Codorus National Bank in Jefferson, PA (Charter 14071)

NEEDED: an image of a contemporary postcard or photo of the bank.

Codorus National Bank in Jefferson, PA (Chartered 1934 - Open past 1935)

Town History

Jefferson is a small borough in York County, Pennsylvania with 631 people as of the 2000 census. The early Pennsylvanians of Greene and York counties organized boroughs named after Thomas Jefferson. It appears this occurred before Pennsylvania adopted a rule against duplicate borough names. The Post Office Department could not allow this, so when they established the post office in late-comer Jefferson in York County, it was named Codorus to avoid confusion. Codorus is an Indian word attributed to the Susquehannock Tribe but its meaning has been lost. The name was appealing so it was attached to the Township and a winding stream that drains a large part of York County.

Frederick Kraft (1776-1838) was the founder of Jefferson. He was a Baltimore native and is listed in the 1808 Baltimore directory as a tavern keeper. In 1812, this piece of land, now known as the town of Jefferson, was nothing more than a crossroads and had been used for half a century for the commercial trade between Baltimore and York. Codorus whiskey found its way to Baltimore markets by way of this route. On February 1, 1812, Peter Hamm sold the 23 acres of land that contained the crossroads to Kraft for $675.00. Kraft quickly established a tavern and store (which is no longer standing). In 1814 Kraft hired John L. Hinkle (1781-1846), a Hanover surveyor, to lay out a town on the crossroads. Frederick Kraft named the town for Thomas Jefferson because of the strong Democratic ties of the residents. However, in 1866, when the town was incorporated, the name Jefferson was already taken from a town in Greene County near Pittsburgh. So, the residents of the York County Jefferson chose Codorus as its postal address, since it is in Codorus Township.

Jefferson in York County, Pennsylvania had two National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and both of those banks issued National Bank Notes.

Bank History

Organized Mar 12, 1934
Chartered Mar 19, 1934
Succeeded 9660 Codorus National Bank of Jefferson, PA and assumed its circulation
Bank was Open past 1935

Official Bank Title(s)

1: Codorus National Bank in Jefferson, PA

Bank Note Types Issued

1929 Type 2 $5 bank note with printed signatures of Elmer Sterner, Cashier and Edward C. Snyder, President. Courtesy of PH

A total of $7,445 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1934 and 1935. This consisted of a total of 647 notes (No large size and 647 small size notes).

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

Series/Type	Sheet/Denoms	Serial#s	Sheet Comments
1929 Type 2	5	1 - 119
1929 Type 2	10	1 - 371
1929 Type 2	20	1 - 157

Bank Presidents and Cashiers

Codorus National Bank in Jefferson Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1934 - 1936):

Presidents:

Edward Clarence Snyder, Jr., 1934-1935

Cashiers:

Elmer Sterner, 1934-1935

Other Bank Note Signers

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

Wiki Links

Sources

Jefferson, PA, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson,_Pennsylvania
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://bbdata.banknotehistory.com
Huntoon, P., Feb 2020, Jefferson, Pennsylvania, Double Identity, BNR, v. 69, p. 62-65.
Gibson, John, editor, 1886, History of York County, Pennsylvania: F. A. Battey Publishing Co., Chicago, IL, 1104 pages.
http://www.jeffersonboro.net/home.aspx, page accessed Aug. 24, 2021.