Nelle was born in Fulton, Illinois, the oldest of seven children[1] 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.

[4] The Reagan family moved from Tampico to many small Illinois towns, and Chicago, depending on Jack's employment.

[6] Her strong commitment to the church is what induced her son Ronald to become a Protestant Christian rather than a Roman Catholic like his father.

[1] 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: When our little daughter was about four years old, she developed what seemed to be tonsillitis ... My husband said to me, 'Why don't you go to church?

One 1926 review of the play The Ship of Faith said, "Mrs. Reagan is one of Dixon's favorite readers and has appeared before many audiences, always greatly pleasing them.