John D and Mary Drexel Lankenau

Lankenau Hospital was founded in 1860 as the "German Hospital of Philadelphia" located on Morris Street in North Philadelphia. In 1917, many German institutions took new names with the entry of the United States intoWorld War I. The hospital renamed itself "Lankenau Hospital" after John D. Lankenau, a successful German-born Philadelphia businessman who was one of the first supporters and leaders of the Hospital.

After relocating to larger facilities at Girard and Corinthian Avenues in North Philadelphia, Lankenau moved to Wynnewood in the "Main Line" region of the suburbs in December 1953. Its new location was the former site of the Overbrook Country Club and golf course. Since then, the Hospital has continued to grow, along with its community. Today, Lankenau Medical Center serves southeastern Pennsylvania by offering a wide variety of primary and specialty clinical services, residency and fellowship programs, and research programs emphasizing cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes.

Earlier I posted a picture of the Mary Drexel House. The founding of the Mary Drexel House was in honor of Mary Drexel, John Lankenau's wife. In its earlier days, it was known as the Home for Aged German Men and Women which is interesting since I located a mass burial plot in Westminster Cemetery a few years ago and wondered where that particular home was located.

Genealogy is putting the pieces together of a world/life that has gone before us and when one finds another piece of the puzzle, it makes so much sense. My grandmother Marie Schroeder Weleski gave birth to her last child, John on February 17th, 1945 at Lankenau Hospital. I always thought it was at the present location on the Main Line. However, according to the history, Lankenau was located at Girard & Corinthian Avenues until 1953. That makes sense to me. I often wondered why my grandmother traveled from her East Falls home to the Main Line to give birth. At the time, it made sense that she would chose a German hospital as she was born German Lutheran. I often wondered why she did not give birth at Roxborough Memorial. The Weleski family were from the Manayunk/Roxborough area. Of course the story has a sad ending. My grandmother suffered a stroke immediately after John's birth and went into a coma. She died February 19th, 1945 and is interred at Laurel Hill Cemetery where her father, John Schroeder was a "grave digger". I wonder if my grandmother had preeclamysia, a condition where a woman has increased blood pressure in the later stages of pregnancy. My grandmother was 38 years old at the time of her death. Again, preeclamysia is common in women who are older. Left untreated. the mother most certainly dies from a stroke and/or seizures.

Back to the Mary Drexel Home......The home still stands today. I do not know if the residents are still interred in that mass grave in Westminster Cemetery, but I believe they are not. Lankenau Hospital still stands today on the Main Line and has recently began a kidney transplant program. In its day, it was run by German speaking physicians and nurses and provided treatment to the poor.

As a post note, Katherine Drexel (saint) was Mary Drexel's cousin.