Suffern National Bank, Suffern, NY (Charter 5846)
Suffern National Bank/Suffern NB & TC, Suffern, NY (Chartered 1901 - Open past 1935)
Town History
Suffern is a village that was incorporated in 1796 in the town of Ramapo in Rockland County, New York. Suffern is located 31 miles northwest of Manhattan. As of the 2010 census, Suffern's population was 10,723.
"The Point of the Mountains" or "Sidman's Clove" were names used before the American Revolution to designate the present village of Suffern. The area originally was inhabited by the Ramapough, a tribe of Munsee, who were a division of the Lenape tribe. Upon Sidman's death, this land passed into the hands of his son-in-law, John Smith, who sold it to John Suffern.
John Suffern, first Rockland County judge, 1798–1806, settled near the base of the Ramapo Mountains in 1773, and called the place New Antrim, after his home in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. His French Huguenot ancestors had settled there after fleeing religious persecution in France. New Antrim's location was considered strategically important in the Revolutionary War because it was at an important crossroads near Ramapo Pass. General George Washington and other important military leaders used John Suffern's home as headquarters when they were in the area. Suffern is a stop on the Washington–Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail, under the auspices of the National Park Service. This trail commemorates the route followed by General Washington and the French Comte de Rochambeau as they traveled to the siege of Yorktown, Virginia, which led to victory for the United States in gaining independence.
Rochambeau made encampment with his 5,000 soldiers in Suffern on August 25, 1781, on his way to Yorktown, and again on September 13, 1782, as he retraced his steps to New York. An historical marker on the Washington Avenue side of the Lafayette Theatre identifies this site of "Rochambeau's Encampment 1781–1782". At the time of the encampment, this site was directly across the road from village founder John Suffern's home and tavern where the Count de Rochambeau stayed.
In 1897, Avon Products, known then as California Perfume Company, built a 3,000-square-foot laboratory in Suffern. By 1971 the lab had been expanded into the 323,000-square-foot Avon Suffern Research and Development facility. In late 2005, construction was finished on a state-of-the art, 225,000-square-foot facility that would become Avon's global hub for research and development.
Suffern had one National Bank chartered during the Bank Note Era, and it issued National Bank Notes.
Bank History
- Organized March 25, 1901
- Chartered May 31, 1901
- Bank was Open past 1935
On November 5, 1901, the Wall Street Journal announced that the Suffern National Bank, capital $50,000, had just opened its doors for business in the building later occupied by Schulman's Department Store. The original officers and directors were: James B. Campbell, president; David H. McConnell, vice president; J. Fred. Duryea, cashier; O.H. Cutler, R.J. Davidson, Frank S. Harris, H.C. Wanamaker, E.W. Becraft and A.S. Norton.
In 1920, the directors decided to put up a building that would be a credit to the community and provide ample room for future expansion. At the time the expense involved appeared to somewhat out of proportion to the size of the bank and the financial requirements of the community. But the record of the bank's growth since the completion of the building was an ample demonstration of its justification. Alfred Hopkins of New York was hired as the architect. The vault had heavy, reinforced concrete walls and was lined throughout with steel. It had a capacity of approximately 1500 boxes in addition to the bank's security chest. Safe deposit boxes were of the most modern construction. The entrance to the vault was protected by a massive steel circular door. The vault construction was by the Diebold Safe and Lock Company.
In January 1932, stockholders re-elected the board of directors. The directors re-elected were David H. McConnell, J. Edgar Davidson, Frank Maloy, Frank S. Harris, Frank A. Casey, James J. Brown, Alexander S. Banks, Henry von L. Meyer, Merrick E. Coons, Walter S. Duryea, and R.G. Riggs.
On May 6, 1932, Frank A. Casey, aged 43, president of the Suffern National Bank and Trust Company, died at Manhattan Eye and Ear Hospital, New York City. Mr. Casey was said to be one of the youngest bank presidents in New York State, and rose to his position with the bank from office boy. He had been a resident of Suffern during his whole life, and was widely known through the county and state. He was also an officer of the Suffern Savings and Loan Association.
On January 20, 1937, David H. McConnell, 78, founder and president of the Suffern National Bank and Trust Company, died at his home there after a loner illness. McConnell was president, chairman of the board and principal owner of Avon Allied Products, Inc., and its affiliated companies. He was also treasurer of G.W. Carnrick & Co., manufacturers of pharmaceutical supplies in Newark, NJ, and a director of the Holly Hill Fruit Products, Inc., a large orange grove and canning enterprise of Davenport, FL.
On June 16, 1909, David H. McConnell and Alexander D. Henderson, signed an agreement of Corporation for the California Perfume Company in the state of New Jersey. On January 28, 1916, the California Perfume Company was incorporated in the state of New York. McConnell, Henderson, and William Scheele were listed as company officials. The name, California Perfume Company, was a suggestion made by a friend of McConnell's who had written to him describing California and its great abundance of flowers. Through subsequent changes in name it became Allied Products, Inc., and incorporated in 1924, being an outgrowth of the California Perfume Company of Canada, Ltd., which was started in 1906; Hinze Ambrosia, Inc., and Technical Laboratories, Inc.
On Friday, May 25, 1956, stockholders voted on the planned consolidation of The Suffern National Bank and Trust Company, Ramapo Trust Company, and First National Bank and Trust Company of Pearl River under the charter of the Suffern National Bank and Trust Company, taking the title of Rockland National Bank of Suffern. Clifford G. Warren was cashier.
At 9 AM on June 1, 1956, the Rockland National Bank opened for business with James A. Collishaw as president. The election of the 52-year-old chief executive who had been president of the Suffern National Bank and Trust Company for the previous nine years came at the consolidated organization's first board of directors meeting on May 31st along with the selection of board heads and officers of the county bank and its four branch offices. Named to head the initial board of 25 directors was J. Edgar Davidson, for nine years chairman of the board of Suffern National under whose charter the new bank would operate. Mr. Davidson, 70, was formerly a vice-president of the Ramapo Ajax Division, American Brakeshoe Co. Frank Malloy, previously vice- chairman of the Suffern institution, was appointed to that same position in Rockland National. Louis T. Boecher, formerly a member of the board of Ramapo Trust Co., was also selected as a vice chairman of the committee. Arthur W. Schmidt, Sr., would serve as chairman of the board's executive committee; he was assisted by Allen Sniffen as vice chairman of that committee. Serving together with Mr. Collishaw in the main office in the former Suffern National building on Lafayette Avenue, would be the following officials: John S. Davidson, executive vice president and vice-president of Rockland National; Marcus L. Stewart, vice president and trust officer; and Bernard A. Kennedy, vice president and cashier. Mr. Davidson had previously held an executive post in Ramapo Trust Co., as did Mr. Kennedy.
Vice president in the main office under Mr. Collishaw was Clifford G. Warren. The following vice presidents and assistant vice presidents were elected to head the branches: John Luft, vice president of Tuxedo; Edwin Norman, vice president in the former office of the Pearl River First National Bank and Trust Company; Charles Eardley, assistant vice-president in Spring Valley; Fred Furman, assistant vice president in Suffern; and John McNaughton, assistant vice president, Pearl River. The following assistant cashiers were also chosen: Gordon Babcock, Spring Valley; Arthur Blauvelt, Pearl River; Marion Johnson, John Connally, Monsey; John Thome, Suffern; and Katherine Steffens.
The Rockland National operated offices at 67 Lafayette Ave., Suffern; 4 North Main Street, Spring Valley; 1 East Central Ave., Pearl River; Route 17, Tuxedo, Rote 59, Monsey; and 32 Park Ave., Suffern.
On July 15, 1969, John H. Payne, Jr., president of Rockland National Bank, and Richard H. Stover, president of County National Bank of Middletown, announced that agreement in principle to merge had been reached by the boards of directors of the two banks. The merged bank would be known as Empire National Bank, serving four counties in the Mid-Hudson region, including 41 offices in Orange, Rockland, Sullivan and Dutchess Counties with combined assets of $317,000,000. Empire National would be upstate New York's 12th largest bank. Payne would become chairman of the board and Mr. Stover, president, both sharing chief executive officer status.
Empire National would be acquired by the Bank of New York in September 1980.
Official Bank Title(s)
1: The Suffern National Bank, Suffern, NY
2: The Suffern National Bank and Trust Company (1/21/1925), Suffern, NY
Bank Note Types Issued
A total of $1,833,430 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1901 and 1935. This consisted of a total of 209,875 notes (94,692 large size and 115,183 small size notes).
This bank issued the following Types and Denominations of bank notes:
Series/Type Sheet/Denoms Serial#s Sheet Comments 1: 1882 Brown Back 4x5 1 - 950 1: 1882 Brown Back 3x10-20 1 - 860 1: 1882 Date Back 4x5 1 - 5950 1: 1882 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 4300 1: 1882 Value Back 4x5 5951 - 9630 1: 1882 Value Back 3x10-20 4301 - 6781 1: 1902 Plain Back 4x5 1 - 3350 1: 1902 Plain Back 3x10-20 1 - 2102 2: 1929 Type 1 6x5 1 - 8322 2: 1929 Type 1 6x10 1 - 4450 2: 1929 Type 1 6x20 1 - 1326 2: 1929 Type 1 6x50 1 - 314 2: 1929 Type 1 6x100 1 - 126 2: 1929 Type 2 5 1 - 16470 2: 1929 Type 2 10 1 - 8995 2: 1929 Type 2 20 1 - 2490
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1901 - 1935):
Presidents:
- James B. Campbell, 1902-1921
- David Hall McConnell, 1922-1926
- Frank A. Casey, 1927-1931
- David Hall McConnell, 1932-1935
Cashiers:
- John Frederick Duryee, 1902-1921
- Frank A. Casey, 1922-1926
- Joseph John Sheehan, 1927-1931
- James A. Collishaw Jr., 1932-1935
Other Bank Note Signers
- There are currently no known Vice President or Assistant Cashier bank note signers for this bank.
Wiki Links
- New York Bank Note History
- General information on Suffern (Wikipedia)
- General information on Rockland County (Wikipedia)
- General information on New York (Wikipedia)
Sources
- Suffern, NY, 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 Bankers' Magazine, Vol. 108, Jan. 1924 - June 1924, pp 508-510.
- The Wall Street Journal, New York, NY, Tue., Nov. 5, 1901.
- The News, Patterson, NJ, Tue., Apr. 18, 1922.
- The Morning Call, Patterson, NJ, Fri., Jan. 22, 1932.
- The Morning Call, Paterson, NJ, Mon., May 9, 1932.
- Daily News, New York, NY, Thu., Jan. 21, 1937.
- The Journal News, White Plains, NY, Thu., Apr. 26, 1956.
- The Journal News, White Plains, NY, Mon., Aug. 27, 1956.
- The Journal News, White Plains, NY, Fri., June 1, 1956.
- The Journal News, White Plains, NY, Tue., July 15, 1969.