As the winds of the Civil War began blowing, the eastern part of Virginia joined the Confederacy, and the western part of Virginia remained loyal to the Union.  At the Wheeling Assembly, Francis H. Pierpont was elected The Governor of Restored Virginia (1861-1868).  Though hoping for the reunification of Virginia, in 1863, he was directly responsible for West Virginia”.  In 1863 the family moved to Alexandra, the temporary capitol of Restored Virginia. On May 25, 1865, the Pierponts moved the capitol seat back to Richmond, Virginia.

The wounds of the restored nation were slow to heal after the worse disaster in its history, an American Civil War that tore apart families.  Many of the graves of the Union men who gave their lives were unmarked, dismal, and neglected in Hollywood Cemetery, Virginia

As the Governor’s wife, life in Virginia was not easy for Mrs. Pierpont. She was shunned and ignored by the genteel class of Richmond and the South. Yet she felt the fallen Union’s men and boys who had given so much should be honored.  In a conversation with her husband at the Virginia Governor’s Mansion, he suggested she do something about it, which of course, she did. In Julia’s daughter’s book “Recollections of War and Peace,” 1861 -1868, Anna wrote, “My thoughts fly back to the brave, loving woman who faced contempt and derision on every side on every site as silently up through the streets of a hostile city she led that first little May Day procession to honor her country’s beloved and heroic dead.” In Julia’s party were Miss Woolsy (a New York girl teaching African-American children), the Pierpont children, a few of her Richmond friends, and the African-American students who cleaned the graves and placed red, white, and blue flowers.

On May 5, 1868, General John A. Logan, Commander-In-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, ordered May 30^th as an annual National Decoration Day.

The Marion County Historical Society is hosting a special ceremony celebrating her life and legacy. The event will start at City Church (The Gatherings) at 10 am and then move to Woodlawn Cemetery. Participating in this event are “We Three Plus,” Senior Queen Susie Colvin, Julia and Francis Pierpont, The Morgan Morgan Chapter of the DAR, Boaz Fleming, Honor Guard of VFW, the WV House of Delegates, Marion County Commission, City of Fairmont, and Marion County Historical Society and Museum.

For further information, contact 304-367-5398 or 304-534-8021