Du Bois, who got involved with Sarah Rectors case when he heard rumors her money was being mismanaged by a white man. She had five siblings. Meet Sarah Rector, the 11-Year-Old Who Became The Richest Black Girl in America in 1913. Eventually, it netted her upwards of $8,000 per day in todays currency. 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. Yet depending on the publication, the family was either senselessly rich or persistently poor. About This version has been corrected. 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. And Kardashian has earned at least $10 million annually since 2012 from endorsement deals, mobile apps and her show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians. In November 1921, Fred Rector, Sarahs uncle, alleged that Rector was dissipating her fortune and asked that G.C. Parker, a white man of Muskogee, be appointed as guardian. In March 1922, another application was filed against her that sought a guardian to oversee her estate. Many Freedmen eked out a living raising corn, cotton and other common crops. Still, after being declared white, Sarah Rector was fully accepted into the elite circles of Oklahoma. ABOUT They said, Whatevers down there, you dont bother with it. They had a lavish life and were part of the elite of the time. All Rights Reserved. Registry of Corporate Directors. The family lived simply but not in poverty; however, the $30 annual property tax on Sarah's parcel was such a burden that her father petitioned the Muskogee County Court to sell the land. Details of the life of the person: Sarah Rector was born in 1902 in Oklahoma in Indian Territory. When she died at age 65 on July 22, 1967, she only had some working oil wells and real estate holdings. 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. Kansas City She married her second husband, William Crawford, and lived a relatively quiet life. Her and her familys net worth was estimated at 73.6 billion U.S. dollars. Alice Walton, the daughter of the Walmart founder, was ranked second with 61.8 billion U.S. dollars in net worth. According to historian Tonya Bolden in her biography Searching for Sarah Rector: The Richest Black Girl in America, Jefferson had been the familys benefactor for years and long before there was any probability of them every having money.. In late August 1913, B.B. Around the same time, two children of Freedmen whose allotments had spouted oil were murdered by dynamite as they slept. 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. It is important to hear from those directly concerned, rather than base research solely on archival material like newspaper clippings. At that point, she left Tuskegee and, with her entire family, moved to Kansas City, Missouri. Will King Charles IIIs Reign See the End of the Commonwealth? How the author stumbled on Sarahs story is included in this spellbinding presentation of an early America and real-life mysteries. Joe Rectors attempts to lease it for oil and natural gas exploration at first netted little. Its too dangerous, Brown recalled. 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. 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. The family perspective is essential and its wonderful that they are determined to set the story straight. 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. All rights reserved 2022 Collective Culture. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. was an adman and salesman. The law at the time required full-blooded Indians, black adults, and children who were citizens of Indian Territory with significant property and money, to be assigned "well-respected" white guardians. At that point, she left Tuskegee and, with her entire family, moved to Kansas City, Missouri. If theres a lesson for others in her legacy, its in the importance of financial literacy, she said. Much was publicized about her extravagant spending on luxuries. In October 1914, Rector enrolled at the Childrens House, a boarding school for teens at Tuskegee Institute. 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. In researching Sarah Rector, she decided to go directly to Brown and her three sisters who are still right there in Kansas City. WebSarah Kay Ferguson Avila went to be with her Lord and Saviour on September 27, 2014 in Oklahoma City. Jerome Kerviel is the poorest person on the planet. Spain 's She divorced Campbell and married restaurant owner William Crawford, who she remained with until she died. They moved to a modern cottage with five bedrooms and owned a car. Land also required payment of taxes per year. 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. By the time she turned 18, Rector was worth an estimated $1 million, or about $11 million today. Sarahs parents had selected a white guardian for her Thomas Jefferson Porter. Du Bois himself got involved, hoping to verify this story and rectify any injustice done to Sarah. The courts again sided with Rector, ruling that since she had managed her property with such astuteness that she needs no guardian.. [10] John Rector's father, Benjamin McQueen, was enslaved by Reilly Grayson, who was a Creek Indian. Her parents were African American members of the Muscogee Creek Nation. By the time she turned 18, Rector was worth an estimated $1 million, or about $11 million today. 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. Everyone has their own agenda (even those directly concerned) so we have to take bias into account. 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. 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. Even as tens of thousands of Native Americans were forcibly relocated northwest to Indian Territory from 1831 to 1850 in the genocidal journey known as The Trail of Tears, the tribes largely sided with the Confederate states during the Civil War. The couple had three sons and were recognized as local royalty, driving expensive cars and entertaining elites like Joe Louis, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie at their home. It went on to claim that her parents were ignorant.. 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. Her mother insisted that older sister Becky go along to ensure her younger sister was tended to. To be clear, Sarah still had quite a bit of money, but she didnt have the ability to throw money around like she had once. At this time, the government was doling out the last of the Indian allotments before Oklahoma was admitted as a state. As a consequence of that Act, around 600 children received land, ad Sarah was granted almost 160 acres. But the land given to the Freedmen was of generally inferior quality rocky and unfit for farming, hardly worth the tax burden. WebWho was Sara Rector and how did she become wealthy? He had lived in the home for over 17 years. Two years later, Rectors fortune took a major turn when independent oil driller B.B. 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. The retired phys ed teacher had traveled from Kansas City to Maryland with her partner to coach a womens softball tournament. 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Rector Family PhotographSarah Rector moved to Kansas City in 1917, where she finished high school and stayed for the rest of her life. Busting the Myth Behind Moctezumas Headdress; Did It Really Belong Him? FOLLOW US ONTWITTERANDINSTAGRAM. The devastation of the Tulsa Race Massacre. In 1913, an oil driller discovered a gusher that produced a reported 2,500 barrels per day. 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 She was the owner of stocks and bonds, a boarding house, a restaurant in Oklahoma, a bakery, and around 2,000 acres of land. Sara Recor is an American personality. She is Mick Fleetwood's ex-wife. They got married in 1988 in Malibu, California and separated after 4 years in 1992. When Mick Fleetwood married Sara Recor on April 24, 1988 in a lavish ceremony at their Malibu home, it was an affair to remember. 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