Nance Legins-Costley facts for kids

Nance Legins-Costley (born around 1813, died 1892) was an African American woman. Her original name was Nance Legins Cox. She made history in 1841 when she became the first enslaved person to be legally freed by a lawyer named Abraham Lincoln. This happened 20 years before the American Civil War began.

Early Life and Slavery

Nance Legins Cox was born in 1813 in a place called Kaskaskia. She was born into the home of Colonel Thomas Cox. At that time, Kaskaskia was the capital of the Illinois Territory. Even though Illinois was supposed to be a "free" territory, Nance was born into slavery there.

Fighting for Freedom

Nance was an enslaved African American woman who fought hard for her freedom. Her case went to the Illinois Supreme Court three times! Finally, Abraham Lincoln successfully argued for her freedom. He used a principle that said "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall exist." This idea later became a law in Illinois and then across the entire United States.

Nance's journey to freedom took 13 years. In an earlier court case in 1828, the judge said, "A servant is a possession and CAN BE SOLD." This meant she was seen as property.

Her next chance came in 1841 with a case called Bailey v. Cromwell. An abolitionist named Major David Bailey helped her. An abolitionist is someone who wants to end slavery. Major Bailey and Lincoln were both part of the Whig political party. Lincoln had even served in the same military group as Major Bailey.

Lincoln argued her case using the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. This was an important law that helped organize new territories and said slavery should not exist there. He argued this law three times in court.

Important Court Decision

The Illinois Supreme Court Justice, Sidney Breese, made a very important decision. This decision changed how slavery cases were handled in Illinois. It set two new rules:

• In Illinois, it is assumed that every person is free, no matter their skin color.
• Selling a free person is against the law.

This legal battle was one of the longest in the mid-1800s, lasting five years, from 1836 to 1841. During this time, Nance Legins Cromwell married a free Black man named Benjamin Costley in 1840.

Nance was officially freed by the court on July 23, 1841. By then, Nance had three children: Amanda, Elisa Jane, and William. Because Nance was freed, her children were also freed from being forced to work as servants. Nance and her children were among the first of millions of enslaved people who would eventually be freed by the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Life After Freedom

Nance had eight children in total. In 1863, her oldest son, William H. Costley, joined the Civil War. He marched off with the First Regiment Illinois Colored Volunteers (29th United States Colored Infantry Regiment). William was hurt in the Battle of Petersburg. He became a disabled veteran. His regiment was present at the first Juneteenth celebration on June 19, 1865, which celebrated the freedom of enslaved people in Texas. He was also one of the original Buffalo Soldiers.

Nance's second son, Leander Costley, became one of the first Pullman Porters by 1866. Pullman Porters were African American men who worked on trains, providing services to passengers.

Nance's husband, Ben, died in Peoria, Illinois, in 1883. After his death, Nance Legins-Costley lived with her daughter Amanda and her son-in-law Edward Lewis. Nance Legins-Costley passed away in Peoria, Illinois, on April 6, 1892, when she was about 79 years old. She was buried in Moffatt Cemetery.

About Her Story

The story of Nance Legins-Costley and her fight for freedom is told in a book called Nance: Trials of the First Slave Freed by Abraham Lincoln: A True Story of Mrs. Nance Legins-Costley.