But Matilda McCrear was determined to go and make her legal claim for compensation for the horrors that she and her family had been through. Until her death 85 years ago on January 13, 1940 ...

Her name was Matilda McCrear, and she was the last known survivor of the transatlantic slave trade. Crear, who lives near Selma, only found out the significance of his family tree a few years ago ...