History is composed of time or location-related people, events and artifacts. Usually the ones we hear or read about are touted as being famous or important from someone’s viewpoint. Yet the majority of our collective history was created by individuals who flew under the history radar, so to speak. Celia Gardner was one of these people. My thanks to Karen Blandford-Anderson and the Derry (NH) Historical Museum for their help in locating Celia’s home.
My quest to learn about Celia Gardner began when I came across a story in the Carroll County Independent newspaper of Friday, November 26, 1926. The headline of “RAISES 6000 CHICKENS YEARLY” practically screamed, or should I say squawked that I needed to investigate this lady. Today we might think that raising that many chickens is an interesting feat, but for 1926 it was quite amazing. Continue reading