By 1920, the Rector family was living in a beautiful brick mansion at 2000 E. 12th St. that was purchased by Mama Rose for $20,000 from Henry S. Ferguson, president of the U.S. Water & Steam Supply Company. Sarah Rector was buried in Taft Cemetery, Oklahoma. Sarah was born on March 3, 1902. According to a report from BlackPast.org: In 1914The Chicago Defenderpublished an article claiming that her estate was being mismanaged by grafters and her ignorant parents, and that she was uneducated, dressed in rags, and lived in an unsanitary shanty. [12] Thus, as soon as Rector began to receive this windfall, there was pressure to change Rector's guardianship from her parents to a local white resident named T.J. (or J.T.) Thats not going to happen.. TimesMojo is a social question-and-answer website where you can get all the answers to your questions. No one took the time to teach her how to spend the money or how to invest it, Brown said. Then, in the fall of 1913, an independent driller struck liquid gold on Sarah Rectors land, bringing the family royalties of $300 per day, about $8,000 today. Many stores, including Emery, Bird, Thayer & Co., would close down and allow the Rector women to shop freely. What changed Sarah and the Rectors life overall was a stroke of luck if you may say. Sarahs land was near a bend along the Cimarron River valued at around $500. Who is the first richest woman in the world? When she was 20 years old, Sarah married Kenneth Campbell; he was known to be the second Black man in the US to own an auto dealership. In October 1913, Rector received royalties of $11,567. And Kardashian has earned at least $10 million annually since 2012 from endorsement deals, mobile apps and her show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians. At that point, she left Tuskegee and, with her entire family, moved to Kansas City, Missouri. Du Bois, who got involved with Sarah Rectors case when he heard rumors her money was being mismanaged by a white man. Sandringham House and Balmoral Castle are privately owned by the Queen. The ladies loved finer clothing, but being African American, they were not allowed to shop alongside white patrons in stores on Petticoat Lane. The most vexing bit to Brown: the black-and-white photo of the somber-faced girl with pigtails wearing a dark plaid dress. She and Kenneth Campbell had three sons, Kenneth Jr., Leonard, and Clarence. He focused on real estate development and his car dealership at 18th and Vine. Sarah Rector, the daughter of Creek Indian freedmen, rose from humble beginnings in a wind-swept two-room cabin near the tiny town of Twine in Indian Territory to become the richest Black girl in America when she was 11 years old. Rectors notoriety ballooned just as quickly as her wealth. She owned stocks, bonds, a boarding house, businesses, and a 2,000-acre piece of prime river bottomland. Her issues with disputed guardianship continued in Kansas City, but most stemmed from greed and not legitimate concern for her welfare. The Rector family actually lived far better than advertised. Although historical accounts clash, Sarah Rector is believed to be Americas second black millionaire after Madam C.J. Whats the Future of the Manufacturing Industry? They moved to a modern cottage with five bedrooms and owned a car. about $11 million Du Bois is said to have written directly to the county judge who oversaw Rectors affairs for more information. Brown assumes so. Claim #2: China is a Good Faith Peacemaker . That year Rector married Kenneth Campbell, and the couple had three sons, Kenneth, Jr., Leonard, and Clarence. About There are few records of abuses and attempted abuses suffered by Sarah and other child landowners, but her wealth and property rights made her a target for exploitation. Sarahs land, totaling 160 acres, was valued at a mere $556.50, roughly $15,000 today. Worlds Richest Negro Girl inspired media ridicule, fascination, alarm, For Ovechkin in winter, a deadline sell-off makes sense this spring, Commanders cut Carson Wentz and Bobby McCain, clearing cap space, The NFL deserves every bit of its raging Daniel Snyder headache, Searching for Sarah Rector: The Richest Black Girl in America. Historically, racism has In March, 1912, oil driller B.B. Her descendants never knew. When Rector died at age 65 on July 22, 1967, her wealth was diminished, but she still had some working oil wells and The family resided in this home until shortly after the Stock Market Crash where it was then purchased by the Adkins Funeral Home. Of course, there was a trick in this Act, and black children were simply granted the worst parts of the land; generally rocky and infertile soil so the good allotments could be granted to white settlers and distinctive members of the Indian tribe as it had been agreed upon. Who is the youngest richest woman in the world? This raised concerns throughout the Black community including the recently formed NAACP, who became interested in assuring her guardian wouldnt rip her off her fortune. Freedmen like Sarahs relatives born into slavery were eligible for land allotments according to a treaty reached in 1866. Through sheer chance Sarah Rector became one of the richest children in America. WebWho was Sara Rector and how did she become wealthy? [11], To help cover this expense, in February 1911, Joseph Rector leased Sarah's parcel to the Standard Oil Company. Which Teeth Are Normally Considered Anodontia? If you're unfamiliar with the story, The Richest Black Girl in America is set in the early 1900s, and follows the true tale of Sarah Rector, an 11-year-old Black girl in Jim Crow America, who is given reparations in the form of uninhabitable land by the U.S. government.Although initially the land seemed useless, "a misplaced band-aid on When a change to Oklahoma law raised the legal age from 18 to 21, a local white man attempted to make himself the young millionaires legal guardian. 1902) and Joe, Jr. (b. Web5 Advantages Of In-Home Therapy And Rehabilitation Best Tyre Brands for Your Car NFL COVID PROTOCOLS: OUTBREAK POSTPONES STEELERS-TITANS Whats the The courts again sided with Rector, ruling that since she had managed her property with such astuteness that she needs no guardian.. That same year, Rector enrolled in the Childrens House, a boarding school for teenagers atTuskegee InstituteinAlabama. All rights reserved 2022 Collective Culture. Connecting Oklahoma's Electric Cooperative Communities, Mailing Address: You can leave them as donations, one of the women politely told her. Your Money, Your Life, LATEST LISTS As such, they and their descendants were listed as freedmen on the Dawes Rolls, by which they were entitled to land allotments under the Treaty of 1866 made by the United States with the Five Civilized Tribes. Sarahs cut per day was $300. The two photos side-by-side, one of a child in a plaid dress and the other of a woman with her hair pulled simply back, have been timelessly interpreted to be the richest black girl in America, Sarah Rector the very same Sarah Rector who lived out the majority of her life in Kansas City. Soon, the wells, which would come to number in the dozens, were pumping 2,500 gallons a day, with about $300 a day a 12.5 percent cut flowing Sarahs way, Bolden writes. One newspaper dubbed her the richest negro in the world.. She purchased a house on 12th Street, known as the Rector House, which is currently owned by a local nonprofit, with the intention of restoration and historical and cultural preservation. Sarah Rector was fortunate in that her guardian did not take advantage of her wealth and that the local law protected her (many other black children wound up being scammed out of their wealth or far worse). Two years after Sarahs piece of land was leased to the oil company an independent driller hit a massive reserve of oil capable of producing 2,500 barrels of oil and todays equivalent of $7,000 for Sarahs pockets every day. Brown, then a grade-schooler living in a two-bedroom house with three siblings, her parents and her grandmother, marveled but didnt dare ask questions. Since 1970, BLACK ENTERPRISE has provided essential business information and advice to professionals, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and decision makers. I purchased the book of The Richest Colored Girl. Oh my goodness! Ive heard so much of Ms. Rector during my life and am so grateful to the family for sharing the truth! As a consequence of that Act, around 600 children received land, ad Sarah was granted almost 160 acres. Many of the Black people who accompanied the tribes lived in slavery until 1866, after treaties with the federal government abolished the ownership of people on tribal lands. Each freedman was given 160 acres of land. Did Joe and Rose Rector move the family to Kansas City to escape the violent fate that befell too many oil-rich Natives and Freedmen? Shed yet to become a millionaire, crossing that threshold at about 18, with oil earnings that would be worth $14 million today. It wasnt until Brown was in her late teens after Rector died in 1967 at the age of 65 that Brown realized Aunt Sister had indeed been rich. This is Sarah Rector, she said. ABOUT If theres a lesson for others in her legacy, its in the importance of financial literacy, she said. Sarah Rector became an extremely famous personality all over the country and some places in the world. 1886), and by 1907, they were living in a two-room cabin outside of Taft, population 250, on Roses land allotment. Dubois, founder and editor of the NAACPs Crisis magazine, set out to discern whether the reports were true. Sarah Rector was born in 1902 to a freed black couple, Rose McQueen and Joseph Rector. Many turned out to be thieves. Diane Euston writes a regular history column regarding the Kansas City area on her blog The New Santa Fe Trailer. Any oil produced would give a 12.5 percent royalty to the land owner. We would like to see the house restored and have it become a historic landmark and museum, the Rector descendants told me around the kitchen table covered with photos, records and family papers. Rector was already a millionaire by the time she had turned 18. Her sudden wealth became the object of racist news coverage. Can someone update her wikipedia page with the right photo at least. Rectors cut was $300 each day, a considerable amount at the time. Jerome Kerviel is the poorest person on the planet. Thats the way she would put it. Most of the fancy parties that Sarah had where celebrities such as Duke Ellington would attend werent at the Rector mansion- they were at her home at 2600 Lockridge where she had purchased several homes on the block. Registry of Corporate Directors. Her parents, Joseph Rector and his wife, Rose McQueen (both born 1881) were African descendants of the Creek Nation Creek Indians before the Civil war. With Dave Stewart, Hall produced one of his albums titled 'Three Hearts in the Happy Ending Machine,' which has a #5 solo single named 'Dreamtime. In 1913, however, her fortunes changed when wildcat oil driller B. Before her wealth and fame, On Browns visit to the D.C. area, she set out with Riffle for the Smithsonians National Museum of African American History and Culture bearing the faded photographs of Rector as a woman. In 1914, an African American journal, The Chicago Defender, began to take an interest in Rector, just as rumors began to fly that she was a white immigrant who was being kept in poverty. Rector became a millionaire after oil was drilled on her land. The White-owned newspapers across the country heralded young Sarah as the worlds richest Negro girl and gushed about her supposed fairy-tale life, all the while suggesting she was unworthy of it. Newspaper articles reporting Sarahs rags to riches story and the NAACP investigation sparked a number of international marriage proposals when Sarah was just 13, some from white men seeking to control her growing oil empire. In 1913, an independent driller, B.B. Busting the Myth Behind Moctezumas Headdress; Did It Really Belong Him? Sales Partnership Solutions As its revealed in the last episode of Self Made, yes, Madam C.J. Except for a short time in Missouri, she lived all of her life in Woodward and she had attended Woodward schools. Economic Equity & Racial Justice Townhall Series, Elevate Black Podcast sponsored by Fifth Third Bank, 100 Founders of Change by American Express, Chasing Success Podcast by JP Morgan Chase, Black Business Month Sponsored by Nationwide, 2022 Registry Of Corporate Directors Listing, 2021 BE Registry Of Corporate Directors Listing. Inside, it says it was Rector at 12, while the 1915 caption, which does not include a photo credit, says she was 10. At the time, a lawrequired Native Americans, black adults, and children who were citizens of Indian Territory with significant property and money were to be assigned well-respected white guardians. By the early 20th century, the Creek Freedmen, as they were known, had settled in all-Black towns dotting Indian Territory,which in 1907 became the state of Oklahoma. Wikimedia CommonsThrough sheer chance Sarah Rector became one of the richest children in America. . By the time she was 11, her portion of the familys land was earning more than 300,000 a year, drawing both suitors and global attention despite her age. Brown walked up to the visitors desk and asked the two women behind the counter if she could speak to a museum official to explain the photos before handing them over. Headlines such as Girls $112,000 a Year, Negro Girl Will Pay Largest Tax, and Negro Girl Rich From Oil- Has Income of $475 Daily More Soon sensationalized the story of a small girl and her familys reality. Sara Allen (born March 23, 1954) is an There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. She was the owner of stocks and bonds, a boarding house, a restaurant in Oklahoma, a bakery, and around 2,000 acres of land. Jeff Bezos is the founder of both Amazon, the worlds largest retailer, and Blue Origin. They had a lavish life and were part of the elite of the time. Jones produced a gusher on her land that brought in 2,500 barrels or 105,000 gallons per day. Sarah is buried in a peaceful parcel of land known as Blackjack Cemetery back home in Oklahoma where she was born. Alice Walton, the daughter of the Walmart founder, was ranked second with 61.8 billion U.S. dollars in net worth. At the height of her wealth, Sarah owned Rector Mansion, a large stone house on East 12th Street in Kansas City, and the entire block surrounding it. Sarah Rector was not immune from the Great Depression, however, which cost her most of her fortune and Sarah Rectors net worth at the time of her death is a matter of debate and speculation. Who was the real Sarah Rector, The Richest Black Girl in America?, Missing in Action: Local artists painting of Patrick Mahomes stolen, UPDATE: Shakir is safe. At this time, the government was doling out the last of the Indian allotments before Oklahoma was admitted as a state. Her issues with disputed guardianship continued in Kansas City, The judge also approved money for Rector to attend the childrens school at Tuskegee Institute. When Rector died at age 65 on July 22, 1967, her wealth was diminished, but she still had some working oil wells and real estate holdings. Around the same time, two children of Freedmen whose allotments had spouted oil were murdered by dynamite as they slept. Sarah Rector became a millionaire at the age of 11. At this point, her lawyers claimed that she owned $750,000 in oil properties along with other assets that pushed her worth to over $1 million. Their backward and insistent narrative has even taken them to resort to legal shenanigans to maintain their speech and benefit from it. When Sarah Rector died at age 65, she had used up a good portion of her fortune but she still had a few oil-producing wells and some real estate. Sarah Rectors case spotlighted the practice of transferring guardianship of black childrens wealth to whites. Walker, achieving that distinction as a teenager. I have some important news to share with all of America: those images are not Sarah Rector. Born as the daughter of freedmen in 1902, Sarah Rector rose from humble beginnings to reportedly become the wealthiest black girl in the nation at the age of 11. This caused National African American leaders Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. How better to impress White Southerners than to become slaveholders themselves? Who was this girl, and how did she become one of the richest people in the early-20th-century US? Mollie McQueen, Sarahs paternal great-great-grandmother, was enslaved by Creek Chief Opothleyahola in Alabama. Now, as mentioned, as Sarahs wealth kept growing, so did her fame. Everyone has their own agenda (even those directly concerned) so we have to take bias into account. The family perspective is essential and its wonderful that they are determined to set the story straight. This ended up not being true entirely but Sarah and her siblings were soon sent to school in Taft. Sarah Rector was buried in Taft Cemetery, Oklahoma. The entire frontage of 12th St. from Euclid to Garfield was bought by Rector money and rented out to people for additional income. and came with a royalty if a splash or two of oil happened to be found. In 1913, the independent oil driller B.B. This was an irrevocable law so that Oklahoma could be integrated into US territory. Its this legacy that Brown saw herself paying tribute to about 12 years ago when she began with the help of her sisters and partner, Karen Riffle, to document Sarah Rectors life. When Sarah reached legal age, a judge found her mentally sound and capable of managing her own affairs. 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