The Diarium recorded the activities of Lutheran pastor and church leader Grabau as he conducted his daily business. Strictly speaking, these journals probably cannot be considered to be either official church records or personal diaries but fall somewhere in between. On one hand, researchers will find references to official ministerial acts, especially confirmations, and official parish business, but the records also include personal observations, notes on preaching texts, and summaries of pastoral conversations. These three journals are written in ledger books in old German script and are difficult to read -- in places the writing is almost impossible to decipher. All of the records are in very good condition with all pages intact, except that the first page of the Diarium has been torn out and is missing. The leather bindings, however, are very fragile, especially on the Diarium, whose signatures are coming loose from the bindings. The Diarium comprises journal entries for January 1, 1869-February 7, 1871. The creator of this record is assumed to be Johann Andreas August Grabau. The cover includes the inscription "J.A.A. Grabau," and journal entries include references to Trinity Lutheran Church and Martin Luther College in Buffalo, institutions that Grabau served as pastor and teacher. In addition, Grabau's signature appears on copies of correspondence written in the journal. The Diarium records simple notations of typical daily activities, such as what services Grabau preached at and what the sermon text was. However, the journal also appears to have served as a personal record book and includes material that may be of special interest to researchers. These include: "A draft of a synodical constitution (Entwurf einer Synodal-Constitution), located in the front of the book. Sections include: Geschichtliches (Historical Background),Die Lehre (Teachings, i.e. Doctrinal Position),Die Verfal̀iche Einrichtung der Synode (Constitutional Structure of the Synod),Von der Schulen (Concerning the Schools),Der Martin-Luther BCollegium (Martin Luther College), Von der Aufnahme u. der Austellung der Pastoren in der Synode und den Pflichten (Concerning the Admission and Preparation of Synodical Pastors and Their Duties), copies of letters of correspondence, dated and signed by Grabau, extensive notes concerning the incorporation and financing of Martin Luther College, a time-line (Stechholz) of the events leading to the denomination's 1866 schism and notes about the Rotte, a term, meaning literally "mob" or "hoard," used when referring to schismatic factions, correspondence and notes concerning contentious dealings with Gottlieb Henning, a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Buffalo, and a draft of catechetical material Sermon and lecture notes and outlines Grabau apparently wrote much of this material in preparation for a synodical convention in August 1869. It appears in final form in Elfter Synodal Brief 1869 (Report on the 11th Synodical Convention), which is also available in the ELCA Archives. Daily entries begin after the synodical constitution draft. The first few pages appear to be a summary of the previous years activities continued from an earlier journal.
