*Carl August Sandburg was born on January 6, 1878 in Galesburg Illinois.
*He was the second child of seven kids.
*His father, August Sandburg, was a Swedish immigrant, who worked ten hours a day, six days a week at the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad Yards.  Quitting school early, he never learned to write.
* His mother, Clara Sandburg, was also an immigrant from Sweden.  She was a housekeeper.
*Both parents were strong workers who appreciated the opportunities that living in America had given them.  They tried to be good citizens of the community and wanted their children to grow up speaking English and living as Americans do.
*As a child, Carl loved visiting the country, especially the prairie.
*Carl's nicknames as a child were Charlie and Cully.
*At the age of 13, Carl left school.
*That same year, he lost his brothers, Emil (7) and Freddy (2) to diphtheria.
*When Carl was 15 he was temporarily put in jail for swimming in a public pond with no clothes or swimming trunks.
*As a teenager, Carl learned how to play the banjo and took three lessons for 25 cents each, but they cost too much and he had to quit.
*When Carl was 18, he visited Chicago for the first time and loved it.
*Afterwards, Carl decided to see more of the country as a hobo, traveling, catching rides on trains, and finding odd jobs from the Mississippi River to the Rockies for a year.
*On April 26, 1898, Carl joined Company C Sixth Infantry Regiment of Illinois Volunteers and fought in the Spanish American War.  He was sent to Puerto Rico on July 17 of that year.
*When Carl got back from the war, he started college.

Carl's Childhood Jobs:
 

Harvested Hay	Cleaned Bricks	Sold Refreshments at Lake Resort	Potterer
Delivered Papers	Shot Sparrows	Harvested Ice	Shined Shoes
Cleaned a Law Office	Milked Cows	Carried Water at Racetrack	House Painter
Picked Potato Bugs	Carried Water for Road Crew	Barber

Jobs as a Hobo:
 

Washed Dishes

Chopped Wood

Harvested Hay

Threshed Wheat