Rector now received an income of $300. Soon, the NAACP and W.E.B. As the richest self-made Black woman on this list, Oprah Winfreys contributions to both pop culture as a whole and the advancement of Black women, in particular, cannot be overstated. She divorced Campbell and married restaurant owner William Crawford, who she remained with until she died. Her last stop in Kansas City was none other than the old Rector Mansion, now a funeral home. The courts again sided with Rector, ruling that since she had managed her property with such astuteness that she needs no guardian.. Several speeding tickets were issued to both of themespecially to Sarah. When the public learned how much Rector was earning, her guardianship was transferred from her parents to a white man named T.J. Porter. Her mother, Rosa Rector, would simply say, Aunt Sister can afford to do that, Brown said. Jeff Bezos is the founder of both Amazon, the worlds largest retailer, and Blue Origin. INFORMATION With all the attention surrounding her wealth, eventually Sarah Rector attracted the attention of another type of man: one who did not see black or white so much as green. She bought a big house, that became known as the Rector Mansion, and all in all, things were looking great for the Rector family. WebShe recalls once during the Hotel California tour when Henley flew her in a cranberry-colored jet to the Omni in Atlanta to watch the show. Played by Blair Underwood opposite Octavia Spencers Walker, C.J. Moreover, Sarahs parents, Joseph and Rose, were also forced to pay a land tax of $30 per year on their daughters property. You might like this: Mansa Musa I: The Richest Man In History Was An African King, Not Jeff Bezos. Jones produced a gusher on her land that brought in 2,500 barrels or 105,000 gallons per day. The truth was that her parents were given money monthly to take care of her, and a new five-room home was being built on land purchased. The land became part of the famous Cushing-Drumright Oil Field and it propelled Rector into both spotlight and scandal. B. Jones produced a gusher that brought in 2500 barrels a day. They divorced in 1930 and Rector remarried in 1934. Shed yet to become a millionaire, crossing that threshold at about 18, with oil earnings that would be worth $14 million today. 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. In fact, Sarahs parents had selected Porter as guardian of their daughters wealth, and he received only 2% of her total income. Then in 1917, the source of all the speculation vanished from Oklahoma. 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. Connecting oklahoma's electric cooperative communities. Richest Colored Girl Forced to Live in Shack, the Defender proclaimed. 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. National African American leaders such asBooker T. Washington andW.E.B. The petition was denied, and he was forced to keep paying the property tax, still without knowing that land was literally a fortune fountain. The adults would work in the garden farming potatoes and a rich variety of greens while Brown, her siblings and Rectors children played in the barn and the dirt and got chased by the evil geese. She recalls Rectors generosity with her time and devotion to family. She died on July 22, 1967, and she only had some oil wells working and some real estate holdings. Sandringham House and Balmoral Castle are privately owned by the Queen. In 1902, young Sarah Rector was born into this world, the second eldest of Joe and Rose Rectors nine children. 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. It's a site that collects all the most frequently asked questions and answers, so you don't have to spend hours on searching anywhere else. When Rector died at age 65 on July 22, 1967, her wealth was diminished, but she still had some working oil wells and His petition was denied because of certain restrictions placed on the land, so he was required to continue paying the taxes. Rector, whose relatives had been enslaved by Creek Indians and later lived among the tribes members in Oklahoma, was just 11 in 1913 when Black Gold was discovered on her allotment of tribal land. At the turn of the 20th century, the Indian Territory was the countrys biggest oil producer. After the Stock Market Crash, a major dent was put into the finances of the Rector family. But the land given to the Freedmen was of generally inferior quality rocky and unfit for farming, hardly worth the tax burden. Waters had been corresponding with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the United States Children's Bureau over concerns regarding the mismanagement of Rector's estate. 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. By Sydney Trent She is also the founder and co-host of "Be Heard Talk," a political podcast that adds a sprinkle of trap music, Beyonce, and flavor to unseasoned news. By the time she turned 18, Rector was worth an estimated $1 million, or about $11 million today. In 1913, 11-year-old Sarah Rector became the richest Black girl in America, almost by accident. Contact Rectors lost most of her wealth during The Great Depression. Rector died at the age of 65 on July 22, 1967. All Rights Reserved. It would be wonderful to see a bio about her!. Sarah and her mother were known for their fancy Cadillacs, Lincolns and a Rolls Royce limo they raced around town. While Oprahs massive fortune wasnt built on acting, alone, she deserves to make the list. Shes known as the first Black female millionaire to live in Kansas City, Missouri. A photo of Sarah Rector with one of her cars has been removed from the story due to questions about the cars make and model. The town belonged to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, and was one of several all-Black towns set up specifically for descendants of Africans enslaved by the Nation prior to the Civil War. WebIn the 1920s, the Rector family moved to Kansas City where Sarah graduated from Lincoln High School. Mama Rose died in 1957, and Sarah passed in 1967 from a cerebral hemorrhage. Can someone update her wikipedia page with the right photo at least. Primarily to generate enough revenue to pay the $30 annual tax bill, in February 1911 Rectors father leased her allotment to the Devonian Oil Company of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She felt betrayed by her bandmate. Oprah Winfrey. This home-place was a stately stone house. Although Joseph Rector had selected Porter as Sarahs guardian before oil was discovered on her land, newspapers soon picked up the story that the Rector family was still living in relative poverty while Sarahs white guardian was making a killing off her oil. The White-owned newspapers, seemingly unconstrained by facts and at times human decency, were openly racist in their coverage. SistersInc. Booker T. Washington even reportedly visited their home. [4] In 1934, she married restaurant owner William Crawford. In return for that and otherwise assimilating to Anglo-American culture, White Southerners often called them the Five Civilized Tribes.. There were the fancy limos and Cadillacs that ferried young relatives to school and out for barbecue, the White-owned department store that opened its doors just so Sarah Rector could shop; the rolling farmland where Rector would invite Browns mother and the children for family gatherings. This prompted Du Bois to establish the Children's Department of the NAACP, which would investigate claims of white guardians who were suspected of depriving black children of their land and wealth. In 1913, 11-year-old Sarah Rector became the richest Black girl in America, almost by accident. They drive by the abandoned Rector Mansion, boarded up and falling into disrepair, wishing that they could find a way to buy it back and bring it to its former glory. Each freedman was given 160 acres of land. Sarah Ferguson says the late Queen was her 'total idol' and 'put you at ease straightaway' - and admits when her corgis 'bark at nothing' she 'believes it's the monarch passing by' Pastor Imitates Jesus Christ and Tries to Fast for 40 Days; He Passed of Malnutrition, Shelley, Woolf, and Maas: Three Feminist Writers that Turned Pain into Masterpieces. When Sarahs popularity grew, her parents were forced to give up their guardianship status to a white man named T.J. Porter. LIKE US ONFACEBOOK. All rights reserved 2022 Collective Culture. At that point, she left Tuskegee and, with her entire family, moved to Kansas City, Missouri. This was an irrevocable law so that Oklahoma could be integrated into US territory. Her grandparents had been enslaved by Creek Indians and freed after the Civil War. Jones drilled a well on the property which produced a "gusher" that began to bring in 2,500 barrels (400m3) of oil a day. 1. Who is the poorest person in the world? 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. An earlier version of this article incorrectly spelled the name of Muskogee County. Enter your email address to follow this site and receive news sent to your email. The land allotments were usually rocky and unsuitable for farming, while the more arable lands were sold to white settlers. Still, after being declared white, Sarah Rector was fully accepted into the elite circles of Oklahoma. W.E.B. Du Bois, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and its magazine, the Crisis, became involved in Sarah Rectors case when Du Bois received a memo from James C. Waters, Jr., an attorney and agent affiliated with the NAACP, on June 18, 1914. Back then, it was known as Twine, Indian Territory, since Oklahoma had not yet been incorporated as a state. After Oklahoma earned statehood in 1907, the new state continued to draw drillers to the area hoping to get lucky. According to the Amsterdam News, Rector and her family sought to end Porters guardianship and were ultimately successful. Jones produced a gusher on the land. That year Rector married Kenneth Campbell, and the couple had three sons, Kenneth, Jr., Leonard, and Clarence. Currently, no one has yet claimed trillionaire status, although some of the worlds richest individuals may only be a few years away from this milestone. Meanwhile, Chinas state-run media portrays China as acting as a good faith peacemaker. She threw lavish parties and entertained celebrities such as Count Basie and Duke Ellington. Her and her familys net worth was estimated at 73.6 billion U.S. dollars. She had been born into poverty as a member of the Muscogee Nation in Oklahoma in 1902, and received, as did every member of the Nation, a plot of undesirable land in the territory when it was made a state in 1907. And, perhaps most remarkably for the time, Sarah Rector was able to keep just about all her money. In late August 1913, B.B. Who is the first richest woman in the world? She was in Kansas City, Mo., where her family had relocated a few years earlier. One of his slaves was Mollie, Sarah Rectors great-grandmother. For the first time, Brown heard the word: oil. Even after Sarah and Becky left for Alabama for better schooling, the newspapers reported that they were living in a tent. With an estimated net worth of $177 billion, he is the richest person in the world. In researching Sarah Rector, she decided to go directly to Brown and her three sisters who are still right there in Kansas City. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [11], To help cover this expense, in February 1911, Joseph Rector leased Sarah's parcel to the Standard Oil Company. That same year, Rector enrolled in the Childrens House, a boarding school for teenagers atTuskegee InstituteinAlabama. EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Limited Or Anthology Series, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie. They had three children: Becky (b. Mansa Musa, who may have been the richest person ever. They have sat back quietly as the rumors about their family recirculate every so often, as that false photo of Sarah is placed at the top of newspaper headlines and social media posts. Sarah Rector was born in 1902 near the all-black town of Taft, located in the eastern portion of Oklahoma, in what was then Indian Territory. Sarahs cut per day was $300. Washington also intervened to help the Rector family. In the internet era, she said with a sigh, it sometimes seems like a losing battle. This was an irrevocable law so that Oklahoma could be integrated into US territory. Du Bois to become concerned about her welfare. The couple had three sons before divorcing in 1930. 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 moved to Kansas City in 1917, where she finished high school and stayed for the rest of her life. When the Indian territory where Rector was born became Oklahoma in 1907, the federal government granted each member of the Creek Nation a land allotment, including descendants of people enslaved by the Nation like four-year-old Sarah Rector. Without being able to farm and make some profit from the land, Sarahs father, Joseph, petitioned the Muskogee County Court to be able to sell the land. Subscribe to Newsletter But Rectors first guardian, a rancher named T.J. Porter, invested her earnings judiciously in rich river bottom land, business properties and lucrative mortgages. In fact, both women appeared to have a bit of a lead foot. [14], Soon after moving to Kansas City, when she was 17 or 18, she married local businessman Kenneth Campbell in 1920. Oil Made Pickaninny Rich blared a headline in The Washington Post, which described Rector in 1914 as an orphan, crude, Black and uneducated, yet worth more than $4,000,000.. Rectors spending was legendary, and she routinely drove around town in one of her expensive vehicles. Kansas City Were no interviews or oral histories ever conducted and recorded with Ms Rector, her parents or her siblings in their lifetime? Each member of the Rector family received a 160-acre allotment of rocky, unproductive land deemed unsuitable for farming. Had the U.S. government known at the time what flowed beneath Sarahs rocky acres, they likely would have reconsidered. Then her best friend, model Sara Recor (at the time married to music manager Jim Recor), fell for Fleetwood and began an affair with him whilst Nicks and Fleetwood were still together. Registry of Corporate Directors. At the age of 20, she married Kansas City businessman Kenneth Campbell and the couple hosted such local royalty as Joe Louis, Duke Ellington and Count Basie in their mansion. Some Native Americans had owned slaves and Sarahs family lived While living on Creek Indian land, Rectors parents Joseph and Rose were given hundreds of acres thought to be useless in 1907. In 1913, however, her fortunes changed when wildcat oil driller B. In January 1914, the newspaper wrote,Oil Made Pickaninny Rich Oklahoma Girl With $15,000 A Month gets Many Proposals Four White Men in Germany Want to Marry the Negro Child That They Might Share Her Fortune. Meanwhile, the Savannah Tribune wrote,Oil Well Produces Neat Income Negro Girls $112,000 A Year. If theres a lesson for others in her legacy, its in the importance of financial literacy, she said. The most important part of this saga is the simple fact that her family got lost within the tabloids tabloids worldwide that painted a picture of a poor little black girl from Oklahoma who slept on dirt floors, struck it rich, was taken advantage of and lived frivolously. Early life. [4] Sarah Rector died in 1967 from a stroke at the age of 65. Rector became a millionaire after oil was drilled on her land. In turn, Joe was able to talk his wife (allegedly) into paying his $8,000 bond plus $2,000 in expenses to go to Tampico, Mexico and get his half. 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. For their part, Black-owned newspapers, including the influential Chicago Defender, speculated anxiously that Rectors White guardian was taking advantage of her and shortchanging her education. 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 Joe Rectors attempts to lease it for oil and natural gas exploration at first netted little. That equates to $7,000 $8,000 today. Ironically, her body was brought to C.K. Today, people refer to the house inaccurately as the Sarah Rector Mansion when the truth is her mother purchased it and her whole family lived there. For a hundred years, these photos have depicted Sarah Rector, the Richest Black Girl in America. [10] John Rector's father, Benjamin McQueen, was enslaved by Reilly Grayson, who was a Creek Indian. There, the Rectors eventually moved into a home that was a far cry from that weather-whipped two-room cabin in which Sarah began life. 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