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John Cleve Green Collection

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Held at: Princeton University Library: University Archives [Contact Us]

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: University Archives. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Overview and metadata sections

Princeton University

The College of New Jersey was initially chartered in 1746. The first classes were held in Elizabeth, New Jersey, in the parsonage of the president, the Reverend Jonathan Dickinson. Upon his death, the College moved to Newark, New Jersey, and was headed by the Reverend Aaron Burr, Sr. Since 1756, the College has been located in Princeton, New Jersey. For the first fifty years, nearly all College operations took place within Nassau Hall. Fires, fundraising difficulties, low student enrollment, and the Civil War challenged the vitality of the College in the early and middle nineteenth century, but the College grew vigorously under the leadership of President James McCosh, and it was renamed Princeton University in 1896. The Graduate School was established in 1900, although a limited graduate program had existed since the 1870s. Princeton enthusiastically supported the country (living up to its informal motto, "Princeton in the Nation's Service") during the First and Second World Wars, offering the expertise of faculty and campus space for training, as well as facilitating the early graduation of students so they could enlist. The post-World War II years brought dramatic changes to Princeton. The size and strength of the University's facilities and academic programs—especially for the applied sciences and public policy—were increased dramatically. Under President Robert Goheen, Princeton began to admit minority students in greater numbers in the 1960s and admitted women undergraduates in 1969. Today, Princeton is widely regarded as one of the top universities in the world.

The John Cleve Green Collection consists of research materials compiled regarding the life of John Cleve Green and his contributions to Princeton University. Included are biographies, obituaries, and genealogical information on the Green family, as well as portraits of John Cleve Green and one of his relatives, George S. Green. Also in the collection are copies of Green's will and an appraisal of his estate, as well as several letters sent to Green by Princeton treasurer (and former New Jersey Governor) Charles Smith Olden regarding the financial needs of the college.

The documents which comprised the John Cleve Green Collection were compiled by several different researchers. It is unclear when they bulk of the materials reached the University Archives, however it would appear that many of the later documents were added by historian William K. Selden while researching his 1988 book The Legend of John Cleve Green.

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

This collection was processed by Dan Brennan in 2009. Finding aid written by Dan Brennan in 2009.

Appraisal has been conducted in accordance with Mudd Library guidelines.

Publisher
University Archives
Finding Aid Author
Dan Brennan
Finding Aid Date
2010
Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research use.

Use Restrictions

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. The Trustees of Princeton University hold copyright to all materials generated by Princeton University employees in the course of their work. For instances beyond Fair Use, if copyright is held by Princeton University, researchers do not need to obtain permission, complete any forms, or receive a letter to move forward with use of materials from the Princeton University Archives.

For instances beyond Fair Use where the copyright is not held by the University, while permission from the Library is not required, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Collection Inventory

Biographical, 1929-1988. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Correspondence with Charles S. Olden, 1866-1871. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Estate, 1875-1878. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Green Family, 1883-1989. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Photographs and Portraits, undated. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Print, Suggest