His early career in Philadelphia ended abruptly after financial mismanagement and embezzlement led him to leave his wife and four children, flee westward, and adopt the alias Talbot H. Green.

He was a founding member of the Society of California Pioneers, served on San Francisco's first city council, and participated in significant land transactions.

Green spent his final years in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, where he lived quietly until his death in 1889, respected by his community but marked by his earlier misdeeds.

James Geddes, his wife Margaret Muir, and their three sons, Paul, William, and Samuel, emigrated to America in August 1752, settling in what is now Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.

The next day I went and paid a good many of my debts with the money and sent some 3000$ to my partner to pay notes we owed in the bank; and that night I left Philadelphia with 375$ determined that my people should never hear of me again.

He joined the mess of John Bartleson, the party's captain, along with Charles Hopper, a well-known bear hunter; Gwynn Patton; Nicholas Dawson; and Grove C. Cook, a young man known for his likable but unruly nature, with whom Green developed a close friendship.

On the western slope of the Sierra Nevada range, the load became too heavy for the pack animal, so Green and Grove Cook hid the lead in a gulch.

After reaching John Marsh's ranch near Mount Diablo, Green hired an Indian guide and, with Cook, retrieved the hidden pack.

Using John Marsh's bond, dated November 13, 1841, as security for his good behavior, Green moved to Monterey and began working for Thomas O. Larkin, the town's largest merchant, as a clerk and agent.

"[14][e] Continued trading helped Green become familiar with Californian customs, and his genial personality and open-hearted manners made him very successful in business.

[16][17] Later that month, Larkin gave Green $2,500 in cash to take to Los Angeles, where he was to collect a debt of $500 and offer the total amount to the Governor of the province as a loan.

In November 1843, Larkin showed even more trust in Green's honesty and ability by putting him in charge of all his "outdoor business" when he left for a voyage to Mazatlan.

In January 1846, he made a contract to manage Larkin's mercantile business, handling goods valued at $10,000 for a period of three years, for one-third of the profits.

Acting as Larkin's agent, he supplied a significant portion of the goods purchased by the United States military and naval forces at Monterey in 1846 and 1847.

Likely due to this recommendation, Stockton appointed Green to the position, which he held at a salary of $1,000 a year until October 1847, when President Polk ordered that customs in captured ports be collected by Army and Navy officers.

During Green's appointment, Walter Colton described him as a native of Pennsylvania who "enjoys a wide reputation for business habits and sterling integrity of character.

Meeting on September 4, 1846, this jury, in the case of Isaac Graham vs. Charles Roussillon, delivered the well-known "enlightened and impartial verdict" to which "both parties bowed without a dissenting word.

In 1848, Lieutenant William A. T. Maddox accused Green in a letter to Larkin of making false statements about payments for supplies furnished to the naval forces.

In later years, Green admitted to dishonorable conduct and bribery related to the condemnation and sale of the merchant ship Admittance by the Admiralty Court at Monterey and Mazatlan.

He traveled to Mazatlan, was in San Francisco in January 1848 selling goods, went to Benicia in March to address construction matters for Larkin, and visited the gold mines in the fall.

[24] Green had owned property in San Francisco for some time, but his significant involvement in the town's business life began on January 1, 1849, when he joined the prominent trading firm of Mellus & Howard.

"[29] Prominent figures such as W. D. M. Howard, Samuel Brannan, Thomas O. Larkin, and Captain Folsom acknowledged their close personal friendship with Green.

[37] Reports suggest that Green might have been elected mayor of San Francisco in 1850 if he had not declined to run, allowing John W. Geary to win the office.

[36] Rumors began circulating in San Francisco that Talbot H. Green was actually Paul Geddes, a man who had absconded with funds from a Pennsylvania bank and left a deserted wife and family.

Green's closest friends visited him to inquire about the truth of the charges, assuring him of their continued friendship and their determination to support him despite any past misdeeds.

Just before he left for the boat, many prominent citizens, merchants, bankers, and others gathered at the Eagle Saloon to bid him farewell, as reported by the next day's Alta California.

When the room was filled to capacity, champagne was opened, and Thomas O. Larkin proposed a toast: "The health and prosperity of our friend and fellow citizen, Talbot H. Green; may the best among us be as worthy as we believe him to be."

The entire company then formed a procession and escorted him on board the steamer, continuing to shake his hand until the boat departed from the wharf.

[54] In early 1855, friends and former associates, including Samuel Brannan and William D. M. Howard, began to take steps to help Green settle his affairs.

[68][69] Green Street runs through several neighborhoods, including North Beach and Russian Hill, which are areas rich in San Francisco's history.