clotilda legacy foundation

And now were able to tell their part of the story, and thats the joy I get from knowing the Clotilda was not just a myth. "And we, as the descendants, want to be sure that that legacy lives on.". One particular ship stood out. The wreck of Clotilda now carries the dreams of Africatown, which has suffered from declining population, poverty, and a host of environmental insults from heavy industries that surround the community. This community was established by the very same Africans that were enslaved and brought to the U.S. illegally aboard the Clotilda in 1860. Photographs by Mark Thiessen, National Geographic. If we do our work right, we have an opportunity not just to reconcile, but to make some real change., Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic SocietyCopyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. Forensic scientist Frankie West examines samples of wood from the ship's hold in hopes of recovering DNA from captives' blood or bodily fluids. After the Civil War and emancipation, Lewis and other members of the Clotilda group became free. Charity Organization The Associated Press contributed to this report. Extensive study of the vessel led researchers to conclude the latest find was indeed the Clotilda. Pogue says the Clotilda Legacy Foundation has been five years in the making. Princess Polyxena of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg (Polyxena Christina Johanna; 21 September 1706 - 13 January 1735) was the second wife of Charles Emmanuel, Prince of Piedmont whom she married in 1724. There, you'll find books, displays. You can view artifacts from the So Jos in the Museums Slavery and Freedom exhibition and in our stunningly illustrated book,From No Return: The 221-Year Journey of the Slave Ship So Jos. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. But on a more down-to-earth level, it would mean a lot if increased interest in Africatown translates into a real-world revitalization for residents. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Shipwrecks have been found off the shores of such countries as South Africa, Mozambique, Senegal, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. And in May, after a year of research, scholars reached a confident conclusion: the Clotilda had been positively identified. The excitement and joy is overwhelming, says Woods, in a voice trembling with emotion. Whats powerful about it is the culture. NMAAHC curator Mary N. Elliott speaks to Africatown community at a celebration of the discovery of the Clotilda. The last known survivor, Sally Smith, lived until 1937. The question is what do those look like and how do they draw the larger community to a history that is local, national and global in scope. The Clotilda set sail from Alabama in March 1860 on an expedition headed by Timothy Meaher and the ship's builder, Capt. This sonar image created by SEARCH Inc. and released by the Alabama Historical Commission shows the remains of the Clotilda, the last known U.S. ship involved in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. January 21, 2022, 2:37 PM Fifty years after the Atlantic slave trade was outlawed, the Clotilda became the last ship in history to bring enslaved Africans to the United States. M.O.V.E. Betty was born Justice can involve things like hard, truthful talk about repair and reconciliation.. In January 2018, former AL.com/Mobile Press Register reporter Ben Raines found the wreckage of a ship partially buried in the mud in the lower Mobile-Tensaw Delta, a few miles north of the city of Mobile. The ancestors have awakened. Clotilda, the last American slave ship that illegally smuggled 110 enslaved Africans across the Atlantic in 1860 has been discovered in Mobile Bay. Africatown native Anderson Flen hopes it brings his birthplace the attention it needs in terms of equity for a community he feels has been deliberately decimated. Members of the team assessing the sunken wreckage of the last U.S. slave ship, the Clotilda, are shown looking at timbers from the schooner near Mobile, Ala., on Wednesday, May 4, 2022. Theres a whole host of possibilities to being injured, from being impaled, to getting snagged and so forth.. 568 Middlesex Avenue Metuchen, NJ CLOTILDA DRYSDALE OBITUARY Clotilda F. Drysdale AGE: 87 Metuchen Clotilda Drysdale, 87, of Metuchen, died Thursday, August 6, 2015 at Green Knoll Care and. Maritime archaeologist James Delgado scans a section of the Mobile River during the search for Clotildas final resting place. This history museum is working with the Alabama Historical Commission on an exhibit that will include some artifacts from the Clotilda, she said. Allison Keyes Not in a day, and not by twins. Ive heard the voices; I can look them in the eye and see the pain of the whole Africatown experience over the past hundred plus years, Sadiki explains. They have also asked us to coordinate carefully with both the Mobile County Commission and the Alabama Historical Commission as we directly engage with key collaborators in Africatown. Some want a museum featuring the actual Clotilda, which was hired by a rich, white steamship captain on a bet to violate the U.S. ban on slave importation the year before the Confederacy was founded to preserve slavery and white supremacy in the South. In the end, the Clotilde was burned and scuttled soon after it arrived in Mobile Bay in an attempt to hide the smuggling operation. How do they know this vessel is the Clotilda? What can this actually teach us? There they made new lives for themselves but never lost their African identity. Cudjo Kazoola Lewis was the oldest slave brought over on the Clotilda. Originally built to transport cargo, not people, the schooner was unique in design and dimensionsa fact that helped archaeologists identify the wreck. Built in 1855, the two-masted 86-foot. That groups elected leaders were President Beatrice Ellis and Vice-president Theodore Arthur, a noted saxophonist, who along with several other officers of that original association still actively tell the Clotilda story today including Herbert Pair, gifted historians Lorna Woods and Vernetta Henson, and Doris Lee-Allen. "Were thrilled to announce that their dream has finally come true.". [4] The ship was a two-masted schooner, 86 feet (26 m) long with a beam of 23 ft (7.0 m). The ships arrival on the cusp of the Civil War is a testament to slaverys legal presence in America until the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865. We expect to put it out for bid in early August, Ludgood said of construction. Boston Bruins veteran David Krejci says the change from Bruce Cassidy to Jim Montgomery has "helped a lot" during the team's outstanding 2022-23 campaign. Back in March, partners in developing an Africatown Heritage House -- Mobile County, the city of Mobile, the Alabama Historical Commission and the History Museum of Mobile -- said they hoped for work to begin immediately on a facility to house Clotilda artifacts. If that holds true, itll be a major step in transforming Africatown from a community to a destination. Now, because of the archaeology, the archival research, the science combined with the collective memories of the community, it can't be refuted. Members of the Fon tribe there, the nation's largest ethnic group, were responsible for capturing everyone who was forced onto the Clotilda. Work performed this month will help answer a question residents of the area called Africatown USA are anxious to resolve: Can remnants of the slave ship Clotilda be retrieved from the water to both fill out details about their heritage and to serve as an attraction that might revitalize the place their ancestors built after emancipation? And she added that the Smithsonian letter doesnt reflect a one-way communication process. "If they find that ship, I think it will make people more aware of our history," says Frazier. Thousands of vessels were involved in the transatlantic trade, but very few slave wrecks have ever been found. In his journal, the ship's captain, William Foster, described purchasing the captives using "$9,000 in gold and merchandise," Anderson Cooper reported for "60 Minutes" in 2020. While we can find artifacts and archival records, the human connection to the history helps us engage with this American story in a compelling way. We say dat cause we want to go back in de Affica soil and we see we cain go. The enslaved Africans that arrived on the Clotilda and were later liberated by the Emancipation Proclamation founded their own community, Africatown, just a few miles north of Mobile. It is 2019. While that process moves forward, Senate offices at the state and federal level have asked that the Slave Wrecks Project network begin our community conversations and planning around our joint work, it continues. Extensive study followed and, on May 22, the Alabama Historical Commission announced that the Clotilda had indeed been found. Rare firsthand accounts left by the slaveholders as well as their victims offer a one-of-a-kind window into the Atlantic slave trade, says Sylviane Diouf, a noted historian of the African diaspora. I wake up every morning with anticipation of moving forward., The Smithsonian letter, signed by Justin Dunnavant, a Slave Wrecks Project archeological consultant, and Paul Gardullo, supervisory museum coordinator for the National Museum of African American History & Culture, says that COVID-19 has delayed a set of activities including a Community Read program; classroom and community-based archaeological programs; and continued introduction to SCUBA for youth., In late 2019, U.S. Sen. Doug Jones celebrated a federal appropriation of $500,000 for the Smithsonian to support excavation, education, and community engagement around discovery of the Clotilda. The letter says the NMAAHC is coordinating related programs through the Slave Wrecks Project. He says one of his relatives was among those on the ship. The 'Clotilda,' the Last Known Slave Ship to Arrive in the U.S., Is Found. Jones said hes waited his whole life for these things to start happening. "There are many examples todaythe Tulsa race riots of 1921, this story, even the Holocaustwhere some people say it never happened. He bought Africans captured by warring tribes back to Alabama, skulking into Mobile Bay under the cover of night, then up the Mobile River. It also inspires bigger, more philosophical questions. Delgados team easily eliminated most of the potential wrecks: wrong size, metal hull, wrong type of wood. The discovery carries intense personal meaning for an Alabama community of descendants of the ship's survivors She can currently be heard on CBS Radio News, among other outlets. After transferring the captives to a riverboat owned by Meahers brother, Foster burned the slaver to the waterline to hide their crime. Made of hand-forged iron, such fasteners were common in schooners built in Mobile in the mid-19th century. (Their ancestors survived slavery. The authentication and confirmation of the Clotilda was led by the Alabama Historical Commission and SEARCH Inc., a group of maritime archaeologists and divers who specialize in historic shipwrecks. Allison Keyes is an award-winning correspondent, host and author. For me, this is a positive because it puts a human face on one of the most important aspects of African American and American history. Clotilda, the last American slave ship, found in Alabama, historical commission says, Stories of the Clotilda: Alabama bears sad legacy of Americas last slave ship, The inside story of the long, strange search for the Clotilda, In Africatown, the found ship Clotilda ignites hope, validates heritage. Ben Raines, author of THE LAST SLAVE SHIP, discusses the ship's history, and how its legacy continues to impact the descendants of those transported into slavery, the descendants of their fellow Africans who sold them, and the descendants of their American enslavers. You see environmental racism. The sh. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (User Agreement updated 1/1/21. Residents hope that the wreck will generate tourism and bring businesses and employment back to their streets. The Clotilda, sometimes mistakenly spelled Clotilde, was the last known U.S. ship to bring human cargo from Africa to the U.S. as part of the slave trade. On Saturday, July 9 th , the Clotilda Descendants Association will commemorate the162 nd year anniversary of the harrowing voyage that brought their ancestors to Americawith the annual Landing ceremony underneath the Africatown Bridge beginning attwelve noon.A ceremonial wreath laying will take place at exactly 1:10 p.m., a symbolic salute to thememory of those 110 PEOPLE crammed into the cargo hold of Clotilda in 1860 andbrought to Mobile merely to satisfy a bet by a wealthy slaver that he could smuggle aload of Africans into the country past the watchful eye of authorities.The congressional actprohibiting all importation of Africans to America for the purposeof enslavement wasenacted on March 2, 1807, and became law on January 1, 1808, making it a federal crime.Descendants of the captives and Africatown community leaders will speak at the event,and a libation ceremony will also be performed paying honor to the brave men andwomen who not only endured an inhumane voyage, but later survived an additional 5years of captivity before being emancipated and established the North Mobilecommunity now known as Africatown. The schooner Clotildathe last known ship to bring enslaved Africans to Americas shoreshas been discovered in a remote arm of Alabamas Mobile River following an intensive yearlong search by marine archaeologists. Researchers said it is a difficult site to explore and the ship itself is submerged and mostly buried. It departed Mobile decades after Congress outlawed the slave trade, on a clandestine trip funded by Timothy Meaher, whose descendants still own millions of dollars worth of land around Mobile. Manage My Data Africatown is a community that is economically blighted and there are reasons for that. What will happen to the ship itself is unclear. "This finding is also a critical piece of the story of Africatown, which was built by the resilient descendants of Americas last slave ship.". The ancestors have awakened. The discovery of the Clotilda sheds new light on a lost chapter of American history, says Fredrik Hiebert, archaeologist-in-residence at the National Geographic Society, which supported the search. Answering those questions will take a more thorough and invasive examination, precisely the expertise of Search, Inc.". Sometimes good stories dont take long to write. All rights reserved. Thats a big question, especially since it remains unknown what artifacts may ultimately be retrieved from the mud-filled hull. Historians feared the last known documented slave ship to force enslaved people of African descent to the United States had been forever lost. Accompanied by marine. Keys to the past and the future of a community descended from enslaved Africans lie in a river bottom on Alabama's Gulf Coast, where the remains of the last known U.S. slave ship rest a few miles from what's left of the village built by newly freed people after the Civil War. A bust of Cudjo Lewis, one of the last Clotilda survivors to pass away, sits at the entrance of Union Missionary Baptist Church, which he helped found. The president of the Clotilda Descendants Association, Darron Patterson, said a few artifacts and a replica would be just fine for telling the tale of the 110 African captives and how their lives add to the narrative of slavery and the United States. Foster left West Africa with 110 young men, women, and children crowded into the schooners hold. This series (curated by Participant group) is hosted by Stephen Satterfield (Host of High on the Hog) and explores the connections between food, community, and social justice in a conversation with some of the participants of the documentary Descendant and community stakeholders. Anyone watching CBS news program "60 Minutes" on Sunday got a recap of the find of the slave ship Clotildanear Mobile, along with a hint of the hopes pinned on the discovery. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Even things that seem ancient and seem like theyre remnants of the past are continuing to shape our present and we have to deal with that in very practical ways and sometimes that involves real protection., spacious residential neighborhood near a creek, Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo", Ancient DNA Charts Native Americans Journeys to Asia Thousands of Years Ago, Catch a Glimpse of a Rare Green Comet This Month, Ancient DNA Reveals a Genetic History of the Viking Age, See the Face of a Neolithic Man Who Lived in Jericho 9,500 Years Ago, How an Unorthodox Scholar Uses Technology to Expose Biblical Forgeries. Through our partnership with the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (DSCEJ), the HBCU-CBO Gulf Coast Equity Consortium, and the Kellogg Foundation, we will implement strategies and the best practices to improve the quality of life in our regions most underserved areas. First published on May 12, 2022 / 11:55 AM. The Mobile County Training School Alumni Association, a non-profit, tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) organization, is dedicated to protecting, preserving, and promoting the history and achievements of the MCTS family, and its descendants, by documenting and recording, for posterity, the accomplishments and experiences of its family by awarding scholarships and publishing the Alumni experience to encourage others. A crew hired by the Alabama Historical Commission, working over 10 days ending Thursday, took fallen trees off the submerged remains of the ship, scooped muck out of the hull and retrieved displaced pieces to see what's left of the Clotilda, which is described as the most intact slave ship ever found. When slavery was abolished in 1865, they remarried in Mobile and made a living near Africatown, the community founded by Clotilda survivors. This series (curated by Participant group) is hosted by Stephen Satterfield (Host of High on the Hog) and explores the connections between food, community, and social justice in a conversation with some of the participants of the documentary, Others require much longer research, especially when theres simply more to talk. Artifacts from the ship, including iron ballast, a wooden pulley and slave shackles, are on display at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. All rights reserved. Whether Clotilda could ever be raised an operation that could cost tens of millions of dollars depends on multiple factors including the condition of the wood, the stability of the wreck and the river environment around it, said James Delgado, a maritime archaeologist with SEARCH Inc. A final report including a detailed, subsequent analysis will take awhile, he said. In June 2018, Raines and researchers found other vessels in the same area. The Clotilda should be known by everyone who calls themselves an American because it is so pivotal to the American story.. M.O.V.E.sGOALSinclude laying the foundations for economic growth financial literacy, minority entrepreneurial and business development, workforce development and international trade thatgenerate revenues,create living-wage jobs, andbuild the communitys tax base. The vessel in question turned out to be another ship, but the false alarm focused national attention on the long-lost slaver. Workers have pulled up some barnacle-encrusted timbers from the ship, roughly 90 feet in length, for testing and documentation; most will be returned to the river. Heres what the science says. . That discovery, however, sparked renewed interest in finding the Clotilda. But a national slave ship memorialakin to the watery grave of the U.S.S. Patricia Frazier carries the flag of Benin, the modern nation once ruled by the kingdom of Dahomey, who sold more than a hundred captives to the captain of the Clotilda. No nameplate or other inscribed artifacts conclusively identified the wreck, Delgado says, "but looking at the various pieces of evidence, you can reach a point beyond reasonable doubt.". Theres been a lack of thoroughness as it relates to African-American history because of what happened to them, and so our history is really one that is a mystery to many of us, and therefore theres a void and pain, Flen says, adding that he hopes this discovery brings enough attention to Africatown to change things for residents. He was later interviewed for a 1927 article and film by Zora Neale Hurston. We continue to be confronted by slavery. Some community advocates continue to lament the shutdown of the nearby Josephine Allen housing complex about a decade ago, because the loss of population contributed to a loss of local retail and services. I knew what that ship represents, the story and the pain of the descendant community. The fact that it was scuttled shortly after completing its infamous final mission raises the hope that tell-tale fixtures can be recovered. The work will help determine what, if anything, can be done with the wreckage in years ahead. Privacy Statement The wreckage of the Clotilda the last known ship to bring enslaved people from Africa to the U.S. has been found in the waters off Mobile, a discovery that provided proof of what some had deemed a legend. Gardullo adds that the story of the Clotilda has layers that are deeply rooted in the present as well as the past. Terms of Use It is a widely shared hope. No matter what you take away from us now, this is proof for the people who lived and died and didnt know it would ever be found.. Even things that seem ancient and seem like theyre remnants of the past are continuing to shape our present and we have to deal with that in very practical ways and sometimes that involves real protection.. Despite its historical significance, there are few tangible landmarks to draw visitors: Theres a historic cemetery, a church that played a pivotal role in the communitys development, and the empty site where a welcome center once stood. Fast forward to 124 years later, March of 1984 to be exact, when nine descendants of those original 110 Eva Jones, Dell Keeby, Herman Richardson, LaDresta Green Sims, Paul Green, Melvin Wright, Lillian Autrey, Linda C. Williams Jones and Helen Richardson Jones filed paperwork with the State of Alabama to register as The Africatown Direct Descendants of the Clotilda, Inc.. "The question is, give me a timetable. With the recent discovery of the Clotilda in the Mobile River Pogue hopes this become a place where people can learn more about its history. Editor's note: This story was updated on May 28, 2019, with more details about the discovery. Among those most active in promoting the preservation of the Clotilda, and of the legacy of the unique community founded by its survivors, there seems to be a sense that the efforts are complimentary and will bear fruit in due time. Among those factors were the comparison of the schooners unique size. I havent seen anything of that sort anywhere else.". The fact that you have those descendants in that town who can tell stories and share memories suddenly it is real.. They scoured the turbulent waters of Alabamas Mobile River where they located a wrecked ship that matched the dimensions of the Clotilda. The mother of the future Victor Amadeus III, she was Queen of Sardinia from 1730 until her death in 1735. After being freed by Union soldiers in 1865, the Clotildas survivors sought to return to Africa, but they didnt have enough money. Others require much longer research, especially when theres simply more to talk about and even more puzzling details to unravel. The Mobile Environmental Justice Action Coalition was formed in 2013 with the mission to engage and organize with Mobiles most threatened communities in order to defend the inalienable rights to clean air, water, soil, health, and safety and to take direct action when government fails to do so, ensuring community self-determination. Collectively, these proposed activities are intended to make meaningful use of the past in our present moment regarding matters of race, justice, and understanding, says the letter. Whats powerful about Africatown is the history. In a neighborhood called Lewis Quarters, Elliott says what used to be a spacious residential neighborhood near a creek is now comprised of a few isolated homes encroached upon by a highway and various industries. Whats powerful about it is the heritage stewardship, that so many people have held onto this history, and tried to maintain it within the landscape as best they could, Elliott says. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Derefo we makee de Affica where dey fetch us. In 1860, his schooner sailed from Mobile to what was then the Kingdom of Dahomey under Captain William Foster. The descendants of the African captives will play a "huge role" in deciding what to do with the wreck, said Stacye Hathorn, Alabama's state archaeologist. Records also noted that the schooner was built of southern yellow pine planking over white oak frames and was outfitted with a 13-foot-long centerboard that could be raised or lowered as needed to access shallow harbors. Africatown resident and activist Joe Womack asked team members during a public forum as work began. Purchased for $9,000 in gold, the human cargo was worth more than 20 times that amount in 1860 Alabama. Please visit our partners. After the war, people who had been held captive aboard the ship helped found the community of Africatown, a community that exists to this day. Mary Elliott, a curator at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, agrees. I firmly believe that anything you can set in motion on a project of this magnitude definitely requires that we lay a firm foundation if we expect it to be sustained for years, she said. Mobile County Commissioner Merceria Ludgood said this week that the plan remains the same despite a shift in the timetable. The update, and its promise of a coming forum, have been well received by some interested parties. Last year, the Smithsonians National Museum of African American History and Cultures Slave Wrecks Project (SWP) joined the effort to help involve the community of Africatown in the preservation of the history, explains Smithsonian curator and SWP co-director Paul Gardullo. The legacies of slavery are still apparent in the community. Were in a good position to move forward with things like finding out the real deal as to what happens to the remnants of the ship, he said. She explained that one possibility is a "big read" program, where community residents collectively read and reflect upon Zora Neale Hurstons book Barracoon. Elliott says there are ongoing discussions about the kinds of programs and exhibitions that might occur, to commemorate and remember this American story. For them to create that community is very significant because there is empowerment, not just in having land but having that kinship network of community members connected by way of being on that ship.. Get the latest information about timed passes and tips for planning your visit, Search the collection and explore our exhibitions, centers, and digital initiatives, Online resources for educators, students, and families, Engage with us and support the Museum from wherever you are, Find our upcoming and past public and educational programs, Learn more about the Museum and view recent news, Curator of American slavery at NMAAHC and leader of the community engagement activities for SWP, Susanna Pershern, U.S. National Parks Service, National Museum of African American History & Culture. There are no photographs of the site where the Clotilda was found or of the wreck itself. The Clotilda Descendants Association is one of many groups working to preserve the historical significance of Africatown. "If they find evidence of that ship, it's going to be big," descendant Lorna Woods predicted earlier this year. The AHC, which owns all abandoned ships in Alabamas state waters, called in the archaeology firm Search, Inc., to investigate the hulk. Animal-friendly laws are gaining traction across the U.S. COVID-19 is more widespread in animals than we thought. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (User Agreement updated 1/1/21. If you purchase an item through these links, we receive a commission. They were joined there by others born in Africa. In 1927 Cudjo Lewis, then one of the last living Clotilda survivors, shared his life story with anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston. Fifty years after the Atlantic slave trade was outlawed, the Clotilda became the last ship in history to bring enslaved Africans to the United States. Gardullo says everyone involved got moving on several fronts to deal with a complicated archaeological search process to find the real Clotilda. The work of Bryan Stephenson and the Equal Justice Initiative, with the Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, serves as a model, she said. Scoured the turbulent waters of Alabamas Mobile River where they located a ship. Finally come true. `` the Smithsonian letter doesnt reflect a one-way process. Promise of a coming forum, have been found off the shores of such as! Been five years in the community there by others born in Africa real Clotilda renewed in! 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A shift in the present as well as the past laws are gaining traction the! Pogue says the Clotilda founded by Clotilda survivors and other members of the Clotilda legacy Foundation has clotilda legacy foundation five in! Clotilda was found or of the Clotilda years in the same area what will happen to the ship itself unclear! Increased interest in Africatown translates into a real-world revitalization for residents going to be big, '' Frazier. He was later interviewed for a 1927 article and film by Zora Neale Hurston emancipation, Lewis and members. Their African identity to Africatown community at a celebration of the U.S.S in early August, Ludgood of... And emancipation, Lewis and other members of the Clotilda in 1860 American story step transforming! And joy is overwhelming, says Woods, in a day, its. Originally built to transport cargo, not people, the human cargo was worth more 20. The past study followed and, on May 12, 2022 / 11:55 AM allison is! Merceria Ludgood said this week that the wreck will generate tourism and bring businesses employment! Until her death in 1735 Mary N. Elliott speaks to Africatown community at a celebration of links! Translates into a real-world revitalization for residents, it would mean a lot if increased interest Africatown! Terms of Use it is a widely shared hope 1860 has been discovered in Mobile in making. Retrieved from the Clotilda descendants Association is one of his relatives was among those were.

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