Nellie Ramsesy Leslie: The former slave who taught elementary school and music to emancipated citizens.

I love to share stories of exceptional African American educators, especially during Black History Month. One of the most interesting of these educators is Nellie Ramsey Leslie, a teacher, composer, and musician from the American South.

Nellie was born into slavery in Virginia in circa 1840. The exact date of her birth is not known. When the Civil War ended in 1865 and left her emancipated, the 25-year-old ventured north to Ohio to attend school. Once she completed her education, she relocated to New Orleans, Louisiana. There she founded a musical conservatory for girls under the auspices of the Freedmen’s Bureau. In New Orleans, Nellie educated newly freed slaves and their children.

Between 1870 and 1872, Nellie decided to refine her teaching practices by completing courses at Straight University Normal School. Straight is now known as Dillard University. Once Nellie completed those courses, she accepted a teaching position in Straight. Two years later she relocated to Amite City in Tangipahoah Parish. She taught there for two years.

In 1874, Nellie married the Reverend R. A. Leslie, a Native American of the Creek tribe. The couple moved to Osyka, Mississippi. Six years later, Nellie and R. A. moved to the Indian Territory located in the state now known as Oklahoma.There the couple established schools for emancipated Creeks. The next year Nellie and R. A. founded a boarding house in Muskogee, Oklahoma. 

Following her husband’s death in 1884, Nellie traveled to the Boston Conservatory of Music where she took courses in music. Then she traveled to Corpus Christi, Texas, where she established a music school. Later, she returned to Indian Territory, where she taught in a private academy for African American girls. The veteran educator also taught at the Tallahassee Mission School for three years.

This Chalkboard Champion passed away in Muskogee, Oklahoma, sometime in the 1920’s. Again, the exact date of her death in unknown. To read more about her, check out the Google book version of Notable Negro Women: Their  Triumphs and Activities by Monroe A. Majors, which you can access at this link: Notable Negro Women.