My Dahlager ancestry includes Jules Dahlager, who has been called "Alaska's most beloved artist." Jules was the son of my great-grandfather's brother, so I guess he is a cousin a few times removed, but he is related, nonetheless. For any family members reading this, Jules was the son of Trond Dahlager, brother of Christopher Dahlager. Trond lived in Iowa, but ended up in Brookings, South Dakota. I don't think my mother ever met Trond, but she knew of him.
Jules met his wife, Lucille in Washington state, where she was a teacher. Jules worked for a newspaper for a time, but made his living mostly as an artist. He especially loved painting the Alaska landscape and the people there. I have found his paintings on the internet, but if they are for sale, they are not in my budget.
In 1944, Lucille's sister passed away due to pneumonia. She left behind nine small children. Since her husband was in the army, the care of the children fell to the grandmother (Lucille's mother). Jules and Lucille very generously purchased a larger home for the family and they spent Christmas of 1944 in the new home. [There was no mention of grandfather, so he may have passed away by this time.] Lucille's younger sister, aged 15, also was a part of the household, so grandma now had 10 children in her care!
This family is not in "my family tree" but Jules is. I found it very touching that Jules & Lucille were willing to share their success by helping out these children!
The article is below, but you may need to zoom in to read it.
1 comment:
Jules Dahlager is my great great grandpa, who I was named after! Really fun finding this article!
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