Richard Bogardus Blanchard Sr. was born on June 27, 1893 in Gardner, Massachusetts.Birth Certificate He attended Gardner High School until the ninth grade when he left school to begin his silversmith apprenticeship at age fourteen. It was common practice to began to learn a trade at an early age and this is how such a high level of skill was achieved. His father was a silversmith,George P. Blanchard His House but it is unknown where Richard began his apprenticeship. Richard's older brother, Porter, also became a silversith. Richard Sr. joined the U.S. Army during World War I and left for training on August 18, 1917. He shipped out to France with the 105 Aero Squad on November 23, 1917 and arrived in New York after the war on April 26, 1919. He received an honorable discharge at this time. Army Docs |