Aetna National Bank, Hartford, CT (Charter 756)
Aetna National Bank, Hartford, CT (Chartered 1865 - Liquidated 1915)
Town History
Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the 2010 United States census have indicated that Hartford is the fourth-largest city in Connecticut with a 2020 population of 121,054, behind the coastal cities of Bridgeport, New Haven, and Stamford.
Hartford was founded in 1635 and is among the oldest cities in the United States. It is home to the country's oldest public art museum (Wadsworth Atheneum), the oldest publicly funded park (Bushnell Park), the oldest continuously published newspaper (the Hartford Courant), and the second-oldest secondary school (Hartford Public High School). It is also home to the Mark Twain House, where the author wrote his most famous works and raised his family, among other historically significant sites. Mark Twain wrote in 1868, "Of all the beautiful towns it has been my fortune to see this is the chief."
Nicknamed the "Insurance Capital of the World", Hartford is home to the headquarters of many insurance companies, the region's major industry.
Hartford had 12 National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and all 12 of those banks issued National Bank Notes. Hartford also had 14 Obsolete Banks that issued Obsolete Bank Notes during the Obsolete Bank Note Era (1782-1866).
Bank History
- Organized January 11, 1865
- Chartered January 26, 1865
- Succeeded Aetna Bank
- Liquidated April 26, 1915
- Consolidated with 1338 (Hartford NB/Hartford-Aetna NB/Hartford NB&TC, Hartford, CT)
- Circulation assumed by 1338 (Hartford NB/Hartford-Aetna NB/HNB&TC, Hartford, CT)
In May 1858, at the first annual meeting of the stockholders of the Aetna Bank, the following were unanimously chosen as directors for the ensuing year: Oliver G. Terry, Wm. R. Cone, Ellery Hills, E.A. Bulkeley, Walter Keeney, Joseph Merriman, Charles P. Clark, Leveritt Brainard, and Thomas K. Brace, Jr. At a subsequent meeting of the directors, the following officers were unanimously chosen: Oliver G. Terry, president; and Appleton R. Hillyer, cashier.[2] Mr. Hillyer had previously been the secretary for the Union Savings Bank.[3]
In May 1864, the original directors and officers were again re-elected.[4] On Monday, September 5, 1864, two more burglaries were reported. The residences of Mr. S.L. Way, 94 Bellevue Street and Gen. Chas. T. Hillyer on the Windsor road were entered using the same methods as the houses on Wethersfield Avenue. A wire was inserted between the sashes to turn the window fasteners. Gen. Hillyer's residence was entered through a rear window. They visited the General's sleeping room and stole some articles of clothing and carried the chair on which the General's clothes were placed into the hall for inspection. They stole a gold watch belonging to Miss Hillyer and on visiting the room occupied by Mr. A.R. Hillyer of the Aetna Bank, he was awakened and sprang for a revolver near by, but the thief succeeded in escaping.[5] General Hillyer was the first president of Charter Oak Bank in 1855 and was at the time president of the Charter Oak National Bank.
On Bank Day, Tuesday, January 14, 1890, the directors elected were Leverett Brainard, Joseph Merriam, Robert E. Day, Zalmon A. Storrs, A.R. Hillyer, Morgan G. Bulkeley, J.D. Browne, and A.G. Loomis.[6]
On Tuesday, January 12, 1915, an important change in the Aetna National Bank was the election of two new directors, Morgan G. Bulkeley and Morgan B. Brainard, both directors of the Aetna Life Insurance Company. Of the 8,300 shares voted, more than 5,000 represented the Aetna Life interests. Alfred Spencer, Jr. was elected president; Appleton R. Hillyer, vice president; Henry T. Holt, cashier; D.W. Hubbard and E.M. Crampton, assistant cashiers. The directors were M.G. Bulkeley, A.R. Hillyer, James B. Cone, M.B. Brainard, William R.C. Corson, L.B. Brainerd, George G. Williams, D.N. Barney, and A. Spencer, Jr. At the Hartford National Bank, Colonel W.E.A. Bulkeley, a director and auditor of Aetna Life was a director of the Hartford National prior to the election of President Morgan G. Bulkeley and Treasurer Morgan B. Brainard as directors.[7]
On February 7, 1915, the Harford-Aetna Bank consolidation was progressing, but delayed to secure the approval of the comptroller of the currency. A formal announcement was expect shortly. The proposition was at that time to liquidate the Aetna National Bank into the Hartford National Bank and to increase the capital of the Hartford National from $1,200,000 to $2,000,000 by the issue of 8,000 new shares. A comparison of the combined capital and surplus of the Harford-Aetna and Phoenix-Charter Oak banks placed them practically at the same figure, about $14,000,000. The individual deposits subject to check from the statements of December 31, 1914 were as follows: Harford-$3,566,176.66; Aetna-$3,253,467.27; Phoenix-$4,962,403.17; Charter Oak-$2,037,755.35.[8]
In March 1915, a special meeting of the shareholders of the Hartford National Bank was called for April 23, 1915 at 10 o'clock in the morning to act upon the following propositions: 1. To increase the capital stock by the addition of 8,000 shares at a par value of $100 per share. 2. To purchase the assets and assume the liabilities of the Aetna National Bank upon such terms as may be approved by the shareholders of this bank. 3. To amend Art. III of the Articles of Association by adding at the end of the words "or at a special meeting," so that the maximum number of directors may be fixed at a special or annual meeting. A second special meeting of the shareholders of the Hartford National Bank was called for April 27, 1915 at 10 o'clock in the morning to act on the following propositions: 1. To change the name of the bank to the Hartford-Aetna National Bank. 2. To act upon a proposition to increase the number of directors and to elect such additional directors. F.P. Furlong was cashier.[9]
On Monday, April 26, 1915, stockholders of the Aetna National Bank met at the banking house at No. 644 Main Street and approved the plans to merge with the Hartford National. The vote was 4,589 shares out of 5,250 outstanding in favor of consolidation. Henry T. Holt was elected liquidating agent. With plain clothes men from New York and local detectives watching, the $7,000,000 in cash and securities at the Aetna National Bank was moved from the vaults at the corner of Main and Atheneum Streets to the Harford National Bank vaults through the afternoon and evening. The transfer was completed the next day. Directors of the Hartford-Aetna met to elect the officers as follows: Alfred Spencer, Jr., president; Frank P. Furlong and Henry T. Holt, vice presidents; Addison G. Brainerd, cashier; W.S. Andrews, D.W. Hubbard, and E.M. Crampton, assistant cashiers.[10]
The Hartford National Bank was established in 1792. The bank was located on the corner of Main and Pearl Streets where the Alderman Drug Co. was then located. From 1811 until 1912, the bank stood on State Street next to the Courant building. Its home on the corner of Main and Asylum Streets was one of the tallest buildings in the city. At its organization, the capital stock was $100,000. This was increased to $160,000 in 1796 and in 1802 was again increased to $207,600. In 1882, stockholders voted to increase the capital stock to $1,200,000. The Aetna Life Insurance Company recently remodeled its building in which the Aetna Bank had been located. New floors were filled with various departments of the insurance company and the old bank quarters would be immediately changed and used for the insurance company's work. The Aetna Bank was established in 1857 and in 1858 the earned surplus was $5,973.83. Appleton R. Hillyer who died the previous week was an officer of the bank from the first day it opened its doors and was vice president at the time of his death.[11]
Official Bank Title
1: The Aetna National Bank of Hartford, CT
Bank Note Types Issued
A total of $5,600,530 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1865 and 1915. This consisted of a total of 642,600 notes (642,600 large size and No small size notes).
This bank issued the following Types and Denominations of bank notes:
Series/Type Sheet/Denoms Serial#s Sheet Comments Original Series 4x5 1 - 12000 Original Series 3x10-20 1 - 6100 Original Series 50-100 1 - 1784 Series 1875 4x5 1 - 12000 Series 1875 3x10-20 1 - 6200 Series 1875 50-100 1 - 834 1882 Brown Back 4x5 1 - 17239 1882 Brown Back 3x10-20 1 - 8228 1902 Red Seal 4x5 1 - 20750 1902 Red Seal 3x10-20 1 - 11300 1902 Red Seal 50-100 1 - 900 1902 Date Back 4x5 1 - 39525 1902 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 24843 1902 Date Back 50-100 1 - 1300 1902 Date Back 3x50-100 1 - 56
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1865 - 1915):
Presidents:
- Oliver Grant Terry, 1865-1868
- William Russell Cone, 1869-1886
- Appleton Robbins Hillyer, 1887-1890
- Archibald Gilbert Loomis, 1891-1898
- Alfred Spencer, Jr., 1899-1914
Cashiers:
- Appleton Robbins Hillyer, 1865-1886
- Archibald Gilbert Loomis, 1887-1890
- Alfred Spencer, Jr., 1891-1898
- Dr. William Denison Morgan, 1899-1913
- Henry Turnbull Holt, 1914-1914
Other Known Bank Note Signers
- No other known bank note signers for this bank
Bank Note History Links
Sources
- Hartford, CT, 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
- ↑ Hartford Courant, Hartford, CT, Sun., Oct. 25, 1914.
- ↑ Hartford Courant, Hartford, CT, Wed., May 5, 1858.
- ↑ Hartford Courant, Hartford, CT, Fri., Oct. 12, 1855.
- ↑ Hartford Courant, Hartford, CT, Wed., May 4, 1864.
- ↑ Hartford Courant, Hartford, CT, Mon., Sep. 5, 1864.
- ↑ Hartford Courant, Hartford, CT, Wed., Jan. 15, 1890.
- ↑ Hartford Courant, Hartford, CT, Wed., Jan. 13, 1915.
- ↑ Hartford Courant, Hartford, CT, Sat., Feb. 6, 1915.
- ↑ Harford Courant, Hartford, CT, Wed., Mar. 24, 1915.
- ↑ Harford Courant, Hartford, CT, Tue., Apr. 27, 1915.
- ↑ Harford Courant, Hartford, CT, Tue., Apr. 27, 1915.