Family places headstone for Civil War veteran 95 years after his death
Four of Thomas S. Arnold’s great-great-grandchildren stand with his headstone at Oak Hill Cemetery. From left to right: Darrel Arnold, of Cassville; Kathy Westpheling, of Cassville; Joyce Finch, of Carr Lane; and Dale Arnold, of Cassville.
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Thomas S. Arnold was a Union soldier who is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery and did not have a headstone until recently.
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November 6, 2019
Charlea Estes-Jones
Each year, Veterans Day is celebrated to honor all of those who fought for the freedoms the citizens of the United States enjoy every day. It is a time of reflection and giving thanks to those who made great sacrifices to protect others. One local family's journey to get recognition and honor to a relative they never met, came to a happy conclusion just in time for Veterans Day.
Cassville man Darrel Arnold knew he had a great-great grandfather buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Cassville who fought in the Civil War on the Union side. The story was one known throughout the family, and Arnold spent a number of years researching his family's genealogy and learning as much as he could about his great-great-grandfather's service with the help of other family members and the Barry County Genealogical and Historical Society.
The issue? His grave wasn't marked, and the family wasn't exactly sure exactly where his great-great-grandfather, Thomas S. Arnold, was buried.
Arnold said, “The only way I knew is, before my grandpa died, he told me that his grandpa was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery beside Florence, but I didn’t know which side and both sides were empty.”
Florence (Arnold) Hale was Thomas’ daughter and was married to well-known Barry County Circuit Clerk W. R. Hale.
It was at that point that Arnold reached out to the Barry County Genealogical and Historical Society (BCGHS) for help. Arnold said his cousin had done a lot of research about the family’s history and Thomas’ war involvement, but the family needed to find the grave site to be able to honor Thomas with a headstone.
He said, “In the process of doing my research, I got in touch with Georgia Hart [with the BCGHS] and she did my family research for me. She works with a man that does dowsing, Jack Fly, and he went up there and dowsed beside Florence and said on the upper side of Florence there was a baby buried and on the lower side of Florence there was a grown person. So that told me he had to be on the lower or south side of Florence.”
Arnold had record of the baby’s birth and death, but there was no marker there, either.
Once Arnold knew where the marker needed to go, he got in touch with Skip White, who owns White Funeral Home in Cassville, to order a stone. By submitted records of Thomas’ service, the government provided the stone free of charge and it was installed at Oak Hill Cemetery, giving the family peace and Thomas recognition of his service to the country.
Through the family’s research, they learned a lot about Thomas. He was born in Kentucky on September 14, 1843. He enlisted in the Union Army in Brownstown, Indiana.
Arnold noted, “You can see where he signed his ‘x’ because he couldn’t read or write.”
Thomas reenlisted after his initial three-year service and finished out the war. Arnold believes he advanced to sergeant by the end of the war. Around 1893 or 1894, Thomas Arnold and his family moved to Barry County in the Viola area.
Thomas married his first wife, Shrilda (Nichols) Arnold, and had children with her, but she passed away in 1874. He married his second wife, Rebecca (Deaton) Arnold, whom he also had children with.
When Thomas died on December 16, 1924, records showed him to be living in Purdy with his daughter, Martha Helen (Arnold) Tobe. It was noted that when he died, he had $67.50 in cash and a $20 cow.
Arnold said that, while it was a lot of work, it was worth it to get his great-great-grandfather the recognition he deserved. Anold said, “I thought the man, after all of those years, deserved a headstone. Anyone who fought through the whole Civil War deserves that.”
Arnold also hopes this teaches the younger generation about the importance of the Civil War and veterans. He said, “I thought he was deserving, and it's unreal that he had so much family in this area and no one put forth the effort to set him a stone. It also brings some recognition to the younger generation of people who don't know anything about the Civil War and what it pertained to or how it happened.
“It's part of history that needs to be remembered.”
Charlea Estes-Jones
Each year, Veterans Day is celebrated to honor all of those who fought for the freedoms the citizens of the United States enjoy every day. It is a time of reflection and giving thanks to those who made great sacrifices to protect others. One local family's journey to get recognition and honor to a relative they never met, came to a happy conclusion just in time for Veterans Day.
Cassville man Darrel Arnold knew he had a great-great grandfather buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Cassville who fought in the Civil War on the Union side. The story was one known throughout the family, and Arnold spent a number of years researching his family's genealogy and learning as much as he could about his great-great-grandfather's service with the help of other family members and the Barry County Genealogical and Historical Society.
The issue? His grave wasn't marked, and the family wasn't exactly sure exactly where his great-great-grandfather, Thomas S. Arnold, was buried.
Arnold said, “The only way I knew is, before my grandpa died, he told me that his grandpa was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery beside Florence, but I didn’t know which side and both sides were empty.”
Florence (Arnold) Hale was Thomas’ daughter and was married to well-known Barry County Circuit Clerk W. R. Hale.
It was at that point that Arnold reached out to the Barry County Genealogical and Historical Society (BCGHS) for help. Arnold said his cousin had done a lot of research about the family’s history and Thomas’ war involvement, but the family needed to find the grave site to be able to honor Thomas with a headstone.
He said, “In the process of doing my research, I got in touch with Georgia Hart [with the BCGHS] and she did my family research for me. She works with a man that does dowsing, Jack Fly, and he went up there and dowsed beside Florence and said on the upper side of Florence there was a baby buried and on the lower side of Florence there was a grown person. So that told me he had to be on the lower or south side of Florence.”
Arnold had record of the baby’s birth and death, but there was no marker there, either.
Once Arnold knew where the marker needed to go, he got in touch with Skip White, who owns White Funeral Home in Cassville, to order a stone. By submitted records of Thomas’ service, the government provided the stone free of charge and it was installed at Oak Hill Cemetery, giving the family peace and Thomas recognition of his service to the country.
Through the family’s research, they learned a lot about Thomas. He was born in Kentucky on September 14, 1843. He enlisted in the Union Army in Brownstown, Indiana.
Arnold noted, “You can see where he signed his ‘x’ because he couldn’t read or write.”
Thomas reenlisted after his initial three-year service and finished out the war. Arnold believes he advanced to sergeant by the end of the war. Around 1893 or 1894, Thomas Arnold and his family moved to Barry County in the Viola area.
Thomas married his first wife, Shrilda (Nichols) Arnold, and had children with her, but she passed away in 1874. He married his second wife, Rebecca (Deaton) Arnold, whom he also had children with.
When Thomas died on December 16, 1924, records showed him to be living in Purdy with his daughter, Martha Helen (Arnold) Tobe. It was noted that when he died, he had $67.50 in cash and a $20 cow.
Arnold said that, while it was a lot of work, it was worth it to get his great-great-grandfather the recognition he deserved. Anold said, “I thought the man, after all of those years, deserved a headstone. Anyone who fought through the whole Civil War deserves that.”
Arnold also hopes this teaches the younger generation about the importance of the Civil War and veterans. He said, “I thought he was deserving, and it's unreal that he had so much family in this area and no one put forth the effort to set him a stone. It also brings some recognition to the younger generation of people who don't know anything about the Civil War and what it pertained to or how it happened.
“It's part of history that needs to be remembered.”
