The Pachner Wolff Family

The Leo Baeck Institute Archives recently received a donation from the Pachner Wolff family, a family of German-Jewish descent whose roots originate in Altdorf, Frankfurt am Main, and Nordhausen, Germany, as well as the cities of Poznań and Gniezno in Poland, which were both once part of Germany. The Pachner Wolff family loved taking photographs and keeping scrapbooks that detailed their lives, travels, friendships, and family events.

Charles Wolff Pachner was born on December 6, 1916 in New York, NY to Gustav “Gus” Pachner and Marcelle Pachner née Wolff. Marcelle Pachner was born in Paris, France to Charles “Karl” Wolff of Altdorf, Germany, and Adeline Knoblauch of Gnesen, Germany (now Gniezno, Poland), while Gus Pachner’s parents, Isaac Pachner (originally spelled Paschte) and Tena Pachner were from Gnesen, Germany and Posen, Germany (now Poznań, Poland), respectively. Charles’s family moved to the United States in the late 1890s.

The Wolff family's numerous photo albums, baby books, and scrapbooks reflect their deep commitment to preserving family memories. The Wolff family used photography and scrapbooking, particularly in relation to the growth of children in the family and travel, as a form of self-reflection and documentation, shown by the notes and handwritten materials that often accompanied these images and objects.

Of note are childhood photo albums and baby books featuring photographs and information about Lawrence “Pete” Wolff and Susan Wolff, as well as Susan Wolff’s vast collection of scrapbooks and photo albums, featuring photographs relating to her time at camp in the Adirondack Mountains, photographs depicting her life from childhood to young adulthood, and photography from her travels to Turkey, India, Egypt, and Hong Kong, in addition to her vast travels across the United States.

Charles married Janice Pachner née Frenkel, who was born on December 1, 1921 in New York, NY. She was the daughter of Leo Samuel Frenkel, a professor at Cornell University who served in the U.S. Army, and Helen Rose Frenkel. Leo Frenkel had two siblings: Carrie Sinn née Frenkel and Robert “Bob” Frenkel, a geologist and geology professor. Leo Frenkel’s father, Emil Frenkel, was born in Nordhausen, Germany, while his mother, Minna “Maly” Amalie Frenkel née Rautenberg, was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Maly’s sister and Leo Frenkel’s aunt was Julie Wolff née Rautenberg.

Janice Frenkel and Leo Frenkel were the scrapbookers and photographers of the Frenkel family, with Janice recording her travels to the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, France, and England, as well as her trip to California and her time as a student at the University of Wisconsin. Leo, on the other hand, kept a photo album of his trips to the Canadian Rockies, New York, California, South Carolina, Washington, D.C., Virginia, New Hampshire, and the Great Smoky Mountains. These memorialized trips and time periods showcase the importance Janice placed on adventure and everyday moments. At the same time, we can see the importance of exploration, travel, and family in Leo’s life through his photographs as well.

Helen Rose Frenkel’s father was Max Wolff of Altdorf, Germany, and her mother was Julie Wolff née Stern of Brooklyn, NY. Helen had two brothers: Lawrence “Pete” Wolff and Irving Gutman Wolff. Susan Wolff was Janice Pachner’s cousin. Pete Wolff married Peggy (Finke) Wolff née Freydberg, the daughter of Blanche Finke née Stahl and Myron Finke. Janice’s family moved to the United States in the late 1870s. After Helen died in 1950, Leo married Hortense Frenkel née Tyroler, a teacher at the Dalton School in New York.

Charles Pachner, a lawyer, joined the insurance agency Frenkel & Co. as an insurance agent in 1951 after practicing law at the law firm Demov and Morris. He served as a chairman and president of the company until his retirement in 1995, serving as the chairman emeritus of Frenkel & Co. until 2004.

The Pachner family mainly focused their photographic efforts on family gatherings and events, underscoring the importance of familial values, togetherness, and unity. Such photographs include the many portraits of family members in addition to photographs of family events such as weddings and images of children and grandchildren in the Pachner family.

The art of photography and scrapbooking has played a major role in the way that the history and memories of the Pachner Wolff family have been preserved and recorded. As such, viewers can observe how images and objects can tell stories. By providing a tangible means for onlookers to reflect upon the importance of memories in their own lives, visual storytelling becomes an effective way to observe relationships, evolutions, and developments over time.