Codorus National Bank of Jefferson, PA (Charter 9660)

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Codorus National Bank of Jefferson, PA (Chartered 1910 - Liquidated 1934)

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 Jan 15, 1910
• Chartered Feb 9, 1910
• Conservatorship Mar 23, 1933
• Liquidated Dec 1, 1934
• Succeeded by 14071 (Codorus National Bank in Jefferson, PA)
• Circulation assumed by 14071

The first of the Jefferson banks to be organized was The Codorus National Bank of Jefferson in York County in 1910. The bank was organized by Civil War veteran Isaac Hildebrand and the first directors were H. K. Bentz, J. Harvey Spangler, John J. Burns, J. E. Brodbeck and Eli Swartzbaugh of Jefferson; S. B Brodbeck, John Sheffer and John German of Brodbeck's; Zacharia Sheffer of York, and C. A. Bortner and S. B. Smith of Glen Rock.

The listing for the bank in the 1910 and 1911 annual reports of the Comptroller of the Currency is The Codorus National Bank, Codorus, with no mention whatsoever of Jefferson. Due to the effects of the Great Depression the bank failed and assets were liquidated December, 1, 1934. A second back was quickly organized under a similar name The Codorus National Bank in Jefferson.

Official Bank Title(s)

1: The Codorus National Bank of Jefferson, PA

Bank Note Types Issued

1902 Plain Back $20 bank note with stamped signatures of Elmer Sterner, Cashier and Isaac Hildebrand, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

1929 Type 1 $20 bank note with printed signatures of Elmer Sterner, Cashier and Isaac Hildebrand, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

A total of $423,390 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1910 and 1934. This consisted of a total of 34,140 notes (27,900 large size and 6,240 small size notes).

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

Series/Type	Sheet/Denoms	Serial#s	Sheet Comments
1902 Date Back	3x10-20	1 - 2390
1902 Plain Back	3x10-20	2391 - 6975
1929 Type 1	6x10	1 - 750
1929 Type 1	6x20	1 - 192
1929 Type 2	10	1 - 516
1929 Type 2	20	1 - 72

Bank Presidents and Cashiers

The Codorus National Bank of Jefferson Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1910 - 1934):

Presidents:

• Isaac Hildebrand, 1910-1930
• Jacob Calvin Burns, 1932-1932

Cashiers:

• Rev. Dr. Earl N. Bergerstock, 1910-1910
• Elmer Sterner, 1911-1932

Other Bank Note Signers

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

Wiki Links

• Pennsylvania Bank Note History
• General information on Jefferson (Wikipedia)
• General information on York County (Wikipedia)
• General information on Pennsylvania (Wikipedia)

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
• The Gazette, York, PA, Mon., Jan. 31, 1910.