First National Bank, Nanticoke, PA (Charter 3955)
First National Bank, Nanticoke, PA (Chartered 1889 - Open past 1935)
Town History
Nanticoke is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,465, making it the third largest city in Luzerne County. The city can be divided into several sections: Honey Pot (northwestern Nanticoke), (northern and central Nanticoke), and Hanover Section (southeastern Nanticoke). It was once an active coal mining community. Today, the 167-acre main campus of Luzerne County Community College is located within the city.
The name Nanticoke was derived from Nentego ("tidewater people"), an Algonquian-speaking Native American people who moved to the Wyoming Valley from their Chesapeake Bay homelands. For quite some time, the tribe maintained a village in the valley before Europeans settled there. The nearby Nanticoke Creek, also named after the tribe, was once known as Muddy Run. In the 19th century, Nanticoke was carved out of Hanover Township and Newport Township. The settlement was incorporated as a village in 1830; Nanticoke was chartered by the Pennsylvania Legislature as a borough on January 31, 1874. Nanticoke experienced its greatest population increase between 1917 and 1925 due to anthracite coal mining. This allowed for it to qualify as a third class city.
Nanticoke had three National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and all three of those banks issued National Bank Notes.
Bank History
- Organized December 20, 1888
- Chartered January 7, 1889
- Bank was Open past 1935
Nanticoke in 1888 was a place with 12,000 inhabitants and a $1,500,000 circulated through various businesses each year. Surrounding the town were the Susquehanna Coal Co., the Alden Coal Co., the Lehigh and Wilkes-Barre Co., the Pennsylvania railroad, Central railroad of New Jersey, and D.L. & W. railroad. Up to this time no place was available for the safe deposit of money except in individual safes or at Wilkes-Barre.
On January 7, 1889, the Comptroller of the Currency authorized The First National Bank of Nanticoke to commence business with capital of $75,000. Directors were Isaac Everett, president; John Smoulter, Jr., vice president; H.W. Search, Xavier Wernet, Dr. J.F. Hill, G.L. Halsey, John M. Garman, J.C. Brader, William Fairchild, D. Jonathan, C.F. Boban, F.P. Drinker, Manus McGinty, and H.D. Flanagan, Cashier. The bank was located on Main Street nearly opposite the Presbyterian Church.
Architect Owen McGlynn prepared the plans for the First National Bank building expected to cost about $30,000 with completion around January 1903. In January 1903, the stockholders elected the following officers: John Smoulder, president; J.C. Brader, vice president; H.D. Flanagan, cashier; Xavier Wernett, John Smoulter, F.H. Kohlbreaker, M.F. Coons, Ben Levi, J.W. Griffith, J.C. Brader, H.D. Flanagan, William Fairchild, Judge Halsey, John H. Lecher, Felix Kitlowski, directors. The old counters and screens were advertised for sale, 'cheap' by H.D. Flanagan, cashier, in preparation for the move to the new building. The bank was patronized at the time with over 2,200 depositors with deposits of $850,000 and resources of $1,000,000.
On August 16, 1912, one of the biggest burglar-proof bank vaults in this part of Pennsylvania was unloaded. It weighed 135,000 pounds and took twelve horses and a half dozen men to unload and install without accident. The public was invited to inspect the remodeled building on December 20, 1912, with the opening planned for Monday the 21st. The building was entered through a beautiful and imposing vestibule, constructed throughout of imported Pavanazzo marble, and the interior of the banking room was finished with Pavanazzo marble counters and wainscoting with solid bronze banking screens separated by marble pilasters and surmounted by a marble cornice. The floors throughout the lobby, president's office, cashier's office, and ladles' room were of marble, while the space for the working force was provided with cork tiling, proving quiet and comfort. Within the banking room to the left was located the office of the president, and directly opposite, the office of the cashier giving the public easy access to these important officials. Continuing along on the left, and adjoining the president's office, was a room for the use of the ladies. Continuing on the right side of the bank were located four tellers' cages with easy and direct communication with the cashier and bookkeeping force. All of these tellers' cages, were fitted with linolite reflectors, giving a soft, brilliant light, and were also fitted with glass counters, safes, drawers, card-index files, and all of the usual paraphernalia for these assistants. The burglar-proof laminated steel plates surrounding the vault were the heaviest of any vault built in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
In June 1914, J. Castle Ridgway, for a number of years a national bank examiner for northeastern Pennsylvania, was elected cashier to succeed the late H.D. Flanagan. Mr. Castle was well-known to the directors of the institution as he had examined its accounts a number of times. Mr. Ridgway was a native of Illinois, but made his home for several years in Carbondale and Wilkes-Barre in order to be centrally located among the 110 banks in his district. For seven years Mr. Ridgway served as a national bank examiner in Texas, Illinois, Indiana, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, District of Columbia, Tennessee and Pennsylvania. He assisted in the organization and was cashier of the District National Bank of Washington, DC, resigning the post to resume duties as a bank examiner. Mr. Flanagan had been the only cashier over the 26 years the First National Bank had been in business.
John E. Reese, former assistant cashier of the First National Bank was taken to Sunbury to appear before the United States court and answer to the charge of embezzling $23,800 of the banks funds. Reese pleaded guilty and was sentenced on January 15, 1915 by Federal judge Charles B. Witmer to three years in the Eastern penitentiary (known as Cherry Hill) and fined $1,000. On September 1, 1915, Reese was called before Judge C.B. Witmer and resentenced to five years--under the provisions of a recent act of Congress, any bank official who embezzled or misappropriated the funds of a national bank and was convicted must be sentenced to prison for a term of not less than five nor more than ten years.
In January 1918, stockholders elected John Smoulter, F.H. Kohlbraker, Ben Levi, H.S. Fairchild, Charles S. Puckey, Charles E. Jones, Michael Lonski, Brenton Jackson, John H. Letcher, Felix Kitkowski, D. W. Dodson, Charles A. Shea, John T. Thomas, and Caradoc Reese as directors.
While her husband was away at war, Mrs. Richard Jones of Nanticoke filled his place as bank teller. Mr. Jones enlisted for special services under the selective draft and left for State College in July 1918. His wife who was patriotic enough to waive exemption claims went to work to fill the vacancy. She was a graduate of the Bloomsburg Normal School.
On January 11, 1933, all directors and officers of First National Bank were re-elected. The directors were: John H. Lecher, C.E. Bennett, S.D. Dimmick, Charles Wasilewski, Caradoc Rees, Charles A. Shea, Edwin F. Gibbs, E.G. Heyer, Louis Levi, W.E. Weineck, William T. Evans, Dr. L.C. Rummage, Charles Puckey, John E. Thomas, and P.H. Dever. Officers were Charles Shea, president; John H. Lecher, vice president; Caradoc Rees, vice-president: William T. Harris, cashier; Edward Makowski, assistant cashier; F.R. Bejza, assistant cashier.
John E. Barker, 46, former teller pleaded guilty in Federal court at Scranton on October 26, 1950 to embezzling $4,625 of the bank's funds. Judge Albert L. Watson gave him a suspended jail sentence and placed him on probation for two years. The Court was informed that Barker, a 24 year employee, had made full restitution.
The merger of the Miners National Bank of Wilkes-Barre and the First National Bank of Nanticoke was announced on July 11, 1952, by Frank W. Anderson and Dr. L.C. Rummage, presidents of the respective banks. Dr. Rummage had been president of the Nanticoke bank for 6 years and a director for 26 years. He would continue as the chief executive officer of the Nanticoke branch of the Miners National Bank of Wilkes-Barre. The assets of the newly combined bank were approximately $58,000,000.
On August 12, 1952, stockholders of the First National Bank approved the sale of the bank's assets to the Miners National Bank of Wilkes-Barre by an overwhelming majority. The assets, including the bank building at 73 East Main Street in Nanticoke, were sold for $2,241,220 and the Miners National Bank of Wilkes-Barre was named as liquidating agent.
In a second merger of Luzerne County banks, the Miners National Bank of Nanticoke with assets of about $6,500,000 was joined with the Wilkes-Barre Miners National Bank and became the second branch bank known as the Nanticoke Broad Street Branch (located on the corner of Market and Broad Streets, the branch adopted the name of Market Street branch) of the Miners National Bank of Wilkes-Barre; it joined the Main Street branch created in August. Assets of the newly combined institution exceeded $64,000,000. Stockholders of the Nanticoke Miners approved the measure with no opposition on November 12, 1952. John Malinowski, president of the Nanticoke Miners became a director of the Miners National Bank of Wilkes-Barre and Harry S. Twarowski, vice president and cashier of the Nanticoke Miners, became a vice president of the Miners National Bank of Wilkes-Barre.
Official Bank Title(s)
1: The First National Bank of Nanticoke, PA
Bank Note Types Issued
A total of $3,573,020 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1889 and 1935. This consisted of a total of 446,380 notes (312,812 large size and 133,568 small size notes).
This bank issued the following Types and Denominations of bank notes:
Series/Type Sheet/Denoms Serial#s Sheet Comments 1882 Brown Back 4x5 1 - 9050 1882 Brown Back 3x10-20 1 - 6838 1902 Date Back 4x5 1 - 9900 1902 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 7900 1902 Plain Back 4x5 9901 - 36827 1902 Plain Back 3x10-20 7901 - 25488 1929 Type 1 6x5 1 - 7924 1929 Type 1 6x10 1 - 3670 1929 Type 1 6x20 1 - 884 1929 Type 2 5 1 - 33692 1929 Type 2 10 1 - 19344 1929 Type 2 20 1 - 5664
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1889 - 1936):
Presidents:
- Isaac Everitt, 1889-1889
- John Smoulter, Jr. , 1890-1919
- Brinton Jackson, 1920-1921
- Charles A. Shea Sr., 1922-1935
Cashiers:
- Harry D. Flanagan, 1889-1914
- J. Castle Ridgway, 1914-1914
- Jesse Gilbert Bell, 1915-1918
- Elwood Wentz McSparran, 1920-1921
- William Thomas Harris, 1922-1935
Other Known Bank Note Signers
- No other known bank note signers for this bank
Bank Note History Links
Sources
- Nanticoke, PA, on Wikipedia
- Don C. Kelly, National Bank Notes, A Guide with Prices. 6th Edition (Oxford, OH: The Paper Money Institute, 2008).
- Dean Oakes and John Hickman, Standard Catalog of National Bank Notes. 2nd Edition (Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 1990).
- Banks & Bankers Historical Database (1782-1935), https://spmc.org/bank-note-history-project
- The Sunday Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Sun., Nov. 18, 1888.
- Pottsville Republican, Pottsville, PA, Tue., Jan. 8, 1889.
- Carbondale Daily News, Carbondale, PA, Sat., Mar. 9, 1889.
- The Wilkes-Barre News, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Wed., Nov. 12, 1902.
- The Wilkes-Barre News, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Thu., Jan. 15, 1903.
- The Wilkes-Barre record, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Thu., Feb. 12, 1903.
- The Times-Tribune, Scranton, PA, Fri., Aug. 16, 1912.
- The Wilkes-Barre Record, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Thu., Dec. 19, 1912.
- Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, The Evening News, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Thu., Dec. 19, 1912.
- The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Wed., July 1, 1914.
- The York Dispatch, York, PA, Fri., Jan. 15, 1915.
- The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, PA, Thu., Sep. 2, 1915.
- Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, The Evening News, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Wed., Jan. 9, 1918.
- Lewisburg Journal, Lewisburg, PA, Fri., July 26, 1918.
- The Wilkes-Barre Record, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Wed., Jan. 11, 1933.
- Standard-Speaker, Hazleton, PA, Fri., Oct. 27, 1950.
- Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, The Evening News, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Thu., Aug. 14, 1952.
- The Times-Tribune, Scranton, PA, Wed., Oct. 1, 1952.
- Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, The Evening News, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Wed., Nov. 12, 1952.
- Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, The Evening News, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Thu., Nov. 13, 1952.