piece of property on the edge of the canal in order to start their business.
“Mr. Griscom, who was a Quaker, scrutinizing him, said “Thee won’t do any good here; there are three rope makers here now, and they are all poor.” Jackson replied that he was poor too, and must get at his business or he would soon be out of the little means he had.”
. . .The Superintendent continued, “Thee has pitched upon a rough spot.” but Mr. Griscom gave him permission to occupy the ground at a rent of half a dollar a month, adding “Thee may give it up any time thee pleases, for I know thee will do no good,” evidently having no very strong faith in the new enterprise.”
”
That was the start of the Jackson rope making business that grew to be the largest employer in all of Reading and made TJ and his family wealthy.
The success of the company was not without major setbacks. Having established themselves on the banks of a canal, a safe and stable location in England, the newcomers found their business in America was washed away by floods on three occasions causing massive disruptions and costly rebuilding. Finally, after he lost everything in the biggest flood in local recorded history.
“The direst calamity that has ever befallen the inhabitants…the greatest loss of life and incalculable destruction of property.”
Thomas Jackson quit the canal site and moved his business the outskirts of town next to the railroad station. What at first sight was a major disaster turned out to be a major benefit.By chance, the move to reestablish the business from the ground up happened at the same time as time steam power was taking over from horse power giving great improvements to manufacturing performance. So TJ took full advantage by installing steam-driven equipment as he rebuilt and that, coupled to the extra space that this business occupied, enabled him to build the biggest and longest ropes in the state.
These factors of themselves provided major competitive advantages over his competitors but, in the unpredictable turmoil of life, it positioned TJ’s company to be a prime supplier of ropes for the federal forces throughout the war. So, as happens in all wars, some companies were devastated as war enveloped them whereas others actually benefited economically and that seems to have been the case for Jackson Rope Works.
Looking back, it is clear that TJ’s expectations about life in USA were determined from the times he sat on his father’s knee and was told that…
“America was a land flowing with milk and honey, where every man sat under his vine and under his fig tree, and none to make him afraid. His father praised the Government as the only one then free, and based upon the sovereignty of whole people administered for the good and protection of all and he filled Thomas’s boyish fancy with such glowing ideas of free America, that he determined to go to that highly privileged and prosperous country when I became a man and my own master.”
Initially, as he built his business, he stayed near his home base, but on a later occasion, he had cause to travel to Richmond, where he stumbled on a slave market in full swing to his astonishment and horror. His father had never mentioned slavery to him and, when faced with that reality, Thomas could not accept how liberty and slavery could ever exist side by side.
This event was a turning point in his life.
He was so appalled by what he saw there that he became a life-long abolitionist. He came up with a remarkably creative strategy to resist slavery. First, he would try to make sure that the British government would not have the voters’ support if it ever tried to take the side of the Confederates in an effort to restore England’s cotton supplies. If they were to get away with doing that of course, that would only perpetuate slavery.
Instead, he believed that if the citizens of England knew the facts of what was going on in America, they would stay on the side of abolishing slavery. With that in mind, Thomas Jackson started to write a series of long factual letters about slavery and the realities of life during the American civil war. He then sent them over to his close relatives still in his hometown with the request that they get them published in the local newspapers.
TJ Letter 1862 -08-13
TJ letter 1862-10-12
Here TJ shows gratitude for his British relatives getting one of his letters published in the Pioneer, a local newspaper.
Here (TJ letter 1862-08-12) you can read Thomas Jackon’s own words from that English publication. He vividly describes his first shocking encounter with a slave market. This powerful letter is one of the most important documents in this Entire Collection and in many ways is typical of TJ’s strengths as a communicator. It is precisely observed, elegantly expressed and charged by his visceral disgust at the immorality of slavery.
This deep seated emotion motivated him to actively support abolition and later seek fair treatment for the freed slaves for the rest of his life. And as just one result of this, we are left with this previously unprocessed trove of letters providing detailed primary source accounts of a critical period of American history.
Not surprisingly, Thomas Jackson’s was not shy about also expressing his views in his new home of America. He was willingly to challenge influential leaders of his age (Eg New York Tribune editor Horace Greeley New York Tribune 1871-04-04) as well as writing opinionated letters in his local newspapers (Berks and Schuylkill Journal 1844-10-26) . He was never cautious about how blunt he was and that caused him to have some unforgiving enemies in his local city (Reading Times 1858-02-22) which probably contributed to at least one of the 3 cases of major arson to his property. Throughout his life he was a vocal advocate for abolition, a fact recognized in his funeral.(Reading Times 1878-08-12)
“On the coffin rested a cross of flowers and a wreath placed there by prominent colored citizens in acknowledgment of Mr. Jackson’s devotion to the colored race and opposition to slavery.”
Undoubtedly the prime benefits of this collection are all TJ’s detailed accounts of life during those turbulent times and his added dimensions to national issues such as Gettysburg, Lincoln’s assassination, the Confederates’ retreat from Richmond and Reconstruction. Here you are offered a unique series of first hand accounts of the impact of the war from the vantage point of Reading PA.
With the wisdom of hindsight, it is fair to ask if all Thomas Jackson’s efforts to influence the British population to continue to deny themselves cotton and maintain their opposition to slavery had any identifiable success. The answer is no.
His story as a passionate abolitionist does not contain the classical ingredients of a hero who repeatedly overcame obstacles and finally was able to claim the glittering prize. Instead, his story in fact has parallels to the lives of most of us. We are all just a drop in the ocean. You do what you feel is right and driven to do: but you can never predict in advance how effective your efforts, or comments or financial support will be to power the change you would like to see. Recognizing that leads us to see that every tidal wave of change in society results from innumerable “drops in the ocean” that combine to produce forces that cause change. By that standard, Thomas Jackson certainly gave his energies to challenge others and make the case for what he felt was right. It is a mission that continues with this site and our plans for the continuing his mission into the future.
There were of course parts of TJ’s life that did not mainly relate to the slavery and the civil war. After about 6 years together, Edward and Thomas Jackon amicably dissolved their partnership and Thomas continued to run the rope making company on his own.
About 8 years later, Thomas’s English wife and mother of 6 of his children, “Mrs Matilda Jackson, died in Birmingham England where she had gone on account of health and to visit her mother and friends.” In 1868 (Jan 18th) Thomas writes of being in his 62nd year and now living in a boarding house in Reading having “left my lady love in England and can’t forget.”
It is clear from his letters that Thomas Jackson was a chronically lonely man for over 30 years. He frequently wrote nostalgically about his memories of England and repeatedly expressed his wish to return there to see again all his old friends.
The only time he seems to have made it back to his homeland was in 1842 when he took his 3-year old son, Harry (Henry). Just before then, on 7th January,1841 his whole rope manufactory had been washed away by a flood and so it seems likely that he may have taken advantage of the fact that the new replacement building had not been completed by then so he went to England at a time when he was unable to carry out his business.
He had problems with asthma, like many people living in the newly industrialized city in those days. However, he seems to have great resilience both in body and in spirit. He was not only a good business man but also very practical. He actually took out three national patents including one for “an improved safety hook for horse pulled barges” in 1839!
Towards the end of his life, he “built a nice new house for my daughter and her husband and. . . I have been making my home with them for the last two years (1869). They have three very nice little boys who are very fond of Grandfather and afford him a great deal of comfort.”
Thomas Jackson died in that house on August 6th, 1878.
Thanks to the generous assistance of Mr Neil Scheidt who is an expert genealogist who happens to lives in Reading, PA, we now have a surprising amount of information about the genealogy of these two families.
Our current knowledge of these two men and their relatives can best be seen on the website Ancestry.com under the heading “Thomas Jackson Family Tree.
In addition, there is good deal of information on findagrave.
under the heading “Thomas Jackson Family Tree.
In addition, there is good deal of information on findagrave. Eg see https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/88684414/thomas-jackson
Here you can read in Thomas Jackon’s own words how his father glorified America and the essence of his first encounter with a slave market. See Sample- in an American Slave market before exploring the rest of this site.
