Call Number:

Ms. Coll. 1224

Repository:

University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts

Extent:

0.2 linear_foot (1 box)

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

Jesse C. Green papers, 1836-1859, Ms. Coll. 1224, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania

Date:

1836-1859 (inclusive)

Creator:

Green, Jesse C.

Form:

Account books, Advertisements, Financial records, and Correspondence

Abstract:

Dr. Jesse C. Green, D.D.S. (1817-1920) was a teacher and dentist in West Chester, PA. His account book, along with papers originally laid into the volume, documents his personal and professional life from 1836 to 1859.

Dr. Jesse C. Green, D.D.S. was born on December 13, 1817, in Birmingham Township in Delaware County, PA, and died on July 26, 1920, in West Chester, Pennsylvania, at the age of 103. The son of William and Phoebe Hatton Green, Jesse C. Green was raised as a Quaker and was a member of the Society of Friends. Following the completion of his own education in 1836, he began to teach at the Friends' School in West Chester. After teaching for a few years, Dr. Green decided to train as a dentist, eventually buying the practice of his preceptor, Dr. Mahlon Gallagher, in 1843. He ran this West Chester establishment for another sixty-six years until his retirement in 1900.

Dr. Green was a dedicated and meticulous observer of the development of modern dentistry practices and a talented inventor; and due to his longevity, was able to witness the evolution of his profession over almost eight decades. Throughout his career, he made many of his own dental instruments and he "carved and baked porcelain teeth for his own use," (Belcher, page 1347) as well as working with brass tooth moulds. In addition to his practice of dentistry, he served as the first secretary on the Board of Dental Examiners (established in 1876) and was an active member in the Chester and Delaware County Dental Society and the Pennsylvania State Dental Society. In 1865, the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery awarded him an honorary degree of doctor of dental surgery and on the occasion of his 100th birthday, he was nationally recognized by the dental community.

Dr. Green was also noted for his thorough meteorological notes that he made "three times daily since 1857 on the weather and neatly recorded them in numerous volumes, a period of sixty years, thus antedating the government, which [came] to him for records previous to its taking up the work," (Belcher 1346). He developed, from his own design, barometers, thermometers, rain gauges, and apparatus for recording the wind's velocity.

Dr. Green married Alice W. Shields (1822-1900) on September 30, 1845 and they were the parents of four children: Clara (born 1847), Mary (1852-1886), Edith (1855-1859), and William Hatton Green (born 1864). He was an active member of the Quaker community and, at the time of his death, a member of Chester County's New Garden Meeting.

Works Referenced: Belcher, William W., ed. "Greeting!" Oral Hygiene (1917): 1344-347. Google Books. Web. 29 June 2016

"Obituary of Jesse C. Green." The Dental Cosmos September (1920): 1150-151. Web. 29 June 2016

The bulk of information within this collection is found within the ledger of Dr. Jesse C. Green, "Book A," which dates from 1836 to 1852, although the majority of entries were made during the 1840s. Earliest entries in the ledger document the cost of tuition for students in West Chester, Pennsylvania. It is unclear if payment for the tuition was directed to Dr. Green, or if he was acting as an accountant for several schools, in particular the Friends' School in West Chester, the Concord School District, and the West Goshen School District. For all three schools, Dr. Green's accounts document the items required to outfit the schools, including ink bottles, quills, and paper; furniture (benches, writing desks, and arm chairs); and heating and cleaning supplies. The ledger also documents Dr. Green's dental practice, with entries detailing dental procedures and the cost of each procedure. Accounts are generally held for families, resulting in an overview of several generations' dental health. For the most part, Dr. Green's main procedures included extraction of teeth, inserting gold plugs, and setting teeth into silver plates. The purchase of dentifrice is frequently recorded.

Loose papers laid into the volume were removed and placed in folders. When items were removed from specific pages within the volume, notes of the original location are penciled on the item. Laid in material includes advertisements, correspondence, Green's dental office relocation notice, financial notes, information about Quaker meetings, and West Chester Superintendent of Schools student admittance forms. In general, these documents provide information on Green's professional life as a dentist between 1845 and 1859, and researchers interested in studying dental practices, dental procedures, and the costs associated with dental health in the mid 1800s will find the collection to be of value. Researchers interested in tuition during the late 1830s and early 1840s as well as the number and types of students receiving schooling may also find the account book to be of interest.