By this point, Sarah was the second oldest of six children, her parents welcoming Alfred, Lillie and little Rosie by 1913. Who was this girl, and how did she become one of the richest people in the early-20th-century US? Very interesting thank you. In late August 1913, B.B. Sarah and Kenneth had three sons, but in 1930 the marriage ended in divorce. Now, Forbes has released its 2021 list of the top 10 richest women in the world and in first place is LOreal heiress Franoise Bettencourt Meyers, with a staggering net worth of US$92.9 billion. We cant prove with absolute certainty to everybody that its not her, Brown said, because there are no childhood photos that exist for comparison. Soon, the NAACP and W.E.B. 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 land allotments were usually rocky and unsuitable for farming, while the more arable lands were sold to white settlers. That year Rector married Kenneth Campbell, and the couple had three sons, Kenneth, Jr., Leonard, and Clarence. Aboriginal American member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, "Remembering Sarah Rector, Creek Freedwoman", "The African-Native American Genealogy Blog", "Sarah Rector The Richest Black Girl In The World", "The Unlikely Baroness | This Land Press - Made by You and Me", "United Inner City Services Hope Murals Bring Attention to the Rector House", "Black History Month From the Archives Sarah Rector: The Richest Colored Girl in the World", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarah_Rector&oldid=1142217379, American businesspeople in the oil industry, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 04:11. Black newspapers at the time, like the Chicago Defender in 1914, were angered by this takeover. 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. Several speeding tickets were issued to both of themespecially to Sarah. Under the laws of the time, black parents were not automatically given guardianship of their own children. But, as we mentioned at the beginning, the hypocrisy of racism would soon make its appearance. Washington also intervened to help the Rector family. Porter, an individual known to the family. Due to her newfound wealth, publications across America wrote of marriage proposals, especially those that came from four white men from Germany. Richest Colored Girl Forced to Live in Shack, the Defender proclaimed. 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. The Creeks called them Estelvstethe Black People. Who is the richest black actor in the world? Kim Kardashian is now officially a billionaire: Forbes estimates her net worth is approximately $1 billion, up from $780 million in October 2020. A trillionaire is an individual with a net worth equal to at least one trillion in U.S. dollars or a similarly valued currency, such as the euro or the British pound. She threw lavish parties and entertained celebrities such as Count Basie and Duke Ellington. The family resided in this home until shortly after the Stock Market Crash where it was then purchased by the Adkins Funeral Home. Oprah Winfrey. Connecting Oklahoma's Electric Cooperative Communities, Mailing Address: The family didnt leave Kansas City as some like to report; five generations of Rector descendants still call this place home. W.E.B. And, perhaps most remarkably for the time, Sarah Rector was able to keep just about all her money. 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. Contact 5 Factors Why You Should Be Selecting the Right Web Hosting Company. Rumors even claimed that she was a white immigrant girl that was being kept in poverty. I purchased the book of The Richest Colored Girl. Your Money, Your Life, LATEST LISTS INFORMATION 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. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Her grandparents had been enslaved by Creek Indians and freed after the Civil War. 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. 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. It would be wonderful to see a bio about her!. To make it more noticeable for her, they promised this move would elevate her social status, and was going to be able to ride on first-class cars on trains as if it would mend a lifetime of discrimination. Sarah and her mother were known for their fancy Cadillacs, Lincolns and a Rolls Royce limo they raced around town. 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. Jones produced a gusher on her land that brought in 2,500 barrels or 105,000 gallons per day. The land became part of the famous Cushing-Drumright Oil Field and it propelled Rector into both spotlight and scandal. Many turned out to be thieves. What happened to Sarah Rectors money? Of course, people never stopped trying to take advantage of Rectors fortune. Since 1970, BLACK ENTERPRISE has provided essential business information and advice to professionals, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and decision makers. Shes known as the first Black female millionaire to live in Kansas City, Missouri. By Sydney Trent 1. Who is the poorest person in the world? As a result, Rectors guardianship switched from her parents to a white man named T.J. Porter. 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. Eventually, Sarah married William Crawford, a restaurateur whom she helped to open a second restaurant in Tulsa. [1][15], Rector lived a comfortable life and, with a taste for fine clothing and cars, enjoyed her wealth. By the time she moved to Kansas City in her late teens, Sarah Rectors net worth was estimated to be greater than $1 million over $28 million today spread between oil fields, 2,000 acres of farmland in Oklahoma, and investments in numerous businesses in Kansas City. How the Telehealth Sector is Helping Us to Beat Covid-19, 5 Reasons Why You Need To Pay Attention To State Tax Nexus Laws Today, Top 4 Reasons the Property Management Companies are Thriving, Tips to avoid the fake and spam followers, Essential Equipment for Your Landscaping Business, Tow Tractors: The Benefits They Offer & Tips For Buying One. He also concluded that the men that wrote her were fine looking chaps.. Shes Not Madeleine: Scotland Yard Refutes Julias Allegations of Being Madeleine McCann. [6] Sarah Rector was allotted 159.14 acres (64 hectares). Du Bois is said to have written directly to the county judge who oversaw Rectors affairs for more information. In October 1914, Rector enrolled at the Childrens House, a boarding school for teens at Tuskegee Institute. 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. BLACK ENTERPRISE is the premier business, investing, and wealth-building resource for African Americans. In 1922, she married Kenneth Campbell, the second African American to own an auto dealership. 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. She also owned stocks and bonds, a boarding house, a bakery and restaurant in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and 2,000 acres of land. Alice Walton, the daughter of the Walmart founder, was ranked second with 61.8 billion U.S. dollars in net worth. 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. It was an article in a respectable black newspaper called the Chicago Defender that turned their worlds upside down. Sarah married her first husband, Kenneth Campbell, in 1920. Were from a generation where you dont spread family business, said Brown, a very fit-looking 72-year-old with a short afro seated in the lobby of the Hampton Inn in Bowie, Md. Sarah Rector was 11 when oil was discovered on her land in Oklahoma in 1913. No one, including historians, is clear on what happened to Aunt Sisters money. ABOUT Upon graduation, she attended the Institute. The White-owned newspapers, seemingly unconstrained by facts and at times human decency, were openly racist in their coverage. 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. Each freedman was given 160 acres of land. 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. 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 After learning about Sarah Rector, read about Mansa Musa, who may have been the richest person ever. But it definitely isnt her.. WebSarah Kay Ferguson Avila went to be with her Lord and Saviour on September 27, 2014 in Oklahoma City. 2022 - 2023 Times Mojo - All Rights Reserved By the time Sarah was 18, she was worth well over one million dollars. That same year, Sarah was making over $300 a day, which has been estimated to be around $8,000 today. was an adman and salesman. As a result, hundreds of black children, or Creek Freedmen minors, were each granted 160 acres of land as Indian Territory integrated with Oklahoma Territory to form the State of Oklahoma in 1907. Women of Power TECH, PODCASTS Some Native Americans had owned slaves and Sarahs family lived 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. Girl that was a far cry from that weather-whipped two-room cabin in which Sarah began life white.... Sarah was 18, she was worth well over one million dollars at Institute! 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