In the sweltering summer of 1911, while most children ran through fields and played carefree games, nine-year-old Nan de Gallant was already burdened with adult responsibilities.
Living at 4 Clark Street in Eastport, Maine, Nan would rise early each day and head to Seacoast Canning Co., Factory #2, where she worked as a cartonerāsealing tin cans filled with fish. Hour after hour, she placed lids with practiced precision, her small hands sore from handling cold brine and sharp tin. Sometimes her mother was by her side. Often, she worked alone, enveloped by the hiss of machinery and the sharp scent of salt and fish.
Nanās story was far from unique. Her entire family, including her mother, sisters, and even her brother, worked in the factory. One sister once packed a whole crate of āArie Hasitā brand fish during a shift that ran from 7 a.m. to midnight during the hectic rush seasonāno extra pay, no rest. Her brother hauled heavy loads from the boats, also caught in the same punishing cycle.
Originally from Perry, Maine, the family migrated to Eastport each summer in search of whatever seasonal work they could find. The labor was grueling and the pay meagerābut it meant survival.
An old photograph of Nan still existsāher young face framed by a stoic expression, her eyes reflecting the quiet resolve of a child who had learned to endure far too early. There are no tears in her eyes. No smile. Just the haunting resilience of a girl who traded childhood for hard-earned strength.
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