An overview of Joel’s maternal ancestry, leading all the way to Germany.
We don’t have many images of Clara Mildred Pahl before Joel starts photographing his mother in 1938. The only image we’ve come across of Clara in Joel’s estate, is most likely taken by Joel’s father, Thomas Lawrence Dardis, a veterinarian.
(Photograph courtesy Jessica Fong)
The Dardis-Pahl couple had two addresses. One at 503 S Sutter Street, Stockton, the veterinarian/hospital business and the home was at 1028 N San Jose Street, Stockton. One and other confirmed through Census and Stockton City Directories. The 503 S Sutter Street veterinarian business was already the business of Thomas Lawrence’s father, equally a veterinarian. It stayed in the family, at least till Thomas Lawrence’s passing in 1933.
It is at this point pure speculation, that it is one of Thomas’s cameras that Joel picked up in 1938 to start photographing while at St-Mary’s high school.
Clara Mildred Pahl was born on October 7, 1880 in California, daughter of Emil Max Pahl (1853-1913) and Pauline Dietrich (1858-1939)
Clara marries widower Thomas Lawrence Dardis in San Joaquin County, California, on November 25, 1919.
The couple has one child, Joel Pahl Dardis, born June 6, 1921.
Clara did care for two stepchildren from Thomas’s first marriage to Hazel Small (1884-1918). Margareth Rosalea Dardis (1916-2004) and Thomas Lawrence Dardis Jr (1917-1940) were Joel’s half-sister and half-brother.
Clara Mildred Pahl (1880-1966) had a few younger siblings:
August Julius Pahl (1882-1957), married Doris Margaret Mentz (1881-1943)
Harry Lawrence Pahl (1881-1973), married Irene Lydia Warne (1888-1942)
Amy Agnes Pahl (1890-1980), never married, artist, teacher.
George Joseph Pahl (1891-1918), died from Spanish Flu while in service.
With exception of George Joseph Pahl, Joel would photograph uncles August and Harry and aunt Amy, and their children, grandchildren, throughout his career as a photographer. These images can be found throughout the blog.
Emil Max Pahl, Joel’s maternal grandfather, was born October 23, 1853 in Berlin Stadt, Brandenburg, which was Prussia at the time. There’s a record he was baptized Dec 16, 1853 in the Sophien-Kirche. Emil was the son of August Ferdinand Pahl and Dorothea Richter.
Emil emigrates to the United States in 1868 and marries Pauline Dietrich in San Joaquin, California on Nov 16, 1879.
Pauline Dietrich was born Oct 8, 1858 in Missouri, United States, she’s the daughter of Joseph Dietrich (ca 1835-1870) and Louise Adams (1838-1915)
Finding Joel Pahl Dardis 