Responses from four students in Mr. Koscuiszka's class can be viewed below:
Jon Martin
"Research your topic and summarize the ‘who, what, when, and where’ in the form of a few paragraphs"
Drawing of Thomas S. Libby, by Reece Crosby
Thomas S. Libby from Albion, Maine was born on February 18th, 1819. He died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 4, 1864 at age 48 while he was in the military serving in the Civil War. He is the father of Thomas G. Libby.
Thomas S. Libby was a wheelwright and carriage maker in the town of Lincoln, Maine. He was a wheelwright and carriage maker from 1841 to 1861. A wheelwright is a person that repairs broken wooden wheels. The wooden wheels were primarily for carriages or wagons. A carriage maker is a person that makes carriages. A carriage is a four-wheeled car that is pulled by two or more horses. He may have been the only wheelwright and carriage maker in Lincoln at that time period. Thomas also made carriages for the public to buy.
Thomas S. Libby remodeled Lora C. Libby’s house on Transalpine Road. The house was built in 1840 by Chandler Bruce. Thomas had a house that had enough room to have two families in it at one time. At this time he could be hired as a carpenter that remodeled houses or buildings.
Andrew Johnson
"Create a statement and prove or disprove it with evidence from your research"
Statement: Thomas S. Libby had a valuable life to Lincoln.
Many people believed that Thomas S. Libby lived a short and valuable life, and I agree. He was born February 18, 1819, in Albion, Maine. Thomas grew up on a farm right on the outskirts of Albion, planting and harvesting food for his community, and got a small education at the age of 13. At age 22 Thomas S. Libby became a wheelwright and a carriage maker from 1841 to 1861, greatly assisting the community by repairing their wagons. A wheelwright repairs broken carriage wheels.
He was retired for three years until he enlisted into the Union army during the Civil War, which was fighting to keep the country together under President Lincoln. He mostly needed the money to pay the mortgage on his house, and died at age 48 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After dying, he was considered a hero who died in the service of the North. Several years later, a cemetery was built in honor of him for his family behind the Burlington town hall.
Thomas S. Libby grew up on a farm, got an education, worked to assist the town, had a family, and died for his country. This serves as evidence that Thomas lived a short, yet valuable life to the town of Lincoln.
Mary Dyer
"Describe your feelings, or the feelings of someone living at that time when a certain event happened"
My feelings for Thomas S. Libby are feeling really bad for him because he was in the war and he could have gotten shot by the people they were going against in the war. He was in the war to help people and friends out so they wouldn’t get hurt.
I bet Thomas S. Libby would like it more now than back then because it was different. They didn’t have all the good things we have now like cars, lots of money, and more stores. I bet he would have wanted his life to be different and have all the new things out there today.
Thomas was a person that fixed broken wooden wheels for people. The people that had a horse and wagon would go to Thomas to see if he could fix the wheel for them, so they could get to places they had to go. I think Thomas S. Libby liked fixing wheels for people because he probably didn’t have anything else to do besides work on the farm, which he probably got bored of doing that after awhile. I think Thomas S. Libby was nice and kind to people. But in the olden days I think he had a hard time living the way they did. These are my feelings about Thomas S. Libby.
Works Cited
History of Trans Alpine: the Southernmost Part of the Town of Lincoln, Maine, Beyond the Alps. May Murray Edwards Bailey - - Lincoln, Me. – 1950
Mattanawcook Observer. 3/4 ed. Vol. 2. Lincoln: Allen H. Hawkins, 1984. Print.
Personal Glimpses of the Early Settlers of Lincoln, Maine. Kathryn B.Goodwin - s.n. - Maine? - 1970
Their Eyes Hath Seen the Glory. Beckie Goodwin - B. Goodwin - Lincoln Center, Me. - 1992