As a consequence of that Act, around 600 children received land, ad Sarah was granted almost 160 acres. 1902) and Joe, Jr. (b. Concerned with her wellbeing and her white financial guardian, early NAACP leaders fought to protect her and her fortune. Defeated, he sobbed all the way to Dallas on a train where he ended up in Baylor Hospital. Some estimates place Sarah Rectors net worth at the time at $1 million, or about $28 million today. Likely in order to escape scrutiny and not wanting to be the target of some greedy partys act, This was a burden that became so great that Joseph attempted to sell Sarahs land, but was blocked from doing so by state law, which forbade the sale of lands belonging to minors. Masthead. When she was pulled over in her shiny green and black Cadillac, Sarah would cockily turn to the officer and say, Dont you know who I am?!. 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. 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. One of the greatest examples of this hypocrisy and nonsensical laws is the case of Sarah Rector, a young black girl deemed by the press and society as the Richest Colored Girl in the World, " and who was eventually declared white so she could be a member of society. 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. Rectors father leased Sarahs portion of the land to a Pittsburgh oil company in 1911, primarily to pay a yearly $30 tax bill. DuBoisbecame concerned about her welfare. 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. We use our own and third-party cookies to personalize and improve the use and experience of our users on our website. When she died at age 65 on July 22, 1967, she only had some working oil wells and real estate holdings. Jones produced a gusher on the land. He focused on real estate development and his car dealership at 18th and Vine. Brown returned the images to the envelope. Many Freedmen eked out a living raising corn, cotton and other common crops. Her memory of Aunt Sister is all about family. They moved to a modern cottage with five bedrooms and owned a car. 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. Du Bois, who got involved with Sarah Rectors case when he heard rumors her money was being mismanaged by a white man. 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. 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. They divorced in 1930 and Rector remarried in 1934. WebWho was Sara Rector and how did she become wealthy? She and Kenneth Campbell had three sons, Kenneth Jr., Leonard, and Clarence. Under the laws of the time, black parents were not automatically given guardianship of their own children. But Rectors first guardian, a rancher named T.J. Porter, invested her earnings judiciously in rich river bottom land, business properties and lucrative mortgages. Kim Kardashian is now officially a billionaire: Forbes estimates her net worth is approximately $1 billion, up from $780 million in October 2020. A typical cabin for Creek Freedmen on Muscogee (Creek) Nation land in Oklahoma, similar to where Sarah Rector would have been born. B.E. Please be sure to open and click your first newsletter so we can confirm your subscription. She drove a green and black Cadillac, later adding a silver-plated Lincoln and a chauffer-driven Rolls Royce. To raise enough money to pay the $30 annual tax bill, Sarahs father, Joseph Rector, leased her allotment to the Devonian Oil Company of Pittsburg in 1911. 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. Each freedman was given 160 acres of land. Rectors lost most of her wealth during The Great Depression. Sarah was born on March 3, 1902. Now, as mentioned, as Sarahs wealth kept growing, so did her fame. 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. 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. Later, Sarah received a phonograph, a piano and a Premier motor car, Bolden writes. Black Men XCEL At the time, Sarah Rectors net worth was estimated to be comprised of about $750,000 in oil revenue, and she was bringing in over $100,000 per year. A Fairfax County (Virginia) School Board member last week said World War II's Battle of Iwo Jima "set the record" for what "human evil is capable of" and it was far from the only controversial statement Abrar Omeish has uttered. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Missing endangered juvenile from Red Bridge area, Ruskin High School novelist has six books on Amazon, Florist discusses the future of Fiddly Fig and Teefey Flowers, Medical marijuana grow farms approved for south KC, How Angolas Warrior Queen Nzinga Fought Against Colonial Forces In Africa & Other History Lessons I Learned In Lockdown The Witty Poet, Learning from the Unspeakable: Teaching Ideas Centered on the Tulsa Race Massacre - The Classroom Bookshelf, A garotinha negra e pobre que virou branca e rica antes do Michael Jackson | Contraditorium, America's First Black Millionaires - Grunge - Wealth Santa, America's First Black Millionaires Grunge Financial Consultant, America's First Black Millionaires - Black Source Media, Food Pantry on Wheels @ Marlborough Community Ctr, Hedwig and the Angry Inch @ The Arts Asylum. In 1913, however, her fortunes changed when wildcat oil driller B. When Sarah was 18 years old, she had a fortune estimated at $1 million, the equivalent of $11 million today. Home | About | Contact | Copyright | Report Content | Privacy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap. Sarah Rector died in 1967 from a stroke at the age of 65. Mollie McQueen, Sarahs paternal great-great-grandmother, was enslaved by Creek Chief Opothleyahola in Alabama. 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. Although historical accounts clash, Sarah Rector is believed to be Americas second black millionaire after Madam C.J. Mansa Musa I: The Richest Man In History Was An African King, Not Jeff Bezos. Quickly, this oil gusher produced 2,500 barrels of oil per day. They had to petition a court to obtain it or otherwise request a white guardian. She had five siblings. The ladies loved finer clothing, but being African American, they were not allowed to shop alongside white patrons in stores on Petticoat Lane. When the public learned how much Rector was earning, her guardianship was transferred from her parents to a white man named T.J. Porter. 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. Land also required payment of taxes per year. In September 1913, The Kansas City Star local newspaper published the headline, Millions to a Negro Girl Sarah Rector, 10-Year Old, Has Income of $300 A Day From Oil, reports Face 2 Face Africa. Rectors spending was legendary, and she routinely drove around town in one of her expensive vehicles. That same year, Sarah was making over $300 a day, which has been estimated to be around $8,000 today. While lands granted to former slaves were usually rocky and infertile, Rectors allotment from the Creek Indian Nation was located in the middle of the Glenn Pool oil field and was initially valued at $556.50. Not too long afterward, Manuel disappeared into the sunset and Joe, embarrassed, finally wired his wife for the money to get home. Sarah is buried in a peaceful parcel of land known as Blackjack Cemetery back home in Oklahoma where she was born. Rector Family PhotographSarah Rector moved to Kansas City in 1917, where she finished high school and stayed for the rest of her life. By 1911, leasing land to oil-diggers presented a new opportunity for the Rectors land. 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. 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. It became known as the Rector Mansion, Bolden told the New York Amsterdam News. Yet the possibility of riches teased the imagination as landholders throughout Oklahoma began striking oil. The facts, including that Rectors themselves had selected Porter, a family friend, went unacknowledged. Enter your email address to follow this site and receive news sent to your email. Forbes magazine estimated the Queens net worth at around $500 million (about 325 million) in 2011, while an analysis by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index put it at $425 million (about 275 million) in 2015. 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. 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. She was declared as a white person so she could fit in the socialit circles of her time. DuBois. Rector now received an income of $300. China is a responsible major country that is always willing to play a constructive role and has sincerity and goodwill in actively promoting peace talks, according to Global Times.. Since the outbreak of the When Sarah reached legal age, a judge found her mentally sound and capable of managing her own affairs. She had five siblings. Sarahs cut per day was $300. In 1914, an African American Journal called The Chicago Defender, published a set of articles on Sarah Rector and her fortune after her name was becoming more and more popular. They said, Whatevers down there, you dont bother with it. Ironically, this government prohibition proved to be the familys greatest blessing. But it definitely isnt her.. By Sydney Trent Rector's allotment subsequently became part of the Cushing-Drumright Oil Field. Rector died at the age of 65 on July 22, 1967. Ive heard so much of Ms. Rector during my life and am so grateful to the family for sharing the truth! Kerford Funeral Home. 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. Last year we listed Elizabeth Holmes as the worlds youngest self-made woman billionaire, worth an estimated $4.5 billion. In 1913, the independent oil driller B.B. 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. In 1913, 11-year-old Sarah Rector became the richest Black girl in America, almost by accident. 1906). Women of Power Summit I have some important news to share with all of America: those images are not Sarah Rector. Black newspapers at the time, like the Chicago Defender in 1914, were angered by this takeover. INFORMATION Rector became instantly wealthy. Rector's parents, Rose McQueen and her husband, Joseph Rector (both born 1881),[4] were the Black grandchildren of Creek Indians before the Civil War,[5] and were descendants of the Muscogee Creek Nation after the Treaty of 1866. Several speeding tickets were issued to both of themespecially to Sarah. Privacy Policy Around the same time, two children of Freedmen whose allotments had spouted oil were murdered by dynamite as they slept. 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. When Rector died at age 65 on July 22, 1967, her wealth was diminished, but she still had some working oil wells and Still, Sarahs case was so big that it inspired the creation of the Childrens Department of the NAACP to investigate and protect children from white guardians being ripped off their land and wealth. Rectors lost most of her wealth during The Great Depression. For a hundred years, these photos have depicted Sarah Rector, the Richest Black Girl in America. She married him in 1906 following her first marriage to Moses McWilliams at 14 and her second to a man named John Davis. 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). It was an article in a respectable black newspaper called the Chicago Defender that turned their worlds upside down. 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. WebStevie Nicks, Beatles, John Lennon, George Harrison, Fleetwood Mac, Bee Gees, Star Wars, X-Files, "Worthwhile" Comedy (70s, 80s & early 90s SNL, Vintage Looney 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. They divorced in 1930 and Rector remarried in 1934. We cant prove with absolute certainty to everybody that its not her, Brown said, because there are no childhood photos that exist for comparison. Joe Rector also began receiving payments of about $50 a month about $1,500 in todays dollars. 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. Everyone has their own agenda (even those directly concerned) so we have to take bias into account. Sarah Rector was buried in Taft Cemetery, Oklahoma. Rector and her family where African American members of the Muscogee Creek Nation who lived in a modest cabin in the predominantly black town of Taft, Oklahoma, which, at the time, was considered Indian Territory. Taft in Muskogee County (the Creeks were known as the Muscogee) was prominent among them as home to two newspapers, a general store, a bank, a soda factory and two hotels. In October 1914, Rector enrolled at the Childrens House, a boarding school for teens at Tuskegee Institute. More intriguing, what happened to this young African American woman who was part of the Creek [Indian] freedmen? 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