This dear brother was the son of a slave. He was born in Indian Territory in 1872. Sometime in the early part of the 20th Century, he moved from Beggs, OK to Tulsa with his family. In 1918 he began writing articles for the Tulsa Star newspaper for the black community. He held Sunday meetings every other week at the Masonic Hall at 618 E. Archer. In 1920, he rented or purchased a building next to his house on Easton Street and advertised meetings 5 nights a week including Sunday. All meetings were free. No collections taken.
Brother Hill was a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association and the U.S. Supreme Court.
He was a Creek Freedman and his wife was a Choctaw Freedwoman. They had a daughter born in 1920 named Suntalia. The 1930 Census shows her name had been changed to Cedar Point! Did the 1922 convention in Cedarpoint, Ohio have anything to do with the name change?
Richard Hill also held two large debates at the Convention Hall (a/k/a Old Lady on Brady, Brady Theater). More about these debates on a future blog.
What happened to Richard Hill and his family after the Race Riot? The City Directory shows that they lived in Tulsa through 1954. My research continues.
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