Sandburg Grandchildren

John and Paula

John Carl, the freckle-faced, carrot-topped grandson of Carl and Paula Sandburg was the older of the two grandchildren, born in 1941. He and his younger sister Paula, with their mother, Helga, were a part of the Connemara mountain farm for seven years. The children spent their time riding horses over the mountainside trails, swimming in its crisp spring fed waters, investigating nesting birds, creepy crawlies, or other forest creatures.

After dinner they might settle into their grandfather's lap to be told fanciful tales from his repertoire of children's stories or they performed their own puppet shows for Aunts Margaret and Janet, Gramma, Buppong (the grandchildren's nickname for their grandfather), and their mother. Connemara was a special place, one that granddaughter Paula wrote about in her book of reminiscences, My Connemara.

For more information on the Sandburg grandchildren, please visit our Virtual Museum Exhibit.