Issue 63, Winter 2002

The image features the text “ALABAMA HERITAGE” in white capital letters against a dark background at the top. Below the text, there is an artwork of a person holding a child. The person is dressed in historical attire with detailed clothing including ruffles and lace. The child appears to be asleep or resting and is swaddled in cloth. A domestic interior setting can be inferred from the background of the artwork.

Issue 63, Winter 2002

On the cover:  John Grimes’s portrait of Parmelia Thompson Bibb, 1784-1854, wife of Gov. Thomas Bibb, with her son. [Courtesy Weeden House Museum]

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Features

John Grimes: Alabama’s First Portrait Artist

By Edward Patillo

Alabama was once the rough frontier of our nation, but to the citizens of early Huntsville, having a portrait painter in town added a touch of civilization to the wilderness. That painter, John Grimes, left behind a body of stunning work that provides an insightful glimpse at the earliest citizens of the state.

In the Winter 2002 issue of Alabama Heritage, Edward Patillo follows the life of Grimes, from his early days as a student of painter Matthew Harris Jouett, to his timely arrival in Alabama where he made a name for himself. Huntsville was then ambitious and new, and Grimes painted its leading citizens. In addition to biographical information, stunning photographs of Grimes’ work accompany the article, including renderings of his earliest paintings and his later, more developed style. These beautiful portraits show the richness of the artist’s talent and offer an enlightening look at the earliest upper class in Alabama.

The image appears to be a portrait-style photograph. The subject’s face looks directly towards the camera. They are wearing dark clothing with visible buttons down the front. Additionally, there seems to be a white collar or scarf wrapped around their neck. The background is uniformly dark, lacking any discernible features or objects.
Portrait of John Grimes, about 1819-1820, by his teacher Matthew Harris Jouett, Lexington, Kentucky. This portrait, painted on a wooden panel, was eventually presented in 1895 to the Metropolitan Museum of Art by Matthew Harris Jouett’s daughter. [The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. Richard Menefee, 1895. (95.23) Photograph © 2001, The Metropolitan Museum of Art]
The image appears to show a person in sepia tones, wearing a suit. The man has a short salt-and-pepper beard, receding hair, and piercing light-colored eyes.
Daniel S. Troy, 1887. [Troy Family]

Incident at Hatcher’s Run

By Sam Duvall

In the final days of the Civil War, Colonel D. S. Troy, C.S.A., was attempting to reform his lines in a battle near Petersburg, Virginia, when he was shot by a Union private. Troy survived the wound-which he thought was fatal-and told a tale of surprising humanity in times of war.

In the Winter 2002 issue of Alabama Heritage, Sam Duvall tells how Colonel Troy was captured and transported to a field hospital, where he received compassionate care from his captors throughout his recovery. In the article, Duvall refers to the journals of the men who participated in the skirmish and paints a vivid description of the scene from both Union and Confederate perspectives. He also relates how the story of Colonel Troy is intertwined with that of George W. Thompkins, the Union private who nearly killed him. Most amazing is the story of how, in 1923, Colonel Troy’s son was able to contact Thompkins, telling him that the Colonel had indeed survived the wound Thompkins inflicted-news which reportedly pleased the Union veteran very much.

Old Mobile Archaeology

By Gregory A. Waselkov

The year 2002 marks the three hundredth anniversary of the year Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville sailed up the Mobile River to a spot now known as Twenty-Seven Mile Bluff and established a settlement there named Mobile. In conjunction with the City of Mobile’s Tricentennial Celebration, Alabama Heritage looks back at the founding of the city through its archaeology.

In the Winter 2002 issue of Alabama Heritage, Gregory A. Waselkov tells the story of the decision to establish a settlement up the Mobile River, and how the colony was later moved further south to Mobile Bay. Left behind at the Old Mobile site are tantalizingly brief clues about early colonial life in Alabama. Waselkov guides an archaeological tour through the remains of Old Mobile, providing a unique-and often unexpected-glimpse at the first Alabama colonists and their possessions. His article explains the process of digging up history and gives the most complete understanding of the state’s elusive earliest settlement.

The portrait is sepia-toned and oval-shaped, framed with decorative corners. They wear attire from a previous century: a ruffled white collar and a dark coat adorned with buttons. The person’s hair is visible, styled in curls or waves.
Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville established Fort Maurepas, the first outpost of French Louisiane, on Biloxi Bay. After a subsequent trip to the region in 1700, Iberville realized the more strategic possibilities of Mobile Bay . [Courtesy Alabama Department of Archives and History]
This sepia-toned historical photograph features two individuals standing side by side outdoors. Let’s break down the details: Clothing and Appearance: Left Person: Wearing Western attire, including a light-colored suit and a colonial-style hat. Right Person: Adorned in traditional or indigenous clothing, with an elaborate headdress adorned with feathers. They also wear decorative necklaces, an intricately designed cloth wrapped around the upper body (exposing the midriff), and adorned wrists and ankles. Background: The background shows an open field with trees and some structures visible in the distance. The sepia tone suggests that this photograph is old or historical.
William Sheppard with the chief of the Ibanche people. [Presbyterian Historical Society, Presbyterian Church, U.S.A., Montreat, NC]

Changing the Heart of Darkness: Sheppard and Lapsley in the Congo

By T.J. Beitelman

In 1890, the work of spreading religion to foreign lands was often perilous and risky at best. But for an unlikely duo of Southern Presbyterian missionaries-one the son of former slaves, the other kin to former slave owners-peril and risk spelled the chance of a lifetime.

In the Winter 2002 issue of Alabama Heritage, T. J. Beitelman tells the story of Samuel Lapsley, a white minister, and William Sheppard, a black minister, who were joined together by the Southern Presbyterian Church to spread Christianity through the African continent. Sheppard and Lapsley would soon discover that their differences had the strange quality of fitting together like cogs in a machine. One supplied what the other lacked. Through letters and journals written by the two men, Beitelman follows the missionaries throughout their African mission work, including Lapsley’s bout with “bilious fever,” which he eventually succumbed to, leaving Sheppard alone. Sheppard continued his work for many years, finally returning home in his old age to be welcomed with a measure of celebrity-and bringing with him a story of faith, friendship, and adventure.

Departments

The image depicts a close-up view of a plant with dark, almost black leaves. Amidst these leaves, there is a single white flower with five delicate petals. The contrast between the dark foliage and the bright flower creates a striking visual effect.
A liverleaf in Jefferson County. [L.J. Davenport]

Nature Journal

Liverleaf (And the Doctrine of Signatures)

By L. J. Davenport

Compared to its more spectacular springtime colleagues, liverleaf (or hepatica) appears none too special–jut a few white, pink, or lavender blooms popping up through mottled, coppery leaves left over from the previous years. But those leaves possess “powers” unparalleled in the botanical world. L.J. Davenport examines the history and nature of this remarkable plant.

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