History came alive on Feb. 27 when Abraham Lincoln visited Good Shepherd Lutheran School.
Actor Fred Priebe, from Mobile Ed Productions, brought the former president to life when he presented ‘The Living Abe Lincoln,? which featured talks about Lincoln’s life and his family.
The students learned about his early life and the moves he made from Kentucky, to Indiana and then to Illinois.
‘Lincoln? talked about his mother’s death and the remarriage of his father to Sarah Bush Johnston, who had three children.
Their blended family lived in a one-room cabin in Indiana. After he helped his family move to Illinois, Lincoln left home at the age of 21.
‘Honest Abe? told the students how he had studied for three years to get his law license, which was not an easy accomplishment for a man who had about one year of formal education.
Lincoln met and married Mary Todd, and the couple had four sons. He recounted their years in the White House, which were very difficult since one of their sons, Willy, died at age 11, and the war was always on Lincoln’s mind.
‘Lincoln? even told the students about his wife’s best friend, Lizzy Keckly, who was a former slave who bought her freedom by saving for twelve years.
Keckly owned her own dress shop in Washington and was one of the best seamstresses in the area.
Her clientele consisted of the government elite.