Correspondence, ledgers, daybooks, photographs, diplomas, certificates, printed matter, ephemera and artifacts documenting the professional career of Dr. William Jarvie who practiced dentistry in Brooklyn, NY from 1863 to 1906. There is no material relating to his personal life. The papers are arranged in three series:

Series I: Correspondence & Subject Files

The bulk of the series concerns Jarvie's involvement in professional organizations, particularly the Dental Society of the State of New York. Included is his presidential address (1905), annual meeting notices and programs, a 50th anniversary history (1918) and material relating to the Board of Censors and the activities of the First and Second Districts of the Society.

Correspondents include fellow dentists, largely from the New York City metropolitan area, as well as some letters from patients, including Brooklyn's famous minister, the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher. There are also correspondence and programs relating to retirement or complimentary dinners given to prominent dentists, and material relating to the dedication of the new Harvard University School of Dentistry buildings (1909).

Jarvie's own retirement banquet (1906) is extensively documented and includes an album of complimentary letters from fellow dentists, the invitation and menu, and an oversize photograph of the banquet scene.

There is relatively little relating to his brother's 1916 donation to the dental school, but the papers do have some newspaper clippings documenting the gift.

Of particular interest are two speeches given by Jarvie that recount his career in dentistry. In a response to a toast at the retirement dinner for William Carr, Jarvie described his long tenure on the Board of Censors and the New York State Board of Dental Examiners and the role the Boards played in developing higher standards for dental education in New York (Box 1:2). In 1913, he was asked to speak of his early days in dentistry to the Metropolitan District of the Massachusetts Dental Society. His speech, "Some Reminiscences and Experiences" recounts his apprenticeship in Brooklyn and Boston a half-century before, and presents a vivid picture of leading figures in Boston's dental profession in the 1860s. The papers contain both his corrected typescript of the speech and the published version which appeared in the Journal of the Allied Dental Societies, v. IX, n. 1 (March 1914) (Box 1:19).

Series II: Printed Material/Photographs/Certificates/Artifacts

The bulk of the series is comprised of printed material from various dental societies including the American Dental Association, the Brooklyn Dental Society, and the New York Odontological Society. Items include constitutions, by-laws, codes of ethics, and meeting notices. There are also two items from the New York College of Dentistry (now the New York University College of Dentistry): an announcement of courses, undated but probably late 1860s-early 1870s, and a 1867 commencement program and ticket.

Also included in this series is Jarvie's recipe for tooth powder. The small booklet lists both the ingredients that went into it and the dates on which he made new batches.

Photographs include images of the first meeting of the Dental Society of the State of New York (1868); an early meeting of the American Dental Association (Boston, 1866); Jarvie's retirement banquet (1906); the 15th anniversary dinner of the Knights of the Round Table, a Brooklyn social club (1917); and portraits of various dentists.

Certificates include Jarvie's Master of Dental Surgery diploma, awarded by the Dental Society of the State of New York in 1873, and several membership certificates.

Ephemera consists of a collection of calling, business, and announcement cards largely relating to Jarvie's business partnerships, c.1856 to 1912.

The only artifacts are two member's badges for the 50th anniversary meeting of the Dental Society of the State of New York (1918).

Series III: Bound Volumes

The volumes include six volumes of daybooks dating, with gaps, from 1864 to 1883. There are also seven volumes of ledgers, dating from 1864 to 1895, with gaps. The first dental ledger, March 1864 to May 1867, contains only patient accounts. The other six volumes are "Registering Dental Ledgers," each page of which includes pre-printed charts of the lower and upper teeth for two patients. The ledgers document the patients' dental history as well their accounts, and provide a remarkably detailed picture of a prosperous urban dental practice in the late 19th century United States. All of the daybooks and some of the ledgers show evidence of rodent infestation, but in no instance has information been lost.

The series also includes a pocket calendar with Jarvie's dental appointments for 1880.