Friday, November 6, 2020

The Slave Preacher Owned by Alabama Baptists

Last year I wrote a blog post on a slave named Harry Talbird who saved several Howard College students during a fire in Marion in 1854 and lost his own life in the process. Money was raised for a monument to him which stands in Marion Cemetery. In this post I want to write about another Alabama slave who also has a monument of sorts.

Caesar Blackwell has a Wikipedia entry; more about him is given in the piece below by Pastor Gary Burton. Wikipedia notes his birth year as 1769, but neither it nor the Burton item give information about his life until he appears as a slave of John Blackwell in Montgomery County. In 1821 Caesar joined the Antioch Baptist Church in Mt. Meigs, the first Baptist congregation in the county. The church was founded in 1818 by James McLemore, an important leader among early Baptists in Alabama. 

Caesar Blackwell could read and write, unusual skills for a slave. When his owner Blackwell died, the Antioch church tried to buy his freedom but was unsuccessful. Then the Alabama Baptist Association purchased him, and he moved in with  McLemore, who already owned Caesar's wife and child. McLemore preached to large crowds of both whites and slaves; Caesar became an assistant preacher and had a library of books for study. 

Caesar also preached to blacks, and was praised by whites for his efforts to convert his audiences from black "superstitions". He was very busy and paid well for his efforts until 1835, when the Nat Turner rebellion  in Virginia struck fear into whites across the South. After that, Caesar could only accept expenses and his activities were restricted.

Caesar died on October 10, 1845. The Association raised money for his grave marker; you can read the inscription below. Burton says about his grave, "The marble slab today is obscured by shrubs only a few feet outside the fence that encloses the McLemore-Taylor Cemetery located in the posh neighborhood of Greystone in East Montgomery."

Caesar Blackwell was one of a number of slave preachers in the antebellum South. His remarkable life deserves a more extensive telling.


For further reading, see  Flynt, Wayne (1998). Alabama Baptists: Southern Baptists in the Heart of Dixie. University of Alabama Press, pp. 45–47




Source: Find-A-Grave


The material below is taken from the Find-A-Grave site. The author of the text is unidentified there, but is taken from 

Burton, Gary (2007). "Caesar Blackwell (1769-1845): the work and times of central Alabama's nineteenth-century slave-evangelist"Alabama Baptist Historian. At the time of publication, Burton was the pastor of Pintlala Baptist Church, Hope Hull, Alabama; he is still there today. 


BIRTH
Mitylene, Montgomery County, Alabama, USA
DEATH10 Oct 1845 (aged 75–76)
Montgomery County, Alabama, USA
BURIALMontgomery CountyAlabamaUSA


Although he lived and died in slavery, his ownership changed from John B. Blackwell to the Alabama Baptist Association (ABA). Caesar's early creative attempt at missions was quite impressive. The effectiveness of the slave-evangelist, Caesar, indicated by the surviving references to the high demand for his preaching and related services, is a powerful confirmation to his skill as a communicator. His itinerant ministry was widespread within the association and sometimes beyond. Despite his fame, most historical treatments of Caesar's ministry have been expressed in one or two paragraphs.

Caesar's Popularity

A Negro slave, named Caesar, a bright, smart, robust fellow was ordained to preach. His ability was so marked, and the confidence which he enjoyed was so profound, that Rev. James McLemore would frequently have Caesar attend him upon his preaching tours. He was sometimes taken by Mr. McLemore into the pulpit, and never failed of commanding the most rapt and respectful attention....

In 1821, Caesar, a servant of John Blackwell, joined the Antioch church by experience and baptism. Two years after he was licensed by the church to preach the Gospel, and in 1827, he was solemnly ordained to the ministry by a Presbytery consisting of elders Harris, Davis, McLemore and Harrod. ... After he became the property of the Association, he made his home at Rev. Jas. McLemore's, who
owned his wife and only child. He was furnished with a horse to ride--and had an extensive library of books, and as he had been taught in early life to read and write, he spent his time, when not otherwise employed, in reading and study. 'Uncle Caesar' was an excellent mechanic, and before his strength failed, he devoted a part of his time working for the neighbors, who rewarded him liberally for his services. While thus engaged with his hands, he was in the habit of having his Bible, or some other good book before him, and occasionally reading a paragraph for study and meditation, and in this way he acquired much of that knowledge which elevated him above others of his race. As a preacher of the Gospel, 'Uncle Caesar' had few superiors in his day and generation.

Caesar's Death and Posthumous Recollections

The ABA trustees reported on "our late colored brother, Caesar." The report was referred to the Committee on Documents, which encouraged the trustees to finalize Caesar's affairs by the next year and to expend the necessary money for a tombstone. Caesar's affairs were not resolved, and the tombstone had not even been ordered. Once again the trustees were encouraged to bring the matter to closure.

When Caesar died in 1845, the ABA took note of his death and did so with profound appreciation. His trustees were authorized to sell his house and real estate in Montgomery. The proceeds were used to furnish his grave with a marble slab inscribed:


Sacred to the Memory of
REV. CAESAR BLACKWELL,
Who departed this life Oct. 10, 1845.
in the 76th year of his age.
He was a colored man, and a slave;
But he rose above his condition, and
was for 40 years a faithful and acceptable
preacher of the Gospel.
The stone is reared as a tribute of respect to his memory, by his brethren of The Alabama Baptist Association.

The marble slab today is obscured by shrubs only a few feet outside the fence that encloses the McLemore-Taylor Cemetery located in the posh neighborhood of Greystone in East Montgomery.

In remembering Caesar, one person wrote with much fondness:
When I used to see old Caesar coming down the lane to my father's house, Saturday evenings, that he might preach at the log church not far away the next day, I used to run with all my might to meet him. He would lift me from the ground and place me near the mule's wet ears and I would embrace and kiss old Caesar. I was only a child, but with the frosts of many winters on my head, whiter now than was old Caesar's then, I still love the memory and cherish it
as did my father and mother, till they, as I am, grew old and with old Caesar joined.., angels, whose melody doubtless provoked the celestial conflict of which I was dreaming.





Friday, October 30, 2020

Birmingham Photos of the Day (77): Off to Mexico!

On March 14, 1916, the U.S. Army began a little adventure down Mexico way. The impetus was the invasion of Columbus, New Mexico, on March 9 by paramilitary troops under the command of revolutionary Pancho Villa. About 500 of his men burned part of the town, and killed ten civilians and several members of the cavalry regiment stationed there. President Woodrow Wilson sent Brigadier General John J. Pershing and 10,000 men to Mexico to find Villa. 


After a month in Mexico, another faction of the Mexican revolution mustered troops to resist the U.S. invasion. American forces remained in Mexico until February 1917 when the country entered World War I, and Pershing was needed elsewhere.

Villa was never captured, but assassinated in 1923. You can read more about the Mexican Revolution here

These three photos show U.S. troops from Birmingham awaiting departure. Further comments below. 






"Birmingham Citizen Soldiery Leave for the Mexican Frontier.""Battery C Awaiting Orders to March."
From the rotogravure section of the Birmingham Age-Herald, Sunday, July 30, 1916







"Some of the Crowd Present to Say Farewell"
 From the rotogravure section of the Birmingham Age-Herald, 

Sunday, July 30, 1916

 





"In Solemn Lines Thousands Bade the Boys Godspeed."
From the rotogravure section of the 
Birmingham Age-Herald, Sunday, July 30, 1916









Tuesday, October 27, 2020

Alabama History & Culture News: October 27 edition

 


Here's the latest batch of links to just-published Alabama history and culture articles. Most of these items are from newspapers, with others from magazines and TV and radio station websites. Enjoy!


A Painter's Visions of Créolité in 19th-century Louisiana
A self-taught artist, former antiques dealer, and period history buff born in Mobile, Alabama and currently based in Savannah, Georgia, Hopkins makes ...


Fundraiser seeks donations for 'transformation' of Scottsboro Boys Museum
... Scottsboro Boys Museum and Cultural Center in Jackson County, Alabama, ... When local officials were discussing a historic walking trail in 2000, ...


A little background on Birmingham's Historic Greyhound Bus Station
Located at 618 19th Street North, the historic Greyhound Bus Station is a block away from Alabama School of Fine Arts (ASFA), Linn Park and City Hall ...


What reviewers are saying about 'The Witches,' set in Alabama
The storyline for the movie is based on a 1983 novel by British writer Dahl, but the location has been changed from Norway to Demopolis, Alabama.


Joel R. Anderson, philanthropist, paper money collector, dies at 76
Joel R. Anderson, of Florence, Alabama, known in the numismatic world as a ... Press; and Books-A-Million (the nation's second-largest book retailer).


John Evans Harbour, 77, founding member of Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums
John was born March 29, 1943, in Gadsden, Alabama, and for the past 20 years, he was a resident of Williamsburg. ... He earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from Hampden-Sydney College in 1965 and was a charter member of ...

Rich film history in focus in Alabama Hills, California
... that Lone Pine is also home to the Alabama Hills, which draw people from around the world for their recreational opportunities and rich film history.

County included on historical commission interactive map
“This continuing effort will eventually expand to all of Alabama's counties and future documentation of historic resources will be added.” Student interns ...


Voters could remove racist phrases from Alabama Constitution
In Alabamahistory shows there's reason for supporters of the amendment to worry. Two decades ago, Alabama voters voted to repeal an unenforceable ...


Heritage Baptist Church, Montgomery, celebrates 50th anniversary
Lonette Berg, executive director of the Alabama Baptist Historical Commission; Bobby DuBois, associate executive director of the Alabama Baptist ...

Monticello to receive new historical marker this weekend
Wes Allen was instrumental in assisting us in getting an Alabama Bicentennial Grant to purchase the maker,” Smith said. “We had planned to dedicate ...

Chelsea Middle staff members, students recognized for historical project
Rayl, Lovett and a team of students received a grant from the state aimed at preserving local history throughout Alabama. The Chelsea Middle School ...

Historical restaurant in Moulton to hold dedication ceremony Halloween
Moulton's "The Hot Spot" has been listed on Alabama's Historic Register, and owners Marvin and Elayne Jackson plan to hold a dedication ...

Timothy Leary at 100: How the counterculture icon got kicked out of the University of Alabama
... man in America,” Timothy Leary was already making trouble in Alabama. ... continued to reach millions around the world through his books, lectures, ...

Remaking 'The Witches' for 2020: How the HBO Max film updates Roald Dahl's classic story
Roald Dahl's 1983 novel “The Witches” has always been an especially ... the setting shifts from Europe to rural Alabama in 1968, and the cast gets a ...

New documentary explores Alabama 'Black Belt Blues'
Some of the photos appeared in Ramsey's book, “Been Here and Gone,” but have never appeared in a film until now. Clem, the film's producer and ...


By the book: Flagg takes us back to Whistle Stop
Why a new Fannie Flagg novel, of course. ... Stop,” Flagg fans will celebrate her return to the iconic fictional Alabama town, and she'll gain ... In the book, she explores spiritual friendships and community, the power of hospitality, and ...


The Witches Makes Family-Friendly Changes to Roald Dahl's Grimly Funny Book
... Norway, becomes Demopolis, Alabama. Though both movie and book use real places, both of the hotels where all the mousey action takes place ...

Matthew McConaughey's new book cover shot by Alabama photographer
... McConaughey's new book “Greenlights” released this week, reminding us all to just keep livin', but we also noticed the familiar work of an Alabama .

Friday, October 23, 2020

The Boxer Who Played Joe Louis--Three Times

One of Alabama's most famous sports figures is boxer Joe Louis, whose career ran from 1934 until 1951. Considered one of the all-time greats, Louis defended his heavyweight title in 25 consecutive contests and had the longest reign in heavyweight boxing history. His two fights against German Max Schmeling in the 1930's were spectacles of the first order. On June 19, 1936, Schmeling gave Louis his first professional loss when he knocked the "Brown Bomber" out in the 12th round. For the rematch on June 22, 1938, the pair met in Yankee Stadium before a crowd of more than 70,000. Louis defeated Schmeling in the first round. In 2010 an eight foot statue of Louis by Casey Downing, Jr., was erected on the Chambers County Courthouse lawn. Louis was born in Lafayette. 

Naturally, Hollywood brought Louis to the screen in at least three biopics. In 1938 Louis himself had starred in a fictionalized account of his life, Spirit of Youth. The second one was  The Joe Louis Story from United Artists and released on September 18, 1953. Louis was played in that film by a professional boxer, Coley Wallace. Ring of Passion, a made-for-TV movie with Bernie Casey as Louis, appeared in 1978. 

Wallace was born April 5, 1927 in Jacksonville, Florida; he died  January 30, 2005, of heart failure in Harlem, NY. At the time of his death he was married to Pearlie-May Wallace; she died in 2016. The couple had a daughter named Pat. 

As an amateur, Wallace was New York Daily News Golden Gloves heavyweight champion in 1948 and 1949. In the 1948 semi-final he defeated Rocky Marciano in a split decision, an outcome unpopular with the crowd. Wallace is believed to be the only fighter ever to defeat Marciano. You can find more highlights from his amateur career here

Wallace's first professional fight took place in April 1950 and his final one in April 1956. In that period he had 29 bouts, with 22 wins [16 by knockout] and seven losses [four by knockout]. His best known pro opponent was probably Ezzard Charles, who defeated Wallace by a knockout in December 1953. Charles held a world heavyweight title and in 1950 defeated his idol Joe Louis who was at the end of his career. Another opponent was Jimmy Bivins, who defeated Wallace by a knockout in September 1952. Bivins never had a title fight, but defeated eight of eleven world champions he faced. He lost to Joe Louis in an August 1951 bout. 

Thus Wallace was in the midst of his professional boxing career when he made this film. In the early 1950's he also worked as a bouncer at the Savoy Ballroom, a legendary music and dancing venue in Harlem that operated from 1926 until 1958. Wallace was a referee in two bouts in 1974 and a judge in several fights in the 1980's. 

Wallace had small roles as Joe Louis in two later films, the 1979 TV movie Marciano and Martin Scorsese's classic Raging Bull [1980] based on the life of boxer Jake LaMotta. In 1956 he starred in a non-boxing film, Carib Gold, along with Ethel Waters. It's also the first known film role of Cicely Tyson. 

The Joe Louis Story has been released on VHS and DVD, and is available on Amazon Prime and for free on YouTube. The boxer's mother, Marva Louis, is played by Hilda Simms in the movie. 

More comments are below. 



Joe Louis [1914-1981] in 1941 

Source: Wikipedia



Source: Wikipedia



Coley Wallace [1927-2005]

Source: BoxRec




On May 14, 1953, Joe Louis and Coley Wallace stand in front of a 1951 poster for what turned out to be the Alabama heavyweight's last fight. Marciano won in the eighth round. 

Source: A 2011 commentary on the film by Louie Shields



This issue of Look magazine 3 November 1953 included an article "Corey Wallace Plays Joe Louis" on pages 86-89. Five photographs by Wil Blanche show Wallace training at his New Jersey gym, etc. 

Source: WorthPoint




Source: Wikipedia





Marciano was first broadcast on the ABC-TV network on 21 October 1979





Frankie Manning and Coley Wallace at the dedication of a Savoy Ballroom plaque 26 May 2002





Wallace's grave in the Calverton Cemetery, Suffolk County, New York

Source: Find-A-Grave




Source: Wikipedia 







In this 1978 TV movie actor Bernie Casey portrays #Alabama native Joe Louis as he fights German Max Schmeling, losing the first fight 19 June 1936 but winning the rematch 22 June  1938 





An article about Louis by William Jerome appeared in the May-June 1937 issue of this magazine.








Thursday, October 22, 2020

Alabama History & Culture News: October 22 edition


Here's the latest batch of links to just-published Alabama history and culture articles. Most of these items are from newspapers, with others from magazines and TV and radio station websites. Enjoy!


The Witches review: A bland and neutered version of Roald Dahl's book
The action might have been transported to Alabama in 1968, but The Witches otherwise remains faithful to Dahl's novel. Following the death of his ...

Paranormal history in the Wiregrass
NEWTON, Ala. (WDHN) — Bill Sketoe is one of the 13 ghosts of Alabama. The story goes he was hung here before this bridge was built during the civil ...


The haunted history of Kinston's dancing, fiddling Grancer Harrison
There are few locations in the entire State of Alabama with a “ghost story” as well known as that of Grancer Harrison. Outside of the tiny Coffee County ...

Alabama Historical Commission Launches Historic Preservation Map Initiative of Historic ...
The AHC has been diligently working to convert the agency's paper files associated with Alabama's historic architectural resources into a web-based ...

New documentary focuses on blues music in Alabama Black Belt
(AP) — A new documentary about the blues tradition of Alabama's Black ... An announcement says the show traces the history of the region's African ...


Ballard House expansion to emphasize Birmingham's rich legacy and enhance nonprofit's mission
Renovations underway for Birmingham's Ballard House from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo. The story of the Ballard House is part of the historic fabric ..


Alabama's 200 years of history captured in new interactive map
A new, interactive map highlights thousands of historical structures and places in Alabama. The Alabama Historical Commission said its Historic ...


Fannie Flagg pens sequel to 'Fried Green Tomatoes'
But Alabama native Fannie Flagg is best known today as the author of ... And now, 33 years after the book's publication, Flagg, 76, has written the ...

Award-Winning Alabama Writer and Wife of LA Entertainment Lawyer Launches Acclaimed Thriller ...
"Books remain a primary resource for entertainment. As for the silver screen, it's the perfect time to reset, gather talent, and plan for future book-to-film ...

Author to talk Marquis de Lafayette book
The public is invited to a book talk by Dr. Lawrence Krumenaker, author of “Nine Days of Traveling: Lafayette's 1825 Alabama Tour, Today's Historical ...

CST at the post chapel. Burial will follow in Section 12A, grave 552 next to his late wife, Mary. Adkins, who lived in Opelika, received the Medal of Honor ...

New documentary focuses on blues music in Alabama Black Belt
Produced by One State Films and APT and director by Alabama filmmaker Robert Clem, the hourlong show traces the history of the region's African ...

DON NOBLE: Chilling true-crime story focuses on Alabama-born serial killer
John Douglas, back in the late '70s, was one of the very first FBI profilers and, with Mark Olshaker, has written nine previous books on the subject. Here ...

Book Review: Gwendolyn Patton 'My Race to Freedom'
One particular focus of Gwen's story is Tuskegee Institute in Alabama and what went on there as the civil rights movement of the 50s led to the ...

Pine Hill Cemetery, located on Armstrong St., is one of the many stops on the Spectral Investigators' haunted tours in Auburn, AL.


Shreve Memorial welcomes three authors in November
... serves as director of Historic Blakely State Park in Spanish Fort, Alabama. ... Fourteenth Colony is the first comprehensive history of the colony and ...


(WPMI) — Two police officers who were killed in the line of duty in Mobile in the early 1900s will finally receive grave markers, Mobile Police say.

The last known slave ship has spent 160 years under the Mobile River. Can it be preserved?
The Alabama Historical Commission is fielding proposals from maritime archaeologists as the task requires industrial-level diving skills. The commission ...


This Alabama musician's best song is actually a book
Huntsville author J.W. Fowler's debut novel digs into this idea. Titled “Free and Clear,” the book intertwines arcs of Ben Landry, a successful songwriter ...

Historic Society to host nighttime tour of Old Live Oak Cemetery
The Walking History Tour will feature historical figure buried in the historic ... Alabama's first Black Congressman, will be portrayed by Winston Williams; noted ... Though Hudson is not buried at Old Live Oak Cemetery, he will “make a ...


Artist Andrew LaMar Hopkins Reimagines the Antebellum History of Southern Port Cities
Born in Mobile, Alabama, in 1977, the artist traces his lineage to a major Creole family descended from Nicolas Baudin, a Frenchman who received a ...

... 33 Alabamians awarded the Medal of Honor, three of them were born in Leeds, Alabama. ... He is buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Montgomery.