![[Black History Year - A Young Black Millionaire Forced Into Hiding.mp3]] Sarah Rector became a multi millionaire at 11 years old. Parents Joseph and Rosie Rector. 5 kids. Muskogee Natives. Oklahoma. Dawes act of 1866 Born in 1902. Property taxes. Oklahoma wouldn’t let them sell it. 11 million. German people. # Story Summary ### The Story of Sarah Rector **Roots and Early Life** Sarah Rector was born on March 3, 1902, in the rural town of Taft, Oklahoma, to John and Rose Rector, who were Creek Freedmen. The Rector family were descendants of Black people who had been enslaved by the Muscogee Creek tribe. Following the Civil War, the U.S. government forced Native American tribes to grant both tribal membership and land to their former Black slaves as part of the Treaty of 1866. This measure was meant to provide a form of reparations, but the allocation process was far from equitable. **Struggle for Survival** By 1902, the Rector family was sitting on a significant amount of land in Taft, a small town about 60 miles from what would later become Tulsa’s Greenwood District, known as Black Wall Street. Despite owning this land, the Rectors led a modest life, deeply committed to their children’s future. They gifted land to Sarah and her two siblings, envisioning a prosperous future for them. However, the best land in the area was reserved for whites and Native Americans. The land allocated to Sarah was rocky and unsuitable for farming, which was how the Rector family sustained themselves. John Rector managed to sell a parcel of land for what would be about $40,000 today, but they were still burdened with Sarah’s seemingly worthless land and the taxes that came with it. **A Stroke of Luck** Unable to sell the land due to court restrictions, John Rector leased it to oil companies in a last-ditch effort to mitigate the financial strain. A year later, in an astonishing turn of events, an oil rig on Sarah's land struck a massive deposit. Overnight, Sarah Rector's oil lease began earning her an estimated $8,000 per day in today’s money. **Guardianship and Exploitation** In Oklahoma, newly wealthy Black individuals like Sarah were not allowed to manage their own finances. The courts appointed financial guardians to oversee their wealth, ostensibly for protection, but this often led to exploitation. Sarah was assigned a guardian named T.J. Porter. Concerns quickly arose as Black-owned newspapers began to scrutinize Porter, accusing him of living in luxury while Sarah remained in poor conditions. **Public Outcry and Danger** The situation reached a critical point when the Chicago Defender ran the headline “Find Sarah Rector,” raising public awareness and concern for her well-being. The newspaper's fear was not unfounded; nearby, two Black boys under similar guardianship were killed in an explosion, with evidence suggesting a deliberate attack by those coveting their wealth. Amidst rising tensions and numerous marriage proposals from opportunistic men, the Rector family decided to go into hiding to protect Sarah from further exploitation and potential harm. Despite being educated and capable, John Rector faced continuous barriers from the courts, which refused to grant him control over Sarah's affairs, allowing T.J. Porter to continue profiting. **Resolution and Legacy** The blatant exploitation eventually became too much even for the Oklahoma courts, leading to Porter being removed from managing Sarah’s estate. When Sarah reached adulthood, she became the richest Black girl in America, worth over $11 million in today’s dollars. She smartly invested her wealth in real estate, stocks, bonds, and various businesses, although like many, she lost a substantial portion during the 1929 crash. Nonetheless, she lived comfortably for the rest of her life. **Impact and Reflection** Sarah Rector’s story is a remarkable tale of resilience and fortune amidst systemic exploitation and racial inequality. The land allocations meant to act as reparations were fraught with inequities, as the best land was reserved for whites and Native Americans. Despite the odds, Sarah’s extraordinary wealth brought to light the ongoing struggles for fairness and justice faced by Black Americans. Her life remains a powerful testament to the intersection of race, wealth, and resilience in American history. ## Bullet Points - **Creek Freedmen**: John Rector and his family were Creek Freedmen, black individuals enslaved by the Muscogee Creek tribe. - **Land Allocation**: Post-Civil War, the U.S. forced Native American tribes to grant land and tribal membership to freed black folks. - **Land Ownership**: By 1902, John Rector and his wife owned significant land in Taft, Oklahoma, near Tulsa's future Black Wall Street. - **Gifting to Children**: They gifted land to Sarah and her two siblings, but it was rocky and useless for farming. - **Leasing to Oil Companies**: Unable to farm or sell, John leased Sarah's land to oil companies. - **Oil Discovery**: A year later, a massive oil deposit was discovered on Sarah’s land, earning her around $8,000 per day in today's money. - **Financial Guardian**: Oklahoma courts appointed a financial guardian, T.J. Porter, to oversee Sarah's wealth. - **Black Newspapers' Scrutiny**: Black-owned newspapers demanded accountability from Porter, claiming he lived in luxury while Sarah lived in poor conditions. - **Safety Concerns**: Fearing for Sarah's safety after incidents involving other wealthy black children, the Rector family went into hiding. - **Court Intervention**: Due to the guardianship's abuses, Porter was eventually separated from Sarah's estate. - **Wealth and Investments**: As an adult, Sarah Rector became the richest black girl in America, worth over $11 million today, investing in various ventures. - **1929 Crash**: She lost much of her wealth during the 1929 crash but continued to live comfortably for the rest of her life. # Podcast Transcript One headline read, "Little Sarah is a member of the Plut class." Another read, "Oil made Piconinny rich." But the most heartbreaking was "Find Sarah Rector." John Rector and his family were Creek Freedmen. These were black folks who had been enslaved by the Muscogee Creek tribe. After the Civil War, the U.S. forced the Native American tribes who'd enslaved black folks to grant them two things, tribal membership and land. By 1902, John Rector and his wife were sitting on a whole lot of land in Taft, Oklahoma. Taft was about 60 miles from what would become the most famous town in black economic history, the Greenwood District in Tulsa. AKA Black Wall Street. The Rectors lived a modest life and they were deeply committed to their children's future. Thinking to the future, the Rectors gifted the land to Sarah and her two siblings. Unfortunately, the best land in the area was reserved for whites and Native Americans. So Sarah's land was useless. It was filled with rocks. It was useless for farming. Farming was how the Rectors sustained themselves. John managed to sell one parcel of the land for the equivalent of about 40 grand in today's money. Still, they were stuck with Sarah's land. The taxes were dragging the family down and the courts actually refused to even let John Rector sell it. He ended up leasing their land to the oil companies. It took about a year to pay off, but the oil rig on Sarah Rector's parcel struck a massive deposit. Sarah Rector's oil lease was earning her an estimated $8,000 per day in today's money. If you were black and newly wealthy, Oklahoma courts would install a financial guardian. A mandated financial overseer. Keep in mind this was just one generation removed from slavery. They didn't care about poor black folks, only the ones that had something to be gained by whites. Of course, that meant the grift was on. On the tamer end of the spectrum, there are accounts of these guardians billing black folks ridiculous amounts for their services. On the pure evil end of the spectrum, there are accounts of guardians actually taking control of these kids' estates, only to dump them off at orphanages and skip town. Sarah Rector was appointed a guardian named T.J. Porter. And because she had become a well-known figure, people had questions. Black-owned newspapers zeroed in on Porter and demanded accountability. They claimed Porter lived in luxury while Sarah lived in squalor. When the Chicago Defender ran the headline "Find Sarah Rector," the speculation about the young woman reached fever pitch. The Defender's fear was not unfounded. Not too far from Sarah, two black boys with a financial overseer were killed in an explosion. It was later determined that dynamite had been packed under their house by a group of men after their fortune. What had happened to Sarah Rector? When four different grown-ass men propose marriage, when you can't show your face in small-town Oklahoma without being swarmed by begging, it's time to get off the grid. The Rectors had gone into hiding. And who could blame 'em? Even though they had educated themselves and had their own success managing their affairs, they were subjected to all kinds of white folks ready to scam. John Rector wanted to expand Sarah's fortune by investing in more land. But the courts wouldn't even grant him control over his own affairs. They sent the transactions to T.J. Porter, whose son-in-law charged ridiculous fees. Eventually, this sickening display of white entitlement became too much for the Oklahoma courts. So Porter was separated from Sarah's estate. Despite all of this, when she reached adulthood, Rector was the richest black girl in America. In today's dollars, she was worth over 11 million bucks, and she leveraged that wealth. She invested in real estate, stocks, bonds, money lending, businesses. And like most Americans, she lost much of her wealth during the 1929 crash. But Sarah Rector still lived comfortably for the rest of her life. # References https://overcast.fm/+qFb2ZVtFc https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Rector