This series comprises personal and business records of John Diederich Lankenau, president of the German Hospital of Philadelphia and founder of the Mary J. Drexel Home and Philadelphia Motherhouse of Deaconesses. Records date from 1816 to 1987, but the bulk is from 1883-1901. Record types include personal and business correspondence, financial records, letterpress books, newspaper articles, documents such as marriage records and birth and death certificates, last will and testament, records of the disposal of his estate such as estate sale books, a hymnbook, notebooks, scrapbooks, published books, photographs, and photograph albums. These records were retained by the Philadelphia Motherhouse of Deaconesses and passed down to their successor communities. Many of the records, including personal and business correspondence and Lankenau's notebook entries, are handwritten. Materials are in English and German, with one letter in French. Several of the German records have been translated into English. Early personal correspondence and the letterpress books are difficult to read because they are written on very thin paper on which the ink bleeds through. These records provide only a broad outline of Lankenau's early life, although his biography and the personal letters give some brief but informative insights into his character. His later life, especially the photographic record of his last two years at Cape May Point, are very well documented. It was determined that the archivist would have to impose and order on the material. The records are arranged by subject matter and where possible, chronologically within each group. Biographical. Primary biographical records are brief topical papers written about Lankenau at various times, but there are also news articles, an excerpt from a book, and a note. Many records are undated; the date for the Rev. Bachmann's paper is inferred from the content. One newspaper article and one paper are written in German. Records of note include the handwritten autobiography of Lankenau and the life happenings which he recorded in his hymnbook. The news article entitled "A Raymond Raff Gives Farm to the Sisters . . ." has inaccuracies in the dates and the content differs from that of Lankenau's own account. Other biographical information can be found in the news articles found in the subject matter Honors and Celebrations, Death Notices, and Scrapbooks. Personal Correspondence. The personal correspondence consists of letters and notes both to and from Lankenau, as well as a letter to his wife Mary and one to his daughter Elise. Letters of note include one by Lankenau and his son Frank to Mary Lankenau, and one from Lankenau to his brother-in-law Anthony J. Drexel. The latter was never received, because Drexel, who was in Europe, died four days later. There is a strong likelihood that two small notes from Mary Drexel Lankenau to John were written before their marriage. The salutation of one, "My dearest friend," the content of the letters which does not sound like things a wife would write, and the fact that they are addressed to Chestnut Street, though the Lankenau family lived in Rittenhouse Square, all suggest they were not yet married. A section of one note was missing when the ELCA Archives received the records, but a use copy made before the section was lost is available. Original copies of fragile correspondence are in one folder, with use copies in the folder immediately following. The letter from Francis M. Drexel, Mary's father, is written on both sides on thin paper; subsequently, neither the original nor the copy can be easily read. All correspondence is in English except the one from F. Deleurie to Madame Lankenau, which is in French. The letters are arranged chronologically. Business Correspondence. Most of these records, except the letterpress books, discuss matters concerning the German Hospital, the Mary J. Drexel Home and Philadelphia Motherhouse for Deaconesses, or the Cape May Point property. The latter includes letters to Thomas Chester, caretaker at Cape May Point about road building, care of horses, care of the property, and payment for work done. Records of note include Lankenau's letter to Sister Marie Krueger urging her to bring deaconesses to Philadelphia and his letters to Herr von Oertzen and Dr. Marie Bauer concerning the care of Oberin Wanda von Oertzen. The letters of John Harjes concerning the bust of Lankenau which he donated to the Mary J. Drexel Home are also of interest. The letterpress books contain copies of business letters of the firm Wicht and Lankenau. Unfortunately missing are correspondence records from the earliest years of the firm 1845-1847, its middle years 1851-1860, and 1864-1865, when it was dissolved. Correspondence includes both English and German records. It is arranged in chronological order, except for the letterpress books, which are placed at the end of the business correspondence. Financial Records. Financial records include three ledgers from Bremen in the years 1818-1819. They could not have belonged to John D. Lankenau, who was born in 1817. It is possible they are ledgers from his father's business in Bremen. There is also a notebook with information about the finances of the German Hospital, including legacies, principal, income, and other financial notes for an unnamed Board of Charities. There are no financial records for the Wicht and Lankenau firm or for Lankenau's personal finances. Honors and Celebrations. Lankenau's birthday was often a time of celebration for the deaconess community and friends of the German Hospital and the Mary J. Drexel Home. His 83rd birthday in 1900 was especially a time of celebration, and the scrapbook in which letters of acceptance or regret were placed is of particular note. It has been disassembled for preservation purposes, and its pages interleaved with acid-free paper. Lankenau's birthday continued to be recognized long after his death. Other honors were the celebration in 1893 on the 25th anniversary of his election as president of the German Hospital, and the 1900 dedication of the plaque honoring his daughter Elise. Death Notices, Letters of Condolence, Funeral Service. These records include the order of service at Lankenau's funeral, letters of condolence, and news articles announcing his impending death, biographical articles at his death, descriptions of his funeral, and notices about the extent of his estate. Of note are the letter of condolence from the Ministerium of Pennsylvania and Adjacent States and those from German motherhouses. Also of interest is the September, 1901, issue of Der Diakonissen Freund, the official publication of the Philadelphia Motherhouse. It is entirely devoted to Lankenau, giving a complete account of his funeral, biographical information, and letters of condolence. Last Will and Testament and Related Records. Lankenau's Last Will and Testament, dated 1900 with codicils in 1900 and 1901, was not his original will. A note amending an earlier will, dated 1896, expresses concern about funding of the Mary J. Drexel Home and Philadelphia Motherhouse of Deaconesses, and hopes the public will help. In the later will, Lankenau provides the necessary funding. Other records document the extent and disposition of his estate. Of interest is a letter from the Drexel Institute Board of Trustees concerning the art collection which Lankenau left to the institute. Lankenau Family Records. The family records found here were most likely sent from Germany by Dr. Heinrich Lankenau to the Deaconess Community of the Lutheran Church in America sometime in the 1960s. Letters from Sister Louise Burroughs to the Lankenau family in Germany and deaconess community notes about the Lankenau documents provide background. The documents offer some insight into the Lankenau family in Germany, but leave many questions. For example, the sister, Henrietta, mentioned in Lankenau's will, is not listed in any other document, and her husband's name is also the name of the husband of Louisa Buchanan Wade. There is a picture in one of the albums labeled, "Mr. Lankenau's brother Benjamin," but there is no record of a brother. Eliza Lankenau, John D. Lankenau's oldest sister married a Professor Schmalhausen, but his first name is not clear, as he is called both Bernhard and Philip in the records. Hymnbook and Notebooks. Lankenau's hymnbook is particularly important because It contains his handwritten chronology of early and middle life, ending with his daughter's death in 1882. The pressed flowers from Mary Lankenau's funeral are in the hymnbook; they are very fragile and should not be touched. Lankenau's notebooks include records and diaries of trips, drafts of letters, notes, and drawings, and date from his later life, 1877-1900. He was usually not systematic about what he recorded; letters, notes, quotations, and lists were not entered in any particular order. German and English are used, although English predominates. Scrapbooks. Like his notebooks, the contents of Lankenau's scrapbooks are arranged in no particular order. They include newspaper articles, pictures clipped from newspapers and magazines, postcards, and photographs. The photographs are often of Lankenau and various deaconesses, often at Cape May Point. Although the scrapbooks are undated, contents suggest that all date from the last years of his life, 1890-1900, and probably from the later part of that date range. It is unclear if Lankenau created the scrapbooks or if they were made for him by the deaconesses. Most of the photographs are not identified, but clipped pictures often include their captions.
