Descriptive Summary
Creator(s)
Open for research. Medical, educational, and psychological records of living people are closed.
Biographical Note / Administrative History
Philip Sheeder Landes was born in Botucatu, Sao Paulo, Brazil, on June 22, 1883. His parents, the Rev. George Anderson and Rebecca Margaret Newell Sheeder Landes, were missionaries in Brazil for the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Subsequently the family moved to other towns in the south of Brazil, establishing mission work in such places as Curitiba, Ponta Grossa, and Florianopolis. During the early years, young Philip sometimes accompanied his father on his missionary travels.
Philip studied at the American School in Curitiba and then at Mackenzie College in Sao Paulo. He graduated from the College of Wooster (1907) and Princeton Theological Seminary (1910) in the United States.
After his graduation from seminary, Philip returned to Brazil in 1912 as a missionary of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A (PCUSA). He made an extensive journey of missionary exploration with the Rev. Franklin Graham, across the states of Baia, Goias, and Mato Grosso.
Philip married Margaret Bookwalter Hall, daughter of Charles and Mary Elizabeth Hall of Americana, Brazil, in 1915. They made their home in Cuiaba, Mato Grosso, for the next fifteen years.
Among the churches that Landes helped to establish are the First Presbyterian Church Cuiaba and the Presbyterian Churches of Rosario Oeste, Pocone, Sao Luiz de Caceres, Guia, and others.
After years in Mato Grosso, Landes became the evangelist at large for the PCUSA Central Brazil Mission, from 1930 to 1935. Then he was assigned to Campo Grande, Mato Grosso, to establish new churches in that region. From 1938 to 1939, Landes returned to Princeton Theological Seminary, where he completed coursework and prepared for his new assignment as professor of Church History at the Theological Seminary in Campinas, Brazil. There he spent the remainder of his career.
After his retirement in 1953, he and Mrs. Landes went to live in Jandira, Sao Paulo, where the Jose Manoel da Conceicao Institute was located, and contributed much volunteer time toward the construction and growth of the local church.
Rev. Landes passed away on July 27, 1966, at the age of eighty-three. He left his wife, Margaret and four children: Pauline, George, Mary Elizabeth, and Philip. Mrs. Landes died in 1979 in Sao Jose dos Campos, where she had been living with her daughter, Mary Elizabeth Hodgkiss. Mr. and Mrs. Landes are buried in the Protestant Cemetery in Sao Paulo.
Collection Overview
The Philip S. Landes Papers, 1855-1978, bulk 1910s-1960s, document Landes' work as a Presbyterian in the U.S.A. (PCUSA) missionary in Brazil during the mid-twentieth century. The collection is comprised primarily of Landes' diaries, sermons and other writings; correspondence; administrative materials from the Central and South Brazil Missions; and an assortment of printed material, including a few examples of Landes' published work. Researchers should note that approximately one half of this collection is written in Portuguese.
The collection is divided into four series: "Writings, 1905-1960s;" "General correspondence, 1920s-1960s;" "Subject files, 1891-1971;" and "Printed materials and publications, 1855-1978, bulk 1910s-1960s."
The bulk of the first series, "Writings, 1905-1960s," consists of Landes' diaries and notes and outlines for his sermons and/or speeches. There are diaries for many but not all years from 1905 to the late 1960s. Diary entries range in terms of depth of description and quantity and quality of information. The sermons and speeches are mostly written in Portuguese. The series also houses a variety of notebooks, many dating from Landes' education, as well as a few other miscellaneous items.
In the second series "General correspondence, 1920s-1960s," researchers will find copies of Landes' incoming and outgoing correspondence (the majority of the letters are carbon copies of his outgoing correspondence). The letters concern mission related projects; however, due to the closely intertwined personal and professional relationships Landes maintained with many of his colleagues, the letters also offer tidbits about his and his family's daily lives. The correspondence is arranged first by language, English or Portuguese, and then it is arranged in chronological order by decade. About half of the correspondence is in Portuguese.
The third series, "Subject files, 1891-1971," documents a variety of subjects related to mission work, especially Landes' work in Brazil. Of particular interest are the meeting minutes and other administrative records of the Central and South Brazil Missions, dating from the 1920s to the 1940s, as well as that of the Junta de Misseoes Nacionais. While the mission records available here do not offer a complete history of the missions, they do provide snapshots of their programs during Landes' most active years. Taken together with his correspondence and diaries, the mission records will help researchers develop an understanding of the work and politics of the mission, and Landes' involvement therein. Additionally, the series includes a small amount of material created by and/or documenting other Landes family members.
The fourth series "Printed materials and publications, 1855-1978, bulk 1910s-1960s," houses a variety of items related to religion and Brazil, printed in English and Portuguese. There is also a handful of published versions of Landes' writings. The series is arranged first into two groups based on the language of the publication, English or Portuguese, then chronologically by decade.
Organization and Arrangement
The collection is arranged as follows:
SERIES I: WRITINGS, 1905-1960s
SERIES II: GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE, 1920s-1960s
SERIES III: SUBJECT FILES, 1891-1971
SERIES IV: PRINTED MATERIALS AND PUBLICATIONS, 1855-1978, bulk 1910s-1960s
Administrative Information
Received from Philip H. Landes in 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994 and 1999.
The processing of this collection was made possible by funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered through the Council on Library and Information Resources' "Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives" Project. The collection was minimally processed to the folder level and the finding aid was created in Archivists' Toolkit in July 2011 by Courtney Smerz. This guide was revised in October 2011 by Bill Brock, Collection Management Archivist.
Preferred Citation
Philip S. Landes Papers, RG 478, Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Catalog Headings
Collection Inventory
| Box | Folder | Description | |
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| SERIES I: WRITINGS, 1905-1960s | |
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1 | 1 | Diaries, 1905-1907, 1913-1916, 1918 | |
1 | 2 | Diaries, 1920s | |
1 | 3 | Diaries, 1930s | |
1 | 4 | Diaries, 1940s, 1950 | |
1 | 5-6 | Diaries, 1950s | |
1 | 7 | Diaries, 1960s | |
1 | 8-12 | Sermons, speeches and/or other talks (Portuguese), undated | |
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2 | 1 | Sermons, 1950s and undated | |
2 | 2 | Sermons, undated | |
2 | 3 | "Apoutaments Historicos," undated | |
2 | 4 | Lectures, talks, etc., regarding Brazil, 1921, 1947 and undated | |
2 | 5 | "Notas Sobre Profissiois de fels Baptisimoes, Mato Grasso, 1938" (Portuguese), 1938 | |
2 | 6 | Notes and/or essays, especially re positivism and the history of the Presbyterian Church in Brazil, 1930s and undated | |
2 | 7-8 | Notes, essays, lectures and/or talks (Portuguese), 1942, 1960 and undated | |
2 | 9 | School notes, 1931 and undated | |
2 | 10 | Unidentified notebook, undated | |
2 | 11 | Miscellaneous notes and fragments of papers, reports and/or sermons, 1948, 1954 and undated | |
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| SERIES II: GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE, 1920s-1960s | |
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2 | 12 | Correspondence in English, 1930s | |
2 | 13-15 | Correspondence in English, 1940s | |
2 | 16-18 | Correspondence in English, 1950s | |
2 | 19 | Correspondence in English, 1960s and undated | |
2 | 20 | Correspondence in Portuguese, 1920s | |
2 | 21 | Correspondence in Portuguese, 1930s | |
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3 | 1-2 | Correspondence in Portuguese, 1940s | |
3 | 3-4 | Correspondence in Portuguese, 1950s | |
3 | 5 | Correspondence in Portuguese, 1960s and undated | |
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| SERIES III: SUBJECT FILES, 1891-1971 | |
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3 | 6 | Baptism, 1939 and undated | |
3 | 7 | Brazil Council. Minutes, 1926, 1931-1933, 1937 | |
3 | 8 | Buriti Farm School project (some Portuguese), 1948-1960 and undated | |
3 | 9 | "The Case for Medical Missions and Evangelism in Brazil," undated | |
3 | 10 | Central Brazil Mission. "The Brazil Plan," undated | |
3 | 11 | Central Brazil Mission. Especially regarding mission constitution and meeting with East, West and South Brazil Missions, 1949-1951 and undated | |
3 | 12 | Central Brazil Mission. Minutes and other records, 1922-1938, 1944 | |
3 | 13 | Central Brazil Mission. Minutes, 1941-1948, 1951 | |
3 | 14 | Central Brazil Mission. Minutes and proposed constitution and by-laws, 1942, 1945, 1947 and undated | |
3 | 15 | Central Brazil Mission. Reports, minutes and other records, 1939-1954 and undated | |
3 | 16 | Central Brazil Mission. Reports and statement, 1940-1948 and undated | |
3 | 17 | Conferencia Inter-Presbiteriana, includes discussion of "The Brazil Plan" (some Portuguese) 1954-1955 and undated | |
3 | 18 | "Estatutos." Igreja Crista Presbiteriana do Brazil, 1936, 1938 and undated | |
3 | 19 | Financial records, 1940-1951 and undated | |
3 | 20 | Financial records, regarding travels, 1925-1927, 1930 | |
3 | 21 | Financial records, account books, 1943-1966 | |
3 | 22-23 | Histories and other descriptive/reflective writings on Brazil, the Bible, and other topics, 1915-1936 and undated | |
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4 | 1-3 | Junta de Misseoes Nacionais. Correspondence, printed materials and other records, circa 1940-1954 and undated | |
4 | 4 | Junta de Misseoes Nacionais. Correspondence, printed materials and other records, 1947-1951 | |
4 | 5 | Landes, George A. Diary, financial and other records, 1891, 1902-1926 | |
4 | 6 | Landes, George A. and Rebecca Margaret Newell Sheeder Landes. Memoirs, circa 1927 and undated | |
4 | 7-8 | Landes, Margaret H. Personal reports on missionary work, 1933, 1941, 1956 | |
4 | 9 | Landes, Pauline N. (daughter of George A. and Margaret Landes). Diary, 1897 | |
4 | 10 | Language study program and other records pertaining to missionary education, undated | |
4 | 11 | Mackenzie College, 1930-1933 | |
4 | 12 | Measured drawings, especially for new church building in Brazil, 1957 and undated | |
4 | 13 | Biographical sketch and memorial for Rebecca Margaret Newell Sheeder (Mrs. George A.) Landes, circa 1937, circa 1941 | |
4 | 14 | Minutes and other records pertaining to several meetings, 1933-1935 | |
4 | 15 | "Modus Operandi" (some Portuguese), 1942 and undated | |
4 | 16 | Oakdale School No. 2, Hanover Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania (copy of 1841 report), undated | |
4 | 17 | Portraits of missionaries, undated | |
4 | 18 | Reports, 1941-1954 | |
4 | 19 | Reports and other records regarding the administration of missions and missionaries, especially regarding furloughs, 1940s and undated | |
4 | 20 | Reports. Personal reports of Philip Landes regarding travel and missionary work, 1918-1957 | |
4 | 21 | "Role of the Missionary in Society," opinion piece, 1967 | |
4 | 22 | School papers and articles with related correspondence, 1921, 1931 | |
4 | 23 | Seminario Presbiteriano do Sul, 1953 | |
4 | 24 | South Brazil Mission. Minutes, 1937-1938 | |
4 | 25-27 | South Brazil Mission. Reports, minutes and other documents, 1919-1955 | |
4 | 28 | South Brazil Mission. Reports, 1935-1948 | |
4 | 29 | Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church of Brazil. Minutes, 1930 | |
4 | 30-31 | Miscellaneous documents (Portuguese), circa 1920s-1950s and undated | |
4 | 32 | Miscellaneous (some Portuguese and some English), 1893, 1912, 1930-1953, 1971 and undated | |
4 | 33 | Miscellaneous, (some Portuguese and some English), 1927, 1937 and undated | |
4 | 34 | Unidentified fragments, undated | |
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| SERIES IV: PRINTED MATERALS AND PUBLICATIONS, 1855-1978, bulk 1910s-1960s | |
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5 | 1 | Publications by Philip Landes, 1915-1956 | |
5 | 2-3 | Brazil Notes, 1972-1978 | |
5 | 4 | Latin American Newsletter, 1945 | |
5 | 5-6 | Maps of Brazil, including cities and locations of missions (published and hand-drawn), 1943, 1949 and undated | |
5 | 7 | Revista Teologica Seminario Teologico, Presbiteriano de Campinas and Seminaro Presbiteriano do Sul, 1953, 1959, 1963 | |
5 | 8-9 | Revista da Faculdade de Teologia da Igreja Crista Presbiteriana da Brazil, 1939-1952 | |
5 | 10 | Ultimate, 1974-1977 | |
5 | 11 | Miscellaneous printed materials in English, 1855-1906 | |
5 | 12 | Miscellaneous printed materials in English, 1930s | |
5 | 13 | Miscellaneous printed materials in English, 1940s | |
5 | 14 | Miscellaneous printed materials in English, 1950s | |
5 | 15 | Miscellaneous printed materials in English, 1960s, 1974 | |
5 | 16 | Miscellaneous printed materials in English, undated | |
5 | 17 | Miscellaneous printed materials in Portuguese, 1892-1909 | |
5 | 18 | Miscellaneous printed materials in Portuguese, 1910s | |
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6 | 1 | Miscellaneous printed materials in Portuguese, 1920s | |
6 | 2-3 | Miscellaneous printed materials in Portuguese, 1930s | |
6 | 4-5 | Miscellaneous printed materials in Portuguese, 1940s | |
6 | 6-7 | Miscellaneous printed materials in Portuguese, 1950s | |
6 | 8 | Miscellaneous printed materials in Portuguese, 1960s, 1974 | |
6 | 9-10 | Miscellaneous printed materials in Portuguese, undated | |
6 | 11 | Newspapers. Brasil Presbiteriano, 1959-1964 | |
6 | 12 | Newspapers. O Puritano, 1930, 1950s | |
6 | 13 | Newspapers. Miscellaneous Brazilian papers, 1925, 1934, 1959 | |
6 | 14 | Newspapers. Miscellaneous (some Portuguese and some English), 1923-1964 | |
6 | 15 | Newspapers and clippings (Portuguese), 1923-1962 and undated |