Nance: Trials of the First Slave Freed by Abraham Lincoln: A True Story of Mrs. Nance Legins-Costley

The "Trials of Nance" is the true story of the three Supreme Court Trials of Mrs. Nance Legins-Costley (1813-1873) in Illinois.  The dramatic non-fiction narrative is based on the original sworn and witnessed court records written with quill and buried deep in the Archives of the Illinois Supreme Court and other record depositories.

This is the only known historical biography to receive awards from an African-American Museum as well as the Illinois State Historical Society.  The editor of the Illinois History Journal claimed this is the only story about Abraham Lincoln that is really new.  The truth of the story was actually buried by white supremecist attitudes for over 100 years.  Nance actually tried to free herself, but need lawyer Lincoln to make it legal.

Nance's struggles began as a teenager and it took 15 years to win her freedom.  Nance is the only known slave in American history who managed to get to a state supreme court THREE times.  It was discovered there are more old records on Nance than any other Illinois slavery case.  The result is the book holds a piece of history to own, a copy of Nance's original signature from her historic testimony in 1827, ten years before Abraham Lincoln became a lawyer...and Nance risked everything for the sake of her eight children, both born and the unborn.

"...a dramatic true account of "Trials of Freedom" ... which knelled the end of slavery in Illinois at a time when it was extremely important in national politics." HUFFINGTON POST; O'Brian Browne "Nance Legins-Costley, who had been born to slaves and sold twice before Lincoln took up her case ..." London DAILY MAIL " ... The Curator at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Dr. James Cornelius, ... said, Adams has done a remarkable job ..." ASSOCIATED PRESS, Minneapolis; Steven Karnowski "The Trials of Nance is impeccably researched ... Nance's story is beautifully told ..." Jadi Campbell, editor; novelist of GROUNDED, BROKEN IN and TSUNAMI COWBOYS "She was thought of as the first civil rights leader as a black woman because she did stand up ... she went to court five times ... she was persistent." Curator African-American Museum, Peoria; Millie Hall "Lincoln was able to get the court to say that people cannot be bought, sold, traded ... Once it was clear in the eyes of the law ... slavery will effectively die." Dr. Junius Rodriquez, author CHRONOLOGY OF WORLD SLAVERY and others. "This is the only story about Abraham Lincoln that is really new." JOURNAL ILLINOIS STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY editor, Dr. Eileen McMahon "She was born in the building used as the Territorial Capitol, on site where the 1818 Constitution was written which prohibited slavery, yet she was held in bondage ... The polarity of that is just absolutely amazing!" William Maddox, History teacher, Lincoln Middle School, Peoria, Illinois. OLD QUOTES: "... the first time he [Lincoln] gave to these grave questions [on slavery] ... the study of this case deepened and developed the antislavery convictions of his just and generous mind." Congressman Isaac Arnold -- 1881 "Admitting his premises his conclusions were irresistible." Judge William Thomas -- 1866 "Among the cases ... of dramatic import ... 'that she had declared herself to be free.'" Ida Tarbell -- 1902 "Of his conduct of this case Mr. Lincoln was more or less proud, and the case itself has been generously and frequently cited in the appellate courts of other states." Jessie Weik -- 1922 "For nearly a century it has been storied and sung that Lincoln, as a young man, won freedom for Black Nance, a slave..." William H. Williamson -- 1938 Lincoln argued, in part, that the girl was a free person until she was proven to be a slave ... the Supreme Court took practically the same view and Lincoln won his case." Carl Sandberg -- 1947 "Certainly this was one of the most far-reaching of the 250 cases in which Lincoln was to appear before the state's highest tribunal." Federal Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas -- 1962