This series comprises materials which give information about the history of the Institution of Protestant Deaconesses (IPD). The dates range from 1918 to 1955. Record types include a book, pamphlets, printed articles, handwritten records, typescripts, photocopies, an issue of a serial publication, invitations, and programs of services. Some of the materials in the first folder are general articles about the deaconess movement and deaconess work written by leaders in the Institution of Protestant Deaconess: the Rev. Herman L. Fritschel, the Rev. Henry Warren Roth, and the Rev. J. H. Ohl. Of particular interest is the account of the Passavant Memorial Homes for the Care of Epileptics, handwritten by Sister Catherine Dentzer. The biographies of early deaconesses include information about two of the four deaconesses who came from Kaiserswerth in 1849 and about the first American deaconess. The typescripts are translations of personal biographies of two of the deaconesses from Kaiserswerth. The photocopies of pages from the official records of the Kaiserswerth community are handwritten , and the only materials written in German with English translations. There are sermons and addresses at funerals and memorial services for Henry Warren Roth, long-time board member and officer of the Institution of Protestant Deaconesses, and Sr.Louise Hemme, an invested sister who died in the influenza outbreak of 1918. Two pamphlets have photographs of many buildings connected with the IPD. Unfortunately, several important items are missing; including a copy of the original charter, and biographies of the other two deaconesses from Kaiserswerth. Most materials are in good condition. Some legal documents such as charters and constitutions are reprinted in the Annals of the Institution of Protestant Deaconesses, LDMNA 1/1/6.
