Zenner Collection
Scope and Content
The Zenner Collection contains letters and correspondence of Dr. Phillip Zenner from 1869-1941. This includes 253 letters written to Zenner, all of which are from family and friends. All of the letters concern family business, health matters, and personal interests. Several letters contain information on the Zenner family history and ancestry. Phillip Zenner appeared to have been interested in tracing the lineage of his family back to Germany to determine the relationship (if any) with the Silberman family. The Silbermans were a family who requested Zenner's financial assistance and sponsorship to help them leave Germany in 1941. The collection also contains several photographs of family members, newspaper clippings relevant to Zenner, and four military promotion certificates.
Dates
- Creation: 1869 - 1941
Language of Materials
The records are in English.
Language of Materials
The records are in German.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open under the rules and regulations of the Ohio University Libraries.
Conditions Governing Use
Ohio University retains all property rights to the collection.
Ohio University retains all copyrights unless retained by the donor, other correspondents, or other artists.
Biography of Phillip Zenner
Phillip Zenner was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on May 17, 1852. His father, David Zenner, emigrated from Lichtenfels, Bavaria (Germany) in the early 1800s, settling in Cincinnati, Ohio. David Zenner and his wife Babetta Frohman Zenner established a retail business in Cincinnati, then moved to Athens, Ohio when Phillip entered Ohio University in 1865. The family continued their retail business in Athens under the name D. Zenner and Company Wholesale and Retail Dealers in Dry Goods and Clothing.
Phillip Zenner entered Ohio University in 1865 at the age of 13. In 1870, at the age of 18, he received his Bachelor of Arts degree. Three years later, in 1873, he received a Master of Art degree, then in 1875, completed a medical degree at Miami Medical College in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Zenner practiced medicine in Cincinnati from 1875-1879, then went to Europe for post-graduate courses Vienna, Liepzig, Berlin, Paris, and London. He returned to the United States in 1881 and became the first physician in Cincinnati to practice neurology and psychiatry. Zenner was a professor at the University of Cincinnati and became professor emeritus in 1910. Zenner was also a neurologist at Cincinnati Hospital for several years.
Phillip Zenner was the first Cincinnati doctor to hold special clinics for nervous diseases, the first to suggest training of psychiatrists in mental institutions, and the first president and founder of the Cincinnati Society of Neurology and Psychiatry.
In 1886, Dr. Zenner and a group of Jewish doctors helped found the Jewish Hospital Association until his death in 1956, was a member of the hospital's staff. Among his other social contributions, Zenner established a loan fund to aid released prisoners of the Ohio Penitentiary and with the help of his late sister, Rebecca Friday, started a fund with the public school system in Cincinnati, which provided money for underprivileged children.
Zenner's literary and scientific accomplishments include, Education in Sexual Physiological Hygiene
(1910), written to educate teenagers on sexuality, Mind and Other Essays
(1912), dealing with newly discovered field of psychiatry, and numerous publications in medical journals and encyclopedias in the United States and Europe.
Zenner remained a bachelor throughout his life and had no children. He died in 1956 at the age of 104.
Extent
1 cubic feet
Abstract
The Philip Zenner papers spans from 1869 to 1941 and documents the personal life of this Cincinnati neurologist and psychiatrist.
Statement of Arrangement
These records are organized into the following series:
- Series I: Letters
- Series II: Correspondence
- Series III: Letters in German
- Series IV: Scrapbook Memorabilia
Other Finding Aid
A paper copy of the folder list is available.
Acquisition Information
The Ohio University Archives received the collection as a donation by Dr. Phillip Zenner in July 1956. In 1950, Dr. Zenner agreed to give his collection to the Ohio University Library upon his death, which occurred six years later.
Existence and Location of Copies
Ohio University will entertain requests to photocopy reasonable amounts of material from the collection for the convenience of individual researchers.
Bibliography
- Harris, C.H. "The Athens Messenger," The Harris History. 1957, pg. 123-124.
Description Note
Original, legacy collection inventories may contain inaccuracies or be incomplete. Collection descriptions may change or be updated as they are verified. Please contact Mahn Center staff if you note any errors or discrepancies.
Subject
- Zenner, Philip, 1852-1956 (Person)
- Title
- Finding aid for the Zenner Collection
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Albert J. Goldman, Carolyn Copper, Ursula Lawson, and Johanna Bungartz,
- Date
- 2020
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English
- Sponsor
- The finding aid was converted into EAD with funding support from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
Revision Statements
- 5 January 2024: Subjects and other notes added from ALICE MARC records and Mahn Center Microsoft Office finding aids by Ohio University Libraries Metadata Services Department Python scripts.
Repository Details
Part of the Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections Repository
