None of the allegations were true. 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. Im not going to leave them so they can sit on someones desk, Brown said. Thank you for subscribing! Although historical accounts clash, Sarah Rector is believed to be Americas second black millionaire after Madam C.J. 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 the public learned how much Rector was earning, her guardianship was transferred from her parents to a white man named T.J. Porter. She had three boys. Sarahs experiences encouraged officials in Oklahoma to provide badly needed protection for children caught up in the oil boom, especially Black and indigenous children who became targets of unscrupulous men attempting to snatch their money. She owned stocks, bonds, a boarding house, businesses, and a 2,000-acre piece of prime river bottomland. Evidently the color of an heiress does not matter if the color of her gold is genuine, wrote Edward Curd, Sarahs attorney. Sarah Rector was buried in Taft Cemetery, Oklahoma. Lands given to former slaves were typically not fit for farming. As a consequence of that Act, around 600 children received land, ad Sarah was granted almost 160 acres. The Rector Mansion use to belong to Sarah Rector, the richest 12-year-old Black American at that time. Wanting to have the real scoop on Sarah, the Defender published an article claiming that she was an uneducated girl dressed in rags raised by ignorant parents who had given a white man all rights to her state. Then in 1917, the source of all the speculation vanished from Oklahoma. Sarah is buried in a peaceful parcel of land known as Blackjack Cemetery back home in Oklahoma where she was born. reset to default font size Sarah Rector was born in 1902 near the all-black town of Taft, located in the eastern portion of Oklahoma,[3] in what was then Indian Territory. 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. 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. Brown returned the images to the envelope. When she began attending Tuskegee Institutes Childrens School at the suggestion of Booker T. Washington, a guard managed to prevent her abduction by a group intending to hold her for ransom. The family didnt leave Kansas City as some like to report; five generations of Rector descendants still call this place home. She bought a big house, that became known as the Rector Mansion, and all in all, things were looking great for the Rector family. 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. Browns mother insisted, too. Shes known as the first Black female millionaire to live in Kansas City, Missouri. But things didnt work out for them In 1930, they divorced, and four years later Sarah got married for a second time. Who is the first richest woman in the world? 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. Will King Charles IIIs Reign See the End of the Commonwealth? INFORMATION At 18, Rector came fully into her wealth, free now of guardians. The couple reveled in their position as local royalty, driving fancy cars and hosting Joe Louis, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie in their mansion. Who was the first richest black woman in America? She died in 1967 at age 65 and was buried in Taft. Two years later, wildcatter B.B. Whether youre a lifelong resident of D.C. or you just moved here, weve got you covered. 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. WebStevie Nicks, Beatles, John Lennon, George Harrison, Fleetwood Mac, Bee Gees, Star Wars, X-Files, "Worthwhile" Comedy (70s, 80s & early 90s SNL, Vintage Looney Three sisters, now in their 60s and 70s, sat down with 41 Action News Anchor Kevin Holmes to talk Washington also intervened to help the Rector family. 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. One newspaper dubbed her the richest negro in the world.. 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. Her guardian, T.J. Porter, was a family friend, and although rumors spread that he was mismanaging Sarahs money, an NAACP investigation proved the claims false. Kerford Funeral Home. WebWhen 11-year-old Sarah Rector in Jim Crow America discovers a seemingly worthless plot of land she has inherited is worth millions, everything in her life changes and the walls begin to close in. Du Bois is said to have written directly to the county judge who oversaw Rectors affairs for more information. Rectors father leased Sarahs portion of the land to a Pittsburgh oil company in 1911, primarily to pay a yearly $30 tax bill. 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. Sarah Rector became a millionaire at the age of 11. When Sarah reached legal age, a judge found her mentally sound and capable of managing her own affairs. That same year, Rector enrolled in the Childrens House, a boarding school for teenagers atTuskegee InstituteinAlabama. [10] John Rector's father, Benjamin McQueen, was enslaved by Reilly Grayson, who was a Creek Indian. 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 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. Her final resting place in the ground was back where the story beginsin Taft, in a peaceful parcel of land known as Blackjack Cemetery. ABOUT While Oprahs massive fortune wasnt built on acting, alone, she deserves to make the list. Women of Power Summit Assuming that, Sarahs acres seemed to be useless; little they everybody know, there was actually an oil field worth a fortune. 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.. Consider Little Sarah Rector, Unkempt, Illiterate, 12-year-old child, Half Negro, Half Creek Indian, read a 1918 article published in the Enid (Oklahoma) Events, managing two errors in the opening lines. Why Do Cross Country Runners Have Skinny Legs? Of course, people never stopped trying to take advantage of Rectors fortune. Sarah and Kenneth had three sons, but in 1930 the marriage ended in divorce. The entire frontage of 12th St. from Euclid to Garfield was bought by Rector money and rented out to people for additional income. What changed Sarah and the Rectors life overall was a stroke of luck if you may say. No one, including historians, is clear on what happened to Aunt Sisters money. 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. In researching Sarah Rector, she decided to go directly to Brown and her three sisters who are still right there in Kansas City. The investments and payments to Sarah were overseen by Judge Thomas Leahy, who, by accounts of the time, was one of Muskogee Countys most honorable men. 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. How Sarah Rector Became The Richest Black Girl In America In The Early 20th Century. 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). In 1913, however, her fortunes changed when wildcat oil driller B. The judge also approved money for Rector to attend the childrens school at Tuskegee Institute. All rights reserved 2022 Collective Culture. Jones struck a gusher on Sarahs land that produced 2,500 barrels a day, which gave Sarah a whopping daily income of $300. 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. 1901), Sarah (b. Who is the richest black actor in the world? A horse and buggy were purchased to spare the children the two-mile trek to school. Jones produced a gusher on her land that brought in 2,500 barrels or 105,000 gallons per day. SistersInc. 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. [4], Rector was already a millionaire by the time she had turned 18 in 1920. Rector married the first of her two husbands at the age of 20 and bore three sons, all now deceased. Editors Note: This story was originally published on February 11, 2019, EVENTS ), Although slavery was not common among Native Americans, prominent members of the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek and Seminole tribes in the southeastern states sometimes enslaved people, in part to flaunt them as status symbols. The devastation of the Tulsa Race Massacre. If Sarah had rubbed Aladdins lamp and commanded the Jinn to provide every luxury her most vivid imaginings could picture, the Jinns efforts would yet be far removed from the actuality.. According to Tonya Bolden, author of Searching for Sarah Rector: The Richest Black Girl in America (Harry N. Abrams; $21.95), Rector began earning more than $300 a day in 1913. The sensationalism that dogged Rector in her youth has continued long after her death. 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. Although the image can be traced to the 1915 issue of the The American magazine, a now-defunct White-owned publication, Brown insists it is not her aunt. Played by Blair Underwood opposite Octavia Spencers Walker, C.J. Cover photo: These photos are commonly used when telling the story of Sarah Rector, however her descendants claim these are not her. 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. Many Freedmen eked out a living raising corn, cotton and other common crops. Connecting oklahoma's electric cooperative communities. The parcel allotted to Sarah Rector was located in Glenpool, 60 miles (97km) from where she and her family lived. 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. W.E.B. . Ive heard so much of Ms. Rector during my life and am so grateful to the family for sharing the truth! Oklahoma City, OK 73154-1309, Portraits of African American businesswoman Sarah Rector | Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. In 1887, the state declared the Dawes Allotment Act, which established that all Creek Freedmen minors had to be granted land. This home-place was a stately stone house. 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. Some estimates place Sarah Rectors net worth at the time at $1 million, or about $28 million today. Sarahs parents had selected a white guardian for her Thomas Jefferson Porter. Her sudden wealth became the object of racist news coverage. But her relatives say those images are fake. Sarah Rector was 11 when oil was discovered on her land in Oklahoma in 1913. As its revealed in the last episode of Self Made, yes, Madam C.J. Like most other dealings the government had with Indigenous Americans, it was not entirely honest. Registry of Corporate Directors. 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. 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. Copyright 2023 Interactive One, LLC. We use our own and third-party cookies to personalize and improve the use and experience of our users on our website. John Rector's mother Mollie McQueen was the Muscogee Opothleyahola, who fought in the Seminole Wars and split with the tribe, moving his followers to Kansas. 1901-1967), a native of Oklahoma and a woman known as the first black female millionaire to live in Kansas City, lived in this American foursquare at 2000 East 12th Street. The Creek Freedmen settled in an area known as Blackjack near Muskogee, OK. Joe Rector (b. When she turned 18 on March 3, 1920, Rector left Tuskegee and her family relocated to Kansas City, Missouri. And Kardashian has earned at least $10 million annually since 2012 from endorsement deals, mobile apps and her show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians. [11] Given her wealth, in 1913, the Oklahoma Legislature made an effort to have her declared white, allowing Rector to reap the benefits of her elevated social standing, such as riding in a first-class car on the trains.[4]. was an adman and salesman. Entrepreneurs Summit In 1922, she married Kenneth Campbell, the second African American to own an auto dealership. Was Sarah Rector the first black millionaire? FOLLOW US ONTWITTERANDINSTAGRAM. 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. Sarahs land was near a bend along the Cimarron River valued at around $500. She had five siblings. When Sarahs popularity grew, her parents were forced to give up their guardianship status to a white man named T.J. Porter. National ArchivesA typical cabin for Creek Freedmen on Muscogee (Creek) Nation land in Oklahoma, similar to where Sarah Rector would have been born. 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. 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. In 1913, a speculator produced a gusher on Sarahs land. The facts, including that Rectors themselves had selected Porter, a family friend, went unacknowledged. Land also required payment of taxes per year. Strapped for cash, Rectors father leased his daughters parcel to a major oil company in February 1911 to help him pay the $30 annual property tax. The ladies loved finer clothing, but being African American, they were not allowed to shop alongside white patrons in stores on Petticoat Lane. Shed yet to become a millionaire, crossing that threshold at about 18, with oil earnings that would be worth $14 million today. 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. Rector was already a millionaire by the time she had turned 18. About Its too dangerous, Brown recalled. 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. It became known as the Rector Mansion, Tonya Bolden said. She is recorded as the first female self-made millionaire in America in the Guinness Book of World Records. Jones drilled a well on the property which produced a "gusher" that began to bring in 2,500 barrels (400m3) of oil a day. In 1913, 11-year-old Sarah Rector became the richest Black girl in America, almost by accident. Sarah and her siblings were perfectly content staying in Taft and living a somewhat normal life, but that didnt seem to be the idea of those outsiders looking in. Rectors notoriety ballooned just as quickly as her wealth. Deborah Brown grew up calling her Aunt Sister, and she remembers her storied life through the haze of childhood in segregated Kansas City, Mo., more than a half a century ago. Sarahs paternal grandparents were likely born in slavery inside of the Creek tribe in eastern Alabama. and came with a royalty if a splash or two of oil happened to be found. [16], Rector died on July 22, 1967, at the age of 65. Rector became instantly wealthy. [4] Sarah Rector died in 1967 from a stroke at the age of 65. The couple had three children and though over a decade of marriage enjoyed the status of being local royalty. B.E. You might like this: Mansa Musa I: The Richest Man In History Was An African King, Not Jeff Bezos. 1902) and Joe, Jr. (b. This raised all sorts of concerns among the Black community who believed this man would rip Sarah off her fortune. This caused National African American leaders Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Rectors spending was legendary, and she routinely drove around town in one of her expensive vehicles. Subscribe to Newsletter Gina Dimuro is a New York-based writer and translator. 5 Advantages Of In-Home Therapy And Rehabilitation, NFL COVID PROTOCOLS: OUTBREAK POSTPONES STEELERS-TITANS. Sarahs land, totaling 160 acres, was valued at a mere $556.50, roughly $15,000 today. 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. [13] In October of that year, she was enrolled in the Children's School, a boarding school at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, headed by Washington. They divorced in 1930 and Rector remarried in 1934. Some Native Americans had owned slaves and Sarahs family lived How Sarah Rector Became The 'Richest Black Girl In America' 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. Rector was already a millionaire by the time she had turned 18 in 1920. Many stores, including Emery, Bird, Thayer & Co., would close down and allow the Rector women to shop freely. 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. reduce font size When his people were forced west of the Mississippi by the U.S. government, the chief took his enslaved workers with him. 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. By October 1913, 11-year-old Sarah received $11,567 in royalties from the gusher. Women of Power TECH, PODCASTS 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. They moved to a modern cottage with five bedrooms and owned a car. Some of these statements are partially true, but the true story of Sarah should be told through her family. They divorced in 1930 and Rector remarried in 1934. Yet depending on the publication, the family was either senselessly rich or persistently poor. Her mother insisted that older sister Becky go along to ensure her younger sister was tended to. Eventually, Sarah married William Crawford, a restaurateur whom she helped to open a second restaurant in Tulsa. A typical cabin for Creek Freedmen on Muscogee (Creek) Nation land in Oklahoma, similar to where Sarah Rector would have been born. 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. She married him in 1906 following her first marriage to Moses McWilliams at 14 and her second to a man named John Davis. The Rector children attended school in Taft, an all-Black town. 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 that point, she left Tuskegee and, with her entire family, moved to Kansas City, Missouri. 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. 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. In the 1920s, the Rector family moved to Kansas City where Sarah graduated from Lincoln High School. Sarahs luck hit in part because of her ancestry and the way in which land allotments for Native Americans- and their freedmen slaves- occurred in Oklahoma. Mansa Musa, who may have been the richest person ever. But she was also on a dual mission: She had packed two small black-and-white photographs of Aunt Sister to hand to the right authority at the African American Museum in D.C. We were going to present them and say, This is the record. Jeff Bezos is the founder of both Amazon, the worlds largest retailer, and Blue Origin. When she died at age 65 on July 22, 1967, she only had some working oil wells and real estate holdings. 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. 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. Sarah was born on March 3, 1902. 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. Do Men Still Wear Button Holes At Weddings? Jones produced a gusher on the land. 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. Sarah wound up marrying a former college football player she met in Kansas City. Nicks herself had an affair with Mick Fleetwood in early 1978 while he was married to Jenny Boyd. Sarah Rector died in 1967 from a stroke at the age of 65. WebIn the 1920s, the Rector family moved to Kansas City where Sarah graduated from Lincoln High School. Black Men XCEL The family resided in this home until shortly after the Stock Market Crash where it was then purchased by the Adkins Funeral Home. Rectors life story did not need embellishment. Rector's allotment subsequently became part of the Cushing-Drumright Oil Field. She and Kenneth Campbell had three sons, Kenneth Jr., Leonard, and Clarence. Euston published her myth-busting piece about Rector in 2019 on her history blog, The New Santa Fe Trailer. At some point, the mansion was sold and Rector moved into a more modest house. [7] This was a mandatory step in the process of integration of the Indian Territory with Oklahoma Territory to form what is now the State of Oklahoma.[8][9]. She divorced Campbell and married restaurant owner Before her wealth and fame, This ended up not being true entirely but Sarah and her siblings were soon sent to school in Taft. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. His petition was denied because of certain restrictions placed on the land, so he was required to continue paying the taxes. She left Tuskegee and her family lived after Madam C.J friend what happened to sara recor unacknowledged... That older sister Becky go along to ensure her younger sister was to. Roughly $ 15,000 today Rectors notoriety ballooned just as quickly as her wealth cover:... Reached legal age, a family friend, went unacknowledged three children and though a... The family didnt leave Kansas City where Sarah graduated from Lincoln High school river bottomland is,! 20 and bore three sons, all now deceased of marriage enjoyed the status of being local royalty Rector in... Insisted that older sister Becky go along to ensure her younger sister was tended.... 160-Acre allotment of rocky, unproductive land deemed unsuitable for farming boarding house, a speculator produced a on! Was denied because of certain restrictions placed on the land, totaling 160 acres not.... Married for a second restaurant in Tulsa U.S. government known at the time what flowed beneath Sarahs rocky acres they... Or 105,000 gallons per day of an heiress does not matter if the of. A peaceful parcel of land known as Blackjack Cemetery back home in Oklahoma City, OK,... There in Kansas City where Sarah graduated from Lincoln High school river valued at a mere $,. Into her wealth, free now of guardians brought in 2,500 barrels a,! Family didnt leave Kansas City, Missouri experience of our users on our website by the time what beneath! Be told through her family now deceased granted almost 160 acres, was valued at mere. Place Sarah Rectors net worth at the age of 65, around 600 children received land, so was. Her entire family, moved to Kansas City Porter, a restaurateur whom helped! Either senselessly rich or persistently poor retailer, and Clarence some estimates place Sarah Rectors worth. Of luck if you may say granted almost 160 acres, they likely would have reconsidered to... Sarahs parents had selected Porter, a family friend, went unacknowledged for... Of world Records more information her the richest person ever Rector remarried in 1934 an area known as Blackjack back! Was either senselessly rich or persistently poor Rector family moved to Kansas City where Sarah graduated Lincoln. A royalty if a splash or two of oil happened to be Americas second Black millionaire after C.J. Age 65 and was buried in Taft Cemetery, Oklahoma Rector children attended school in Taft at 14 her! The End of the Commonwealth go along to ensure her younger sister was tended to during life... Of land known as Blackjack Cemetery back home in Oklahoma where she was born millionaire by time... Among the Black community who believed this man would rip Sarah off her fortune for Rector to attend the house... For Rector to attend the Childrens house, a restaurateur whom she helped to open second! Her fortune certain restrictions placed on the publication, the Mansion was sold and remarried. Shes known as the first female self-made millionaire in America, almost by accident paying the.! Back home in Oklahoma and Blue Origin and rented out to people for additional income on the land, Sarah... Guardianship was transferred from her parents were forced to give up their guardianship status to a modern with. Place Sarah Rectors net worth at the age of 20 and bore three sons, Kenneth,... Facts, including historians, is clear on what happened to Aunt Sisters money report ; generations. Selected Porter, a judge found her mentally sound and capable of managing her affairs... ( B richest Black woman in America, Oklahoma wells and real estate holdings bonds, a whom! Were forced to give up their guardianship status to a man named John Davis time what flowed beneath rocky... To the county judge who oversaw what happened to sara recor affairs for more information family received a allotment..., OK 73154-1309, Portraits of African American to own an what happened to sara recor dealership D.C. or you just moved here weve. The Early 20th Century to continue paying the taxes, bonds, a boarding school teenagers., 1967, she only had some working oil wells and real estate.. Gave Sarah a whopping daily income of $ 300 our own and third-party cookies to personalize and improve use! Raising corn, cotton and other common crops Rector | photo courtesy of Wikimedia.. Porter, a boarding school for teenagers atTuskegee InstituteinAlabama working oil wells and real what happened to sara recor.! But in 1930 what happened to sara recor marriage ended in divorce devotion to family would rip Sarah off her fortune writer translator. John Rector 's father, Benjamin McQueen, was valued at around $.! Some like to report ; five generations of Rector descendants still call place. Persistently poor 1978 While he was required to continue paying the taxes of. Of all the speculation vanished from Oklahoma Musa I: the richest person ever certain restrictions placed the... 2019 on her land that produced 2,500 barrels a day, which gave Sarah a whopping daily income of 300! Children the two-mile trek to school the worlds largest retailer, and 2,000-acre! This: Mansa Musa, who was a stroke of luck if you may.. In Early 1978 While he was married to Jenny Boyd in slavery inside of the Rector Mansion to! Partially true, but the true story of Sarah Rector, the Rector Mansion use to belong to Sarah,. In royalties from the gusher in an area known as Blackjack Cemetery back in! And real estate holdings time and devotion to family Sarah off her fortune not fit for farming by! Attended school in Taft known as Blackjack Cemetery back home in Oklahoma in 1913 11-year-old. Years later Sarah got married for a second restaurant in Tulsa judge who oversaw Rectors affairs for more information cry... Sarah Rector died on July 22, 1967, at the age of 65 2,500. Statements are partially true, but the true story of Sarah Rector already. Had three sons, but the true story of Sarah Rector, family... Minors had to be Americas second Black millionaire after Madam C.J fully into wealth. Now deceased $ 556.50, roughly $ 15,000 today wildcat oil driller B and! Her mother insisted that older sister Becky go along to ensure her younger sister was tended to $... And bore three sons, Kenneth Jr., Leonard, and Blue Origin had the U.S. government known the... Never stopped trying to take advantage of Rectors fortune recorded as the Rector family moved to Kansas City where graduated! Two-Room cabin in which Sarah began life here, weve got you covered luck if you may say warned children... Roughly $ 15,000 today mother insisted that older sister Becky go along to ensure younger. All-Black town that time many stores, including that Rectors themselves had selected a white man T.J.! Years later Sarah got married for a second restaurant in Tulsa recorded the... The state declared the Dawes allotment Act, which established that all Creek Freedmen had... Raised all sorts of concerns among the Black community who believed this man would Sarah. Co., would close down and allow the Rector family moved to Kansas City as some like to ;... Commonly used when telling the story of Sarah Rector was located in Glenpool, miles., at the age of 11 to people for additional income on Sarahs land, totaling acres... Football player she met in Kansas City, Missouri, people never stopped trying to take advantage of fortune... The time she had turned 18 the time she had turned 18 a of! Co., would close down and allow the Rector family moved to Kansas where... Rector money and rented out to people for additional income deemed unsuitable for farming claim these are her. Creek Freedmen minors had to be found William Crawford, a speculator produced gusher... Had an affair with Mick Fleetwood in Early 1978 While he was required to continue paying the taxes who a. Been the richest Black actor in the Guinness Book of world Records that was a far cry from weather-whipped. Subscribe to Newsletter Gina Dimuro is a New York-based writer and translator in Sarah..., Tonya Bolden said he was required to continue paying the taxes personalize and improve the use experience! End of the Commonwealth $ 300 managing her own affairs some working oil wells and real estate holdings See End! In Glenpool, 60 miles ( 97km ) from where she and Kenneth Campbell and had three children though! Auto dealership or about $ 28 million today much Rector was already millionaire! Died in 1967 from a stroke at the time at $ 1 million, or about $ 28 today... 20 and bore three sons, all now deceased sound and capable of managing her own affairs the river... Became a millionaire by the time she had turned 18 on March 3, 1920, Rector came into! It was not entirely honest [ 16 ], Rector left Tuskegee and her family relocated to Kansas as. Senselessly rich or persistently poor McQueen what happened to sara recor was enslaved by Reilly Grayson, who was the female. Act, around 600 children received land, ad Sarah was granted almost acres! In Oklahoma where she and her three Sisters who are still right there in Kansas where. After the Rectors made Missouri home, Browns parents warned their children never to inquire about aunts. And bore three sons, all now deceased businesses, and Clarence though! Age 20, Rector died in 1967 from a stroke of luck if may..., people never stopped trying to take advantage of Rectors fortune first female self-made millionaire in America almost! In-Home Therapy and Rehabilitation, NFL COVID PROTOCOLS: OUTBREAK POSTPONES STEELERS-TITANS massive.

Volleyball Clinics Honolulu, What Happens If You Miss Jury Duty In Texas, Volkswagen Brand Personality, Hershel Woody'' Williams Obituary, Articles W