Nellie A. Ramsey Leslie

Nellie A. Ramsey Leslie
Born	Nellie A. Coles c. 1840s Amelia County, Virginia
Died	c. 1920s Muskogee, Oklahoma
Nationality	American
Other names	Nellie A. Ramsey, N. A. R. Leslie
Occupation	teacher, music instructor
Years active	1865-1899

Nellie A. Ramsey Leslie (better known as N. A. R. Leslie, c. 1840s-c. 1920s) was born a slave in Virginia. After emancipation, she worked at the Freedman's Bureau and attained an education becoming a teacher. Teaching in Louisiana, Mississippi, Indian Territory and Texas, Leslie worked to establish education for freedmen and women. She was widely known for her music education and was a composer, as well as performer.

Early life

Nellie A. Ramsey^{[Notes 1]} was born in Virginia. Very little is known of her early life. Some sources indicate she was born in Amelia County, Virginia^[2] and others that she was born in Petersburg, Virginia.^[3] She was the fourth daughter of Nannie and Charles P. Coles^[2] and had one brother, Solomon M. Coles^[4][3] (1844-1929/1930), who was the first person from the African diaspora to be allowed to enroll at the Yale Divinity School and later its first graduate. His biography shows that the family were slaves and in spite of laws against teaching blacks, he learned to read when he was fourteen. When the American Civil War ended, Solomon took night courses at the Freedmen's Bureau in Norfolk before migrating north to further his schooling.^[5][6] Ramsey also went north when slavery ended and was educated in Ohio,^[3] before beginning her service with the Freedman's Bureau.^[7]

Career

Ramsey's employment with the Freedman's Bureau began in 1865. She first taught elementary school in New Orleans, where her salary was paid through an agreement which split the funding between the public school board and the American Missionary Association.^[7] For the 1870–1871 term, she studied at the Normal School of Straight University^[8] and the following year began teaching primary school in Amite City, Louisiana. She was highly regarded for her work and in 1872, received a glowing testimonial from a Catholic priest. She taught in Amite City until 1874, when she married Rev. R. A. Leslie and moved to a school in Osyka, Mississippi.^[9][7] Rev. Leslie was a Creek Indian and helped establish schools for Creek freedmen in Indian Territory after he and his wife moved there around 1880.^[10][11] Establishing a boarding house the following year in Muskogee,^[12] the couple remained in Indian Territory for several years. They then returned to Mississippi, where Rev. Leslie died in April 1884.^[7]

After her husband's death, Leslie spent some time at the Boston Conservatory of Music^[7] and then founded and directed a music school in Paris, Texas, which was flourishing by 1886.^[13] By the following year, she was back in Indian Territory teaching in a private academy.^[14] Her "exclusively-female" normal school in Muskogee charged a tuition of eight dollars per month. Leslie also founded the Afro-American International Institute and School of Arts.^[15][16] Her successful teaching resulted in a recommendation for her to be hired as the principal of the Tullahassee Mission School. She remained as the principal until October 1891, when her brother was widowed and she went to Corpus Christi, Texas to help him raise his daughters.^[4]

Leslie opened a music conservatory in Corpus Christi, and assisted Solomon with his two daughters, though one of them soon died.^[6][17] Known throughout the regional area for her teaching skill, Leslie performed music and was a "composer of some prominence",^[18] though none of her compositions are currently known.^[19] After spending several years in Texas, Leslie resumed her teaching at Tallahassee Mission in 1895, where she served as the music director for at least three years.^[20][21] In 1920, she was still living in Muskogee and in 1921, performed at a Baptist gathering in Bristow, Oklahoma.^{[22][23][Notes 2]}

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