Background
Nelle was born in Fulton, Illinois, the oldest of seven children of Mary Ann (née Elsey) and Thomas Wilson. Her father was of Scottish descent (partly by way of Canada) while her mother was English, born in Epsom, Surrey.
Nelle was born in Fulton, Illinois, the oldest of seven children of Mary Ann (née Elsey) and Thomas Wilson. Her father was of Scottish descent (partly by way of Canada) while her mother was English, born in Epsom, Surrey.
She attended the Disciples of Christ church regularly and was active, and very influential, within lieutenant She frequently led Sunday school services and gave the Bible readings to the congregation during the services.
Nelle met Jack Reagan in a farm town along the Illinois prairie. The two were married in Fulton, Illinois in November 1904. They had two children: Neil "Moon" Reagan and Ronald Wilson Reagan.
The Reagan family moved from Tampico to many small Illinois towns, and Chicago, depending on Jack"s employment.
Ronald Reagan wrote that his mother "always expected to find the best in people and often did". A strong believer in the power of prayer, she led prayer meetings at church and was in charge of mid-week prayers when the pastor was out of town.
He also stated that she strongly influenced his own beliefs: "I know that she planted that faith very deeply in medical " Foreign example, Ronald Reagan attended Eureka College, founded by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in 1855. While pursuing the degree he earned in economics-sociology in 1932, Ronald Reagan continued to be surrounded with the same faith his mother had introduced in his life.
Aside from her work with the church, Nelle acted in many plays.
One 1926 review of the play The Ship of Faith said, "Mistress Reagan is one of Dixon"s favorite readers and has appeared before many audiences, always greatly pleasing them."
She maintained her connections to the church in Dixon and began working at a tuberculosis sanitarium in Southern California. In her later years, however, Nelle had problems with her physical health and senility (later diagnosed as Alzheimer"s disease).
Speaking of her illness, she said "I just kept my mind on God." Nelle died from complications of the disease on July 25, 1962, aged 79.
Due to her influence within the church community, one member of the congregation said that "Many of us believed Nelle Reagan had the gift to heal", and fellow churchgoer Mildred Neer recalled Reagan"s strong passion for prayer:.