Voices of The Clotilda: Violent Uprooting, Captive Passage, Slavery and Legacy

This page shines a light on how the inhumanity of others has been revealed through preserved oral tradition, research and technology. It is an overview of the survival and perseverance of 3 of the 110 young men, women, and children who survived the violent uprooting and captive passage from Africa to Alabama aboard the slave ship, Clotilda. When we “ Lift Every Voice and Sing,” we are also honoring the legacy of Koosola, Redoshi, Matilda, their descendants and the descendants of 11 million captives from Africa to America.

(above, portion of stamp art honoring James Weldon Johnson, who penned “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

KOSSOLA “CUDJO” LEWIS (1841-1935)

In 1927, Zora Neale Hurston, author and cultural anthropologist, traveled throughout the south and spent months interviewing an 86 year old man known as “Cudjo.” Zora photographs and captures film of the man regarded as the last known survivor of the last slave ship landing in America, The Clotila.  Indeed, this was an opportunity to record the story of slavery from an African who was kidnapped from his country, enslaved in America and survived epic eras especially the Civil War and Reconstruction. Importantly, too is that the story was being told to an African American woman, who wanted to share his story in his voice.

Cudjo, whose African name is Kossola, recalled being ready for soldier training, not to prepare for war, but to be trained to protect his village in what is now known as the country of Benin. One night, kidnappings and death came upon his village when it was raided by warriors of the King of Dahomey. He recalled burnings and beheadings and shared, “I call my mama name. I beg de men to let me go findee my folks. De soldiers say dey got no ears for cryin’.” Kossola was taken to the barracoon area—essentially “pens” where captives awaited transport.

The interviews convey other heartbreaking experiences, such as being freed after the Civil War and hoping former slave master, Tim Maher would assist with returning the freed slaves to their homeland—or perhaps they could assist with purchasing tickets to sail back to Africa. In the end, there was no choice but to settle on purchasing land from their enslavers. Prior to the land purchases, Cudjo spoke with his enslaver, “Cap’n Tim, you brought us from our country where we had lan’. You made us slave. Now dey make us free but we ain’ got no country and we ain’ got no lan’! Why doan you give us piece dis land so we kin buildee ourself a home?”

The Captain’s response was, “Fool do you think I goin’ give you property on top of property? I tookee good keer my slaves and derefo’ I doan owe dem nothin.”

The freed slaves worked, saved money, and built a community governed by tribal guidelines and even reserving a house—open to anyone experiencing even greater hard times and needing accommodations.

The Africans named their community, Africatown. These historic people and their historic settlement, just north of Mobile, Alabama is a cultural heritage story of survival and perseverance.

The story of Cudjo was completed by Hurston in 1931, she died in 1960, and the story of Cudjo was published in 2018. The manuscript, which was discoverd in archives at her alma mater, Howard University was edited by scholar Deborah Plant. The book is, Baracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” by Zora Neal Hurston.

Research indicates Cudjo sued for reparations. Descendants of Africatown have persued litigation concerning environmental issues that have plagued them for decades. The story of the environmental concerns can be found here, Africatown and the 21st-Century Stain of Slavery (nymag.com)

Anderson Cooper’s interview with Africatown’s descendants can be found here: Finding the last ship known to have brought enslaved Africans to America and the descendants of its survivors - CBS News

sally “Redoshi” smith 1848 – 1937)

In addition to meeting Cudjo Lewis while working as a cultural anthropologist, author Zora Neal Hurston is believed to have met another Clotilda survivor, a woman who has been identified as “Sally Smith.”

A compilation of reference notes, census records, a 1932 Montgomery Advertiser newspaper interview, as well as an interview conducted by Boynton Robinson of “Redoshi” and recorded in her book Bridge Across Jordon (1979), helped Dr. Hannah Durkin, a United Kingdom professor to document the life of Sally, whose African name is “Redoshi”

It appeared that Redoshi, not Cudjo was the last survivor of the slave ship, the Clotilda. Like Cudjo, she recalled being kidnapped and transported through what historian identify as the Middle Passage. She told the interviewer that Africans were locked inside the ship “…in sixes and eights.” One of the warriors assisting with their capitivity boarded the ship and he, too, was kidnapped and enslaved aboard the schooner.

Records indicate Redoshi was one of the Africans enslaved on a plantation in Bogue Chitto, Alabama by Washington Smith (Bank of Selma founder). She told the interviewer that upon arrival, the Africans were treated like animals and forced to eat grass. She also told of her marriage to an African who was also aboard Clotilda, “I was 12 years old…I couldn’t understand his talk and he couldn’t understand me … They put us on block together and sold us for man and wife.”

Like Kossola, Redoshi, was also captured on film footage, but through a different source. In a narrated educational film, The Negro Farmer: Extension Work for Better Farming and Better Living (1938), the narrator refers to “Aunt Sally Smith” and comments that she died in 1937. Her voice is not recorded, however she is depicted for approximately 18 seconds actively engaging in conversation, including a close up, as she is seated in a rocking chair on a front porch.

Matilda and her husband owned land in Bogue Chitto, in an area they called ‘Freetown.’

matilda McCrear (1857 or 1858–1940)

Except for the memory of attending a funeral as an incredibly young child, Johnny Crear of Selma Alabama has no recollection of experiences with his grandmother, Matilda McCrear. And, like many African Americans there are ancestry tracing stumbling blocks. In this case, not knowing the connection with the “Crear” and “McCrear” ancestry names was problematic.

The research of Dr. Hannah Durkin, a United Kingdom professor, has provided a wealth of information for Johnny, beginning with this astonishing information:   Johnny’s “Grandmother Matilda” was one of the 8 Africans aboard the slave ship, Clotilda. 

According to the professor’s research, in 1860 when Matila was around two years old, she was captured from the same Yoruba village in west Africa as Kossola and Redoshi. She, too, was transported through the Middle Passage to Mobile, Alabama.

Matilda and Koosola, were enslaved on different plantations, however, they met again in December of 1931, when Matilda and Rodeshi, traveled 15 miles to to Africatown to visit Kossola. According to Dr. Durkin’s information, Kossola remembered them.

Weeks later, Matilta traveled 15 miles to the probate court of Dallas County, she wanted to petition for slave reparations. The case was dismissed. However, a reporter met with Matila to conduct an interview.

During the interview, Matilda shared horrific stories provided by her mother, Gracie, who remembered seeing a nephew and others on the slave ship being cast into the ocean when they became ill. Matilda was not sold away from her mother and prior to age six, she had been freed by the 13th amendment.

Matilda’s owner was Memorable Walker Creagh, but Matilda chose to use the last name McCreach. The name change along with census record errors required considerable research to better Matilda’s experiences, including the finding that she maintained a relationship with a German man who fathered her children.

Matilda McCrear died in 1940, Kossola died in 1935, and Redoshi in 1937, Thus, Dr. Durkin’s research recognizes Matilda as possibly the last documented survivor of Middle Passage voyage.

In addition to ongoing research regarding the life and legacy of the last survivors of the Clotilda, Africatown hosts an annual festival. A direct descendant, Joycelyn Davis, the festival’s organizer, shared with me that Africatown’s third annual festival will be a virtual event. Jocelyn said, ‘This year we want to celebrate the women whose stories have not been focused on.”

Dr. Durkin, lecturer at Newcastle University in The United Kingdom, will keynote the 2021 “Spirit of Our Ancestors” Festival in February 2021. She will discuss her findings regarding Sally Redoshi and Matilda McCrear.

Hannah Durkin (2020): “Uncovering The Hidden Lives of Last Clotilda Survivor Matilda McCrear and Her Family, Slavery & Abolition”