The first slave Lincoln freed...

[kadee79]

And it was well before he became President.  I grew up in central Ill...an hour or twos drive from this location, NEVER heard about this until now.  This being Black History Month...I thought is was a very good article for all of us to read.

PEORIA, Ill. – The name of Nance Legins-Costley could resonate amid the likes of Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass and other abolitionist figures.



But her story is hardly known. Not in Illinois, where – despite anti-slavery laws – she was born into bondage. Not in the city of Pekin, where – despite anti-Black attitudes – she became a beloved community figure. And certainly not in Peoria, where – despite her impressive life – she is buried in ignominy.



Perhaps her story is more subtle than those of high-profile abolitionist leaders, yet her fortitude was astounding. Barely a teen, she first stood up for her civil rights in a court of law that was stacked against Black people. Even amid legal defeats, she kept seeking the most basic of rights: freedom.



“She was a very impressive lady,” says Carl Adams, a historian who has spent more than a quarter-century researching the struggles of Nance Legins-Costley.

www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/02/06/nance-legins-costley-of-pekin-the-first-slave-lincoln-freed/4373306001/