Ryan's roots post

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This photo [click to enlarge] came to light about 2 years ago in my family. It's of my family's logging camp in Masardis, Maine circa 1910. My great-grandfather, Austin Gardner, is the one in an ascot, sitting on the log in the left hand side of the photo. My grandmother, Ethel Gardner, is standing center-left holding an infant dressed in white. My great-great-uncle is the mustachioed gent sitting next to her on the right. My great-uncle Owen is the blurred child standing on top of the horse hovel. My great aunt Ester is the girl sitting in the sleigh. We were able to figure out when the photo was taken based on the ages of Owen and Ester. Overall, there were 10 children, my grandfather, Merrill Gardner was number 9, born in 1926, died February 18, 2010.

My great-grandfather died in the late 1920s from injuries sustained in an auto accident. He was sitting on the edge of a flat bed truck that was driving through Masardis. Another logging truck side swiped his truck, shearing his legs off. There being no hospital, the local doctor bandaged him up and sent him home. He died of gangrene.

The family house, where the children were born and Austin died, is still standing. In 2008, my uncle took my grandfather back to Maine. This photo was found at a cousin's house.

There's actually a book out about the family called "The Gardners of Maine" The Gardners first came to the US around 1640 and settled throughout New England. My great-grtandfather actually traveled as far west as Texas before returning to Maine when he was about 30. He was the boss logger for that crew above. As far as them being rugged, I have no doubt about that; over Christmas, after the death of my grandmother, my grandfather was showing me the photo, explaining who was who and remarked "what were the japs thinking, picking a fight with people like this?" He joined the navy in 1942 at 17. His brother Carol had joined the army earlier. Carol fought in north Africa, Sicily and Normandy. He lost both legs in France, June 1944

That's the maternal side; I don't know much about the Auclair side. I know that my grandfather, Joseph Auclair' came to the US from Quebec when he was 14 since he was the runt and considered too small to work the family farm. Self esteem and the intrinsic worth of a child apparently weren't valued much in those days. He came to the US illiterate in both french and english since he had no formal schooling. That's about all I know.