Pekin in Tazewell County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Pvt. William Henry Costley
29th U.S.C.T. Co. B
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 6, 2024
1. Pvt. William Henry Costley Marker
Inscription.
Pvt. William Henry Costley. 29th U.S.C.T. Co. B. William Henry Bill Costley was the oldest son of Benjamin and Nance (Legins) Costley and was born 1840 in Pekin. Born into indentured servitude with his two older sisters Amanda and Eliza Jane, they and their mother had their freedom confirmed through the 1841 Illinois Supreme Court case Bailey v. Cromwell, becoming the first enslaved persons to be freed with Abraham Lincoln's help. Answering Lincoln's call to defend the Union, Bill enlisted on Sept. 21, 1864, in the famed 29th U.S. Colored Infantry, serving in Company B. Pvt. Costley participated in the Appomattox campaign but was not present at Lee's surrender as he was injured during the Battle of Petersburg. He recovered in time, however, to accompany his regiment to Galveston, Texas, in June 1865. Pvt. Costley was present for the first Juneteenth, when Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3, proclaiming an end to slavery and that former slaves had absolute equality with whites. William was mustered out in Sept. 1865 and returned to Pekin, where he worked as a hostler in livery stables. In Nov. 1870 William saved Elizabeth Doyle from being beaten to death by her husband Patrick Doyle, a convicted child rapist. When Doyle ignored his warnings to stop, Bill shot and killed him. Though indicted for murder, a jury of 12 white men found him not guilty since he had acted to defend a woman. Bill later moved to Iowa, then Minnesota, dying in 1888 in Rochester, where he is buried. Visit the Pekin Library Local History Room or the Tazewell County Genealogical and Historical Society to learn more.
William Henry Bill Costley was the oldest son of Benjamin and Nance (Legins)
Costley and was born 1840 in Pekin. Born into indentured servitude with his two
older sisters Amanda and Eliza Jane, they and their mother had their freedom
confirmed through the 1841 Illinois Supreme Court case Bailey v. Cromwell,
becoming the first enslaved persons to be freed with Abraham Lincoln's help.
Answering Lincoln's call to defend the Union, Bill enlisted on Sept. 21, 1864, in
the famed 29th U.S. Colored Infantry, serving in Company B. Pvt. Costley
participated in the Appomattox campaign but was not present at Lee's surrender
as he was injured during the Battle of Petersburg. He recovered in time,
however, to accompany his regiment to Galveston, Texas, in June 1865. Pvt.
Costley was present for the first Juneteenth, when Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger
issued General Order No. 3, proclaiming an end to slavery and that former slaves
had absolute equality with whites. William was mustered out in Sept. 1865 and
returned to Pekin, where he worked as a hostler in livery stables. In Nov. 1870
William saved Elizabeth Doyle from being beaten to death by her husband
Patrick Doyle, a convicted child rapist. When Doyle ignored his warnings to
stop, Bill shot and killed him. Though indicted for murder, a jury of 12 white
men found him not guilty
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since he had acted to defend a woman. Bill later
moved to Iowa, then Minnesota, dying in 1888 in Rochester, where he is buried.
Visit the Pekin Library Local History Room or the Tazewell County Genealogical
& Historical Society to learn more.
Erected 2023 by The City of Pekin The Illinois State Historical Society.
Location. 40° 34.152′ N, 89° 38.778′ W. Marker is in Pekin, Illinois, in Tazewell County. It can be reached from Court Street east of North 4th Street, on the left when traveling east. Marker is in Legins-Costley Park, located between 411 and 417 Court Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 411 Court St, Pekin IL 61554, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Illinois River Valley and in Greater Peoria. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Northwest Territory.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 2, 2024. It was originally submitted on August 2, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 368 times since then and 43 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on August 2, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
