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This excerpt
from Dr. Page's ledger details his professional dealings with the family
of William Mathews. On January
15, 1796, Martha Ballard delivered a Mathews child. Since both
Mrs. Ballard and Dr. Page kept scrupulous financial records, we know that
the Mathews family paid the doctor nearly three times as much for his
services.
To the end,
Martha Ballard kept account of most of her fees in the old style of pounds,
shillings, and pence. In contrast, this fragment of Benjamin Page's account
book shows that by 1804 he had embraced the new federal style of accounting
in U.S. dollars and cents. The two systems may reflect Dr. Page and Mrs.
Ballard's difference in education level, age, or temperament; we don't
know.
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