Pekin in Tazewell County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Nance Legins-Costley

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 6, 2024

1. Nance Legins-Costley Marker

Inscription. Nance Legins-Costley of Pekin and her three eldest children were the first enslaved persons Abraham Lincoln helped free. Nance was born in 1818 into indentured servitude in Kaskaskia, Illinois Territory. She was sold in 1827 in Springfield to Nathan Cromwell for $151, but she refused consent to the contract and was punished severely. When only 14 she challenged her servitude in court, but the Illinois Supreme Court ruled her the ward and servant of Cromwell, who brought her to Pekin in 1829. Cromwell later sold Nance to David Bailey of Pekin, who refused to pay the promissory note after Cromwell's death in 1836 since Nance said she was free. In the 184l Illinois Supreme Court case Bailey v. Cromwell, Bailey's attorney Abraham Lincoln argued successfully for the freedom of Nance and her children. Nance had married Benjamin Costley in- Pekin on Oct. 16, 1840. They lived at the southwest corner of Somerset and Amanda Streets, where they raised a family of five daughters and three sons: Amanda E. Eliza Jane, William Henry, Mary Jane, Leander B., Harriet E., Eliza Ann and James Willis. On July 19, 1849, Nance purchased

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the land their home occupied, becoming the first and only formerly enslaved woman to own land in Pekin. In his 1870 Pekin history, William H. Bates told Nance's story and wrote, “her presence and services have been indispensible on many a select occasion.” After 50 years in Pekin, she and her family moved to Peoria, where Nance died in 1892. Nance, her husband Ben and their son Leander were interred in the former Moffatt Cemetery in Peoria.

Erected 2023 by The City of Pekin • The Illinois State Historical Society.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans • Law Enforcement • Women. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #16 Abraham Lincoln, and the Illinois State Historical Society series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1841.

Location. 40° 34.152′ N, 89° 38.775′ 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.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 6, 2024

2. Nance Legins-Costley Marker

Marker is at or near this postal address: 417 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.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Tazewell County Remembers (here, next to this marker); Pvt. William Henry Costley (here, next to this marker); Abraham Lincoln - Eighth Judicial District (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); 29th United States Colored Infantry (about 500 feet away); Union League of America (about 700 feet away); Hinners Organ Company (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Steamboat Columbia Disaster (approx. 0.4 miles away); Fort Crevecœur (approx. 5.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Pekin.

Also see . . . Nance Legins Costley.

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Born into a culture that persistently denied African Americans their right to freedom, Nance Legins Costley proved herself to be a woman of singular bravery and resilience when she took an important public stand for her own legal emancipation, setting a precedent that helped numerous others secure their own freedom. (The Randolph Society) (Submitted on August 2, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

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 308 times since then and 47 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 2, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.