Whitinsville National Bank, Whitinsville, MA (Charter 769)

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Postcard of the Whitinsville National Bank ca1900s.
Postcard of the Whitinsville National Bank ca1900s.  Courtesy of Adam Stroup

Whitinsville National Bank, Whitinsville, MA (Chartered 1865 - Open past 1935)

Town History

The Whitinsville Bank Building on Main and Hill Streets, ca2020.
The Whitinsville Bank Building on Main and Hill Streets, ca2020. Courtesy of Google Maps

Whitinsville is an unincorporated village within the town of Northbridge in Worcester County, Massachusetts. Whitinsville's population was 6,750 at the 2020 census. Whitinsville is pronounced as if it were spelled "White-ins-ville". It was founded by the Whitin family, after whom it is also named, and is located on the Mumford River, a tributary of the Blackstone River.

This village was originally Nipmuc native lands, and was first settled as part of Mendon in 1662. From 1662 to 1727 it was part of Mendon, then later it became part of Uxbridge from 1727 to 1772. In 1772 Northbridge finally became a separate town. The village's early name was "South Northbridge", before the Whitin family's rise to prominence. Col. John Spring led a militia training company from Uxbridge which fought in the American Revolution. Col. Spring was from the section that became South Northbridge.

Whitinsville has been designated as a mill village of national historic significance to America's earliest industrialization, and is one of only four villages selected by the John H. Chaffee Blackstone River Valley National Historic Corridor Commission to receive this designation. Hopedale is the only other Massachusetts mill village to achieve this designation by the corridor commission.

Whitinsville had one National Bank chartered during the Bank Note Era, and it issued National Bank Notes.

Bank History

  • Organized January 17, 1865
  • Chartered January 31, 1865
  • Bank was Open past 1935

Mr. James Fletcher Whitin, the youngest and last surviving son of Colonel Paul Whitin, the founder of the great manufacturing business of the family in Northbridge and Whitinsville, died Saturday morning, March 1, 1902, at his home in Whitinsville. Mr. Whitin was born In Whitinsville Dec. 21. 1814. He was a sixth generation descendent of Nathaniel Whitin, who came from England about 1636 and settled in Lynn. Nathaniel Whitin's grandson, Colonel Paul Whitin, settled in that part of Northbridge now called Whitinsville in 1782, and engaged in blacksmithing. In 1794 he married Betsey, daughter of Colonel James Fletcher. James F. Whitin was the last of the four sons of Colonel Paul Whitin, who were long associated in the manufacture of cotton cloth and cotton machinery, and who for nearly three-quarters of a century, made the name of Whitin synonymous with business integrity and honorable dealing. He early took an interest in the manufacturing industries established In Whitinsville by his father and his elder brothers, Paul and John C. Whitin, and for years was treasurer of the firm known as Paul Whitin & Sons. This firm was formed about 1825 to manufacture cotton goods. Afterward the company began the manufacture of cotton machinery in addition to making cotton cloth, and a shop about 20x40 feet was built within the premises now occupied by the Whitin Machine Works. Business increased and necessitated the erection of larger shops. In 1847 one of the larger brick structures, 306 feet by 102 feet, was built. In 1864 the joint business of Paul Whitin & Sons was divided. The machine shop was given to Hon. John C. Whitin, the Uxbridge cotton mills to James F. Whitin, the Whitinsville cotton mills to Charles P. Whitin, and the Rockdale mill to Paul Whitin. Paul Whitin & Sons had purchased the mill at North Uxbridge from Rogerson, and when the firm divided the various interests, James F. Whitin took charge of this mill. Associated with his brother, Charles P. Whitin, he built the mill at Linwood in 1865, and cotton manufacturing of a high grade was conducted there under the firm name of Whitin Brothers. Mr. Whitin was called to occupy various offices of trust in the public and private matters of Whitinsville. In addition to his office as treasurer of Paul Whitin & Sons, he was treasurer of the Whitinsville social library, a director of the Whitinsville National Bank, a trustee of the Whitinsville Savings Bank, and at the time of his death was president of both of those institutions. He married Miss Patience H. Saunders July 23. 1843 and five children were born to them, but only one survived their father.

Official Bank Title(s)

1: The Whitinsville National Bank, Whitinsville, MA

Bank Note Types Issued

1902 Plain Back $5 bank note with printed signatures of Herbert I. Parkis, Cashier and J.M. Lasell, President.
1902 Plain Back $5 bank note with printed signatures of Herbert I. Parkis, Cashier and J.M. Lasell, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com
1929 Type 2 $10 bank note with printed signatures of Herbert I. Parkis, Cashier and J.M. Lasell, President.
1929 Type 2 $10 bank note with printed signatures of Herbert I. Parkis, Cashier and J.M. Lasell, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

A total of $2,763,080 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1865 and 1935. This consisted of a total of 338,714 notes (289,756 large size and 48,958 small size notes).

This bank issued the following Types and Denominations of bank notes:

Series/Type Sheet/Denoms Serial#s Sheet Comments
Original Series 3x1-2 1 - 3000
Original Series 4x5 1 - 2450
Original Series 3x10-20 1 - 1586
Original Series 50-100 1 - 290
Series 1875 4x5 1 - 1735
Series 1875 3x10-20 1 - 2260
1882 Brown Back 4x5 1 - 2450
1882 Brown Back 3x10-20 1 - 4965
1902 Red Seal 4x5 1 - 3350
1902 Red Seal 3x10-20 1 - 2960
1902 Date Back 4x5 1 - 9050
1902 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 6640
1902 Plain Back 4x5 9051 - 28078
1902 Plain Back 3x10-20 6641 - 19460
1929 Type 1 6x5 1 - 3960
1929 Type 1 6x10 1 - 2206
1929 Type 1 6x20 1 - 484
1929 Type 2 5 1 - 5122
1929 Type 2 10 1 - 3180
1929 Type 2 20 1 - 756

Bank Presidents and Cashiers

Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1865 - 1936):

Presidents:

Cashiers:

Other Bank Note Signers

  • There are currently no known Vice President or Assistant Cashier bank note signers for this bank.

Wiki Links

Sources

  • Whitinsville, MA, 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