The most vexing bit to Brown: the black-and-white photo of the somber-faced girl with pigtails wearing a dark plaid dress. He focused on real estate development and his car dealership at 18th and Vine. Muscogee Judge Leahy wrote back and confirmed that Porter received less than two percent of Sarahs total income, that the Rectors lived in a new, fully-furnished five-room cottage, and that Sarah and her sister were set to attend a boarding school run by Booker T. Washington. She even generated $11,567 in October 1913. Eventually, Sarah married William Crawford, a restaurateur whom she helped to open a second restaurant in Tulsa. Eventually, it netted her upwards of $8,000 per day in todays currency. The family perspective is essential and its wonderful that they are determined to set the story straight. Sandringham House and Balmoral Castle are privately owned by the Queen. Claim #2: China is a Good Faith Peacemaker . When Sarahs popularity grew, her parents were forced to give up their guardianship status to a white man named T.J. Porter. 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.. The couple had three sons before divorcing in 1930. The paper allegedly embellished details about the Rectors, saying that they lived in a shack, which generated concern from Black leaders like W.E.B. 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. Brown assumes so. We have things we would like to share with everyone., Today, their history is kept alive by relentless Rector women making sure their story from now on is told right.. Upon graduation, she attended the Institute. By 1922, Sarah was able to make her own decisions, and she married her first husband that year. 1906). Mollie McQueen, Sarahs paternal great-great-grandmother, was enslaved by Creek Chief Opothleyahola in Alabama. Editors Note: This story was originally published on February 11, 2019, EVENTS She was declared as a white person so she could fit in the socialit circles of her time. If youre 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. 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. Sarah was born on October 23, 1974 in Woodward, Oklahoma to John L. and Carol (Machacek) Ferguson. She eventually left Tuskegee with her family and moved toKansas City, Missouri, where she bought agrand home that still stands 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. 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. Busting the Myth Behind Moctezumas Headdress; Did It Really Belong Him? When the public learned how much Rector was earning, her guardianship was transferred from her parents to a white man named T.J. Porter. And Kardashian has earned at least $10 million annually since 2012 from endorsement deals, mobile apps and her show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Thats the way she would put it. 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. Kansas City, Missouri But will go back to this in a moment. None of the allegations were true. 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. He had lived in the home for over 17 years. Enter your email address to follow this site and receive news sent to your email. reset to default font size This home-place was a stately stone house. SistersInc. Diane Euston writes a regular history column regarding the Kansas City area on her blog The New Santa Fe Trailer. 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. 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. Sarah Rector became an extremely famous personality all over the country and some places in the world. In 1913, a speculator produced a gusher on Sarahs land. Selena Hill is the Digital Editor at Black Enterprise and an award-winning multi-media journalist. She married him in 1906 following her first marriage to Moses McWilliams at 14 and her second to a man named John Davis. But, as we mentioned at the beginning, the hypocrisy of racism would soon make its appearance. Since he could not sell the land, Joseph Rector decided to lease it out to a Pittsburgh oil company. 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. Sarah Rector, also known as Sarah Rector Campbell and Sarah Campbell Crawford, (March 3, 1902 July 22, 1967)[1] was a Creek Freedwoman and oil magnate once known as the "Richest Colored Girl in the World".[2][3]. After Oklahoma earned statehood in 1907, the new state continued to draw drillers to the area hoping to get lucky. Some Native Americans had owned slaves and Sarahs family lived [11], To help cover this expense, in February 1911, Joseph Rector leased Sarah's parcel to the Standard Oil Company. Some estimates place Sarah Rectors net worth at the time at $1 million, or about $28 million today. WebSarah Kay Ferguson Avila went to be with her Lord and Saviour on September 27, 2014 in Oklahoma City. Sarah and her mother were known for their fancy Cadillacs, Lincolns and a Rolls Royce limo they raced around town. A horse and buggy were purchased to spare the children the two-mile trek to school. Since 1970, BLACK ENTERPRISE has provided essential business information and advice to professionals, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and decision makers. His petition was denied because of certain restrictions placed on the land, so he was required to continue paying the taxes. The richest kid in the world is Prince George Alexander Louis who is worth approximately $1 billion dollars as of today. Her and her familys net worth was estimated at 73.6 billion U.S. dollars. about $11 million Shes known as the first Black female millionaire to live in Kansas City, Missouri. Walker did steal the base formula from Turnbo before adapting it into her own Wonderful Hair Grower. 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. Unfortunately, Rector lost a majority of her wealth during The Great Depression and moved out of her mansion on 12th Street to 2440 Brooklyn Avenue. When his people were forced west of the Mississippi by the U.S. government, the chief took his enslaved workers with him. reduce font size After learning about Sarah Rector, read about Mansa Musa, who may have been the richest person ever. Sarah Rector was buried in Taft Cemetery, Oklahoma. 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. At $3.50 an acre, she wasnt shouting Im rich! just yet. By Sydney Trent 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. The Wichita BeaconNewspaper articles about Sarah Rector spread throughout America and were filled with the casual racism of the era. Contact Rector, with the familys signature round face, looked nothing like the girl with the more angular chin in the picture, said Brown, who first caught sight of the photo online in 2010. Who is the youngest richest woman in the world? No one, including historians, is clear on what happened to Aunt Sisters money. [3] Rector and her family relocated to Kansas City, Missouri, and settled in a large stone American foursquare home located at 2000 East 12th Street that still stands today. For a hundred years, these photos have depicted Sarah Rector, the Richest Black Girl in America. 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. Through sheer chance Sarah Rector became one of the richest children in America. Rector Family PhotographSarah Rector moved to Kansas City in 1917, where she finished high school and stayed for the rest of her life. . Sarah Rector, Kansas Citys First Black Millionairess, was known in Kansas City for her fairy tale ascension to money and fame, fine living at Rector Mansion, and reported entertaining of African American celebrities such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Joe Louis, and Jack Johnson. While Oprahs massive fortune wasnt built on acting, alone, she deserves to make the list. Sarahs land was near a bend along the Cimarron River valued at around $500. 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. Jones, got the lease to try a gusher on the land; it was an immediate success since they were able to produce 2,500 barrels per day. 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.. Another newspaper dubbed her the richest negro in the world. Her fame became widespread and she received numerous requests for loans, money gifts, and four marriage proposals. Whether youre a lifelong resident of D.C. or you just moved here, weve got you covered. Were no interviews or oral histories ever conducted and recorded with Ms Rector, her parents or her siblings in their lifetime? Entrepreneurs Summit She never managed to recover all that wealth, though she lived comfortably for the rest of her life until the age of 65. Then check out the 10 richest people of all time. Sarah was born on March 3, 1902. With an estimated net worth of $177 billion, he is the richest person in the world. 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. The parcel allotted to Sarah Rector was located in Glenpool, 60 miles (97km) from where she and her family lived. 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. No one took the time to teach her how to spend the money or how to invest it, Brown said. Rector became a millionaire after oil was drilled on her land. Booker T. Washington even reportedly visited their home. [4], Rector was already a millionaire by the time she had turned 18 in 1920. Assuming that, Sarahs acres seemed to be useless; little they everybody know, there was actually an oil field worth a fortune. 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. The devastation of the Tulsa Race Massacre. Each freedman was given 160 acres of land. The facts, including that Rectors themselves had selected Porter, a family friend, went unacknowledged. Yet depending on the publication, the family was either senselessly rich or persistently poor. 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. Your Money, Your Life, LATEST LISTS 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. Rector was already a millionaire by the time she had turned 18. Sarahs acreage, divided into two parcels near the bend in the Cimarron River, did not appear to be an exception. Kim Kardashian is now officially a billionaire: Forbes estimates her net worth is approximately $1 billion, up from $780 million in October 2020. The rags-to-riches story made its way around the world, with American newspapers reporting that several German youth wrote Leahy requesting the childs hand in marriage. Any oil produced would give a 12.5 percent royalty to the land owner. Connecting oklahoma's electric cooperative communities. 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. As its revealed in the last episode of Self Made, yes, Madam C.J. Rectors notoriety ballooned just as quickly as her wealth. In 1902, young Sarah Rector was born into this world, the second eldest of Joe and Rose Rectors nine children. The federal government required the appointment of financial guardians, usually White men, to manage the oil wealth of Native Americans and Freedmen. At that point, she left Tuskegee and, with her entire family, moved to Kansas City, Missouri. 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. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Sarah Rector became a millionaire at the age of 11. By October 1913, 11-year-old Sarah received $11,567 in royalties from the gusher. One newspaper dubbed her the richest negro in the world.. Du Bois is said to have written directly to the county judge who oversaw Rectors affairs for more information. The truth: At the time, Rector was living with both her parents in a two-room cabin. Likely in order to escape scrutiny and not wanting to be the target of some greedy partys act, Many turned out to be thieves. Historically, racism has 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. What changed Sarah and the Rectors life overall was a stroke of luck if you may say. Nicks herself had an affair with Mick Fleetwood in early 1978 while he was married to Jenny Boyd. [4] In 1934, she married restaurant owner William Crawford. The family resided in this home until shortly after the Stock Market Crash where it was then purchased by the Adkins Funeral Home. BLACK ENTERPRISE is the premier business, investing, and wealth-building resource for African Americans. Sarah's father Joseph was the son of John Rector, a Creek Freedman. Kerford Funeral Home. This ended up not being true entirely but Sarah and her siblings were soon sent to school in Taft. Newspaper articles about Sarah Rector spread throughout America and were filled with the casual racism of the era. In October 1914, Rector enrolled at the Childrens House, a boarding school for teens at Tuskegee Institute. 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. 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. In late August 1913, B.B. She and Kenneth Campbell had three sons, Kenneth Jr., Leonard, and Clarence. Decades after the Rectors made Missouri home, Browns parents warned their children never to inquire about their aunts land in Oklahoma. At age 20, Rector married Kansas City businessman Kenneth Campbell and had three sons. Thats not going to happen.. They had three children: Becky (b. 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. Beckys land was in Okfuskee County, and Sarah and Joe, Jr. ended up with parcels 50 miles northwest of Taft. She had five siblings. [6] Sarah Rector was allotted 159.14 acres (64 hectares). Her issues with disputed guardianship continued in Kansas City, She had five siblings. Her mother insisted that older sister Becky go along to ensure her younger sister was tended to. How do I change the view of my contacts in outlook? Unfortunately, Rector lost a majority of her wealth during The Great Depression and moved out of her Part of the trick also included an annual payment of property tax of about 30 dollars; money Sarahs family didnt have to spare. Her maternal great-great-grandmother had been enslaved by Creek Chief Opothle Yoholo in Alabama during the first half of the 19th century, according to Tonya Bolden, author of Searching for Sarah Rector: The Richest Black Girl in America published in 2014. May say Behind Moctezumas Headdress ; did it Really Belong him Sarahs popularity grew, her guardianship was transferred her! 1978 while he was required to continue paying the taxes dealership at 18th and.! Behind Moctezumas Headdress ; did it Really Belong him you covered Made Missouri home, parents. 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