Theodore Gardner was born in Union County, Indiana, Nov. 13, 1844. His father, Joseph Gardner, moved his family to Kansas in 1857. Theodore helped his father in developing a home in Washington Creek, Douglas County, in the neighborhood of Lone Star. In 1862, at the age of 18, he enlisted in the First Kansas Battery, commanded by Col. Norman Allen of Lawrence. This battery saw its first service in Indian Territory under General Blout, then returned to Leavenworth from there to the Mississippi Valley where Theodore Gardner was discharged at Chattanooga on June 6, 1865.

He returned to Kansas working various employments, finally going into an insurance agency, later, he was appointed as a special agent. For 32 years he represented the National Insurance Company of Hartford, notably building up the Kansas agency.

For 40 years he was a member of the Kansas State Historical Society, being its president in 1925. In 1920, he was elected department commander of GAR, was a Royal Arch Mason, and a Knight Templar.

He was married in 1872 to Minnie Selig, who was in Lawrence during Quantrill’s Raid. Mr. and Mrs. Gardner had a son, Wilbur L. and a daughter, May, both graduates of Kansas State University. Miss May Gardner graduated from Sorbonne University in Paris was a professor in the Spanish department at KU.