Albert Kahn Family papers, 1869-1989
4.2 linear feet (in 5 boxes)
The Kahn Family Papers have come to the library from five sources: from Carol Kahn, the granddaughter of Albert and Ernestine Kahn and daughter of Edgar A. Kahn; from William R. Brashear, who was married to Albert's and Ernestine's granddaughter, Lydia Rothman Brashear; from William Brashear's daughter, Ruth Brashear Carrigan; from Edgar Kahn's daughter, Elizabeth Kahn Lehndorff; and from Richard Addison Chamberlin, Jr., the grandson of Moritz Kahn. The Albert Kahn Family Papers received from Carol Kahn include letters and photographs which contribute to our understanding of Kahn's relationship with his wife, children and grandchildren. The materials also illuminate the distinguished military and professional careers of his son Edgar (1900-1985), who served as Chairman of Neurosurgery at the University of Michigan Hospital from 1949 to 1971. The papers received from William R. Brashear and his daughter Ruth Carrigan document the personal and professional lives of Albert and Ernestine Kahn, Ruth Kahn Rothman, Edward E. Rothman and other members of the extended Kahn family, including Albert Kahn's granddaughters, Josephine Rothman Treutner and Lydia Rothman Brashear. Mr. Brashear's collection also encompasses family letters and photographs, which are contained in his book, Albert Kahn and His Family in Peace and War, published by the Bentley Historical Library in 2006. The materials donated by Elizabeth (Betsy) Lehndorff relate to her recent careers as a journalist in Colorado and as a jewelry artist in Alpena, Michigan, and document the internationally acclaimed art collection of Lydia Winston Malbin, Albert Kahn's daughter. Mr. Chamberlin has donated an original copy of a book by his grandfather Moritz Kahn, published in 1917 and entitled The Design and Construction of Industrial Buildings.