Editing Elbert Hubbard (section)

==Early life==
Hubbard was born in [[Bloomington, Illinois]], to Silas Hubbard and Juliana Frances Read on June 19, 1856.  In the autumn of 1855, his parents had relocated to Bloomington from [[Buffalo, New York]], where his father had a medical practice. Finding it difficult to settle in Bloomington—mainly due to the presence of several already established doctors—Silas moved his family to [[Hudson, Illinois]], the next year.<ref name=Champney/>{{rp|7}} Nicknamed "Bertie" by his family, Elbert had two older siblings: Charlie, who was largely bed-ridden after a fall when he was young, and Hannah Frances, nicknamed "Frank" like her mother.<ref name=Champney/>{{rp|10–11}} Charlie died at the age of nine, when Elbert was three-and-a-half years old.  Elbert also had three younger sisters who were named Mary, Anna Miranda, and Honor.<ref name=Champney/>{{rp|11–12}}

The Hubbard children attended the local public school, a small building with two rooms that overlooked a graveyard. Thirty years later, Elbert described his schooling days as "splendid" and "tinged with no trace of blue.... I had no ambitions then—I was sure that some day I could spell down the school, propound a problem in fractions that would puzzle the teacher, and play checkers in a way that would cause my name to be known throughout the entire township."<ref name=Champney/>{{rp|14}} Mary would remember her older brother's role as a school troublemaker, noting that he "annoyed his teachers... occasionally by roaring inappropriately when his too-responsive sense of humor was tickled."<ref name=Champney/>{{rp|15}}

Elbert's first business venture was selling [[Larkin Company|Larkin soap]] products, a career which eventually brought him to [[Buffalo, New York]]. His innovations for Larkin included premiums and "leave on trial".<ref name=LarkinCo/>