Sarah Rector

Sarah Rector, also known as Sarah Rector Campbell and Sarah Campbell Crawford, (March 3, 1902 – July 22, 1967) was an American oil magnate since childhood. Under the Treaty of 1866, due to birthright as a Black grandchild of Creek Indians born before the American Civil War, she received an allotment. It was discovered to be oil-rich and produced over per day, so she was known as the "Richest Colored Girl in the World".

Biography

Early life and family Sarah Rector was born in 1902 near the all-black town of Taft, located in Indian Territory. In 1907, it was absorbed as the eastern portion of the new state of Oklahoma. who were the Black grandchildren of Creek Indians enslaved before the Civil War. Their ancestors became members of the Muscogee Creek Nation after the Treaty of 1866. As such, they and their descendants were listed as Freedmen on the Dawes Rolls. They were entitled to land allotments under the Treaty of 1866 made by the United States with the Five Civilized Tribes. Because these tribes had allied with the Confederacy, the US required new treaties by which their slaves were freed and became citizens of these nations. This paralleled the abolition of slavery in the US.

Sarah's father Joseph was the son of John Rector, a Creek Freedman. John Rector's father, Benjamin McQueen, had been enslaved by Reilly Grayson, a Creek Indian. John Rector's mother, Mollie McQueen, was enslaved by Muscogee chief Opothleyahola, who fought in the Seminole Wars and split with the tribe. He moved with his slaves and followers to Kansas.

Each member of the Rector household received headrights allotments as Creek land was distributed among members. Sarah Rector was allotted . The breakup of communal lands was a way to extinguish tribal rights in the process of integration of the Indian Territory with Oklahoma Territory to form what became the State of Oklahoma in 1907.

Oil strike and wealth The historical house of Sarah Rector is at 2000 E 12th St in Kansas City, Missouri. The parcel allotted to Sarah Rector was located in Glenpool, from the Rector family home. Its infertile soil was considered unsuitable for farming, with better land being reserved for white settlers and Creek members of the tribe.

The Rector family lived simply but not in poverty; however, the annual property tax on Sarah's parcel was such a burden that her father petitioned the Muskogee County Court to sell the land. His petition was denied because of certain restrictions placed on the land, so he was required to continue paying the taxes.

To help cover this expense, in February 1911, Joseph Rector leased Sarah's parcel to the Standard Oil Company. In 1913, the independent oil driller B.B. Jones sank what became a "gusher" well, with a daily yield of of oil and of income. Oklahoma law at the time required assignment of "well-respected" whites to act as guardians for full-blooded Indians, black adults, and children who were citizens of Indian Territory with significant property and money.

Thus, as soon as Sarah began to receive this windfall from oil drilling, there was pressure to change her guardianship from her parents to a local white resident. A family acquaintance named T.J. (or J.T.) Porter was chosen. Her allotment subsequently became part of the Cushing-Drumright Oil Field. In October 1913, she received royalties of . National African-American leaders Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois both became concerned about Rector's welfare.

Rector enjoyed her wealth, with a comfortable life and a taste for fine clothing and cars. She hosted lavish parties and entertained celebrities such as Count Basie and Duke Ellington.

Like many others, Rector lost most of her wealth during the Great Depression, and had to sell the mansion. But, she remained solvent and lived comfortably for the rest of her life.

Death She died on July 22, 1967, at the age of 65. She is interred in Blackjack Cemetery in her childhood hometown of Taft.

Personal life Soon after moving to Kansas City, when she was 17 or 18, she married local businessman Kenneth Campbell in 1920.

Legacy Rector's house in Kansas City, known as the Rector House, was purchased in the 2010s by United Inner City Services, a nonprofit organization for historical and cultural preservation. Rector was portrayed by Naya Desir-Johnson.