Sometimes there are people that we are fortunate to encounter as we journey through life. Unique individuals that place others above themselves so that others may endure less hardship.
It was in 1772 that a young man arrived in Concord with just this temperament. He found a community that embraced him as their own so he spent the rest of his life living on North Main Street placing the needs of others far above his own.
Doctor Peter Green lived in Lancaster, Mass., where he started his young life with a good education graduating from Harvard College in 1766. He chose a profession that allowed him to live a life in the style that he chose, helping people that were not as fortunate as he was, the poor and destitute found a friend in the young doctor.
As he was started his career in Massachusetts, he faced an unimaginable hardship; his young wife and newborn child died. So, he sought refuge from his sadness by moving away from Lancaster, for it reminded him of the lost happiness his courtship, marriage and infant child had provided.
The American Colonies were quite turbulent when young Doctor Green lost his family. A British schooner had just run aground off Rhode Island and the colonists from Providence attacked the ship and burned it, setting the British crew free ashore so no life was lost. The English Crown offered a reward for the capture of these colonists and continued to fuel the negative climate surrounding the British soldiers stationed in America. This very same year Sam Adams called a town meeting in Boston resulting in three radical proclamations which asserted the rights of the colonies to self-rule.
These were indeed turbulent times for young Doctor Green and he surely reflected on his own journey when he decided to move north from Massachusetts to Concord.
Green arrived as Concord’s third resident physician and purchased a home at 194 N. Main St. The original residence of Doctor Green no longer stands this day, it was lost to a fire. But a new home was erected where it was located across the street from the Merrimack County Courthouse.
It was in our very own community that this skilled doctor set about helping our ancestors. He personally nursed the sick to health and sought no compensation if it could not be afforded by the patients. At times he was required to spend entire nights with his patients where he practiced his healing skills with compassion for his fellow man. Both the affluent and the poor loved and admired Doctor Green for he was honorable in life as well as generous and devoted seeking simple solutions to combat illness for he possessed common sense and was known as a very independent thinker in medical circles.
Upon setting up his medical practice in Concord in 1772 and demonstrating his kind acts to the community, Doctor Green attracted the attention of a young lady that shared his compassion for those in need. Her name was Ruth Ayer and she was the sister to Mrs. John Kimball of Concord. Their romance turned to love and they were married and settled into their home where they started a family of their own.
Doctor Green would embark upon his rounds to visit the ill in Concord and the surrounding areas. He road his fine black horse, laden with leather saddlebags filled with his medical supplies. He delivered children, healed the sick and ushered others to the grave with dignity. His love of people was evident and Doctor Green was loved in return. The quiet home that Peter and Ruth established on North Main Street was not silent for many years for their union produced 13 children in as many years. The home was full and the family was loved by Peter and Ruth. His very early years in Lancaster remained a sad memory for the good doctor, but his love for all things good coupled with his faith resulted in a life that he embraced.
Doctor Green remained an honorary member of the Massachusetts Medical Society as well as an original member of the New Hampshire Medical Society. The New Hampshire Medical Society was led by Dr. Josiah Bartlett, himself a patriot and signer of the Declaration of Independence. As the drums of the Revolutionary War beat all able-bodied men in the colonies were sought to defend America. Doctor Peter Green himself answered this call of duty and was appointed a regimental surgeon.
As the Revolutionary War concluded and Doctor Green returned to the comfort of both his large family and home, he once again found the peace and tranquility that he constantly sought. He was again seen about the streets of Concord on his black horse with leather saddlebags traversing about town to help those in need. In his older years, Doctor Green planted American Elm trees in front of his home on North Main Street so that future generations could appreciate and enjoy them.
The next time you travel up North Main Street take a moment to reflect back to the period of the American Revolution and Doctor Peter Green. Remember his simple but compassionate life and the needs that he fulfilled for people that were less fortunate.
Listen and you can just imagine the hoofs of the old black stallion with the leather saddlebags as the memory of the good doctor passes high atop his horse in search of those in need.