Carl Sandburg’s father August was of average height and weight. His hair was black and his eyes were almost as dark. His hands were thick with calluses from hard work. When he came home from the blacksmith’s shop at the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, he used three changes of cistern water to remove the dirt and grime from the creases in his hands and around his neck.

August Sandburg enjoyed hard work. He averaged about four hours per day of “free time” after his job. He used it to improve his home, to visit with relatives, to play a little music on the accordion and, in season, to plant a garden.

His was a sober life. He didn’t go to saloons. He didn’t swear, He didn’t gamble. He paid his debts. He didn’t praise his children, but he did play with them when they were babies. They called him “Papa.” He went to church and read the Bible. He was loyal to the Republican party. He did little to improve his accent, but he knew how to pronounce properly the words used in his work.

The elder Sandburg liked investing in property, improving it and selling it for a profit. After retiring from the railroad shop, he made more money as a handyman than he had earned at the C.B.&Q.

The brothers Carl and Martin watched their father shave at the kitchen sink. Every three days August would lather his face and use a straight razor to remove the growth of beard. The boys were fascinated by the grimaces their father made when shaving the different parts of his face. He left just a small tuft of hair on his chin. He didn’t wear sideburns or a long beard like other men of the time. He didn’t flaunt his facial hair, but he did express a certain individuality.

In 1909 August was trimming a tree in his backyard. A limb fell and broke his right arm. Splints were applied by a doctor and August was put to bed to rest and recover. Pneumonia overtook him. He was sixty-four years old.

In his autobiography, Carl Sandburg wrote “No glory of any kind ever came to him.” His obituary appeared in the Galesburg newspaper–it gave his name as Andrew rather than August.

The ambitions of August Sandburg were few, but sincere. He wanted a good day’s work with enough pay to support his family. He intended to do his work better each time. He avoided any activities which might have harmed his good name. He wanted to provide for his family.

There was a fundamental conflict between father and son. August saw life as work and responsibility in a specific place among people of his own kind. The son suspected there was more to life than manual labor, and familiarity with place and people. There was a larger world in books, places and people with whom to become acquainted and get to know. There might be a chance to be a writer. August Sandburg didn’t understand how that kind of job could provide a reasonable income.