Conyngham National Bank, Conyngham, PA (Charter 13392)
Conyngham National Bank, Conyngham, PA (Chartered 1929 - Open past 1935)
Town History
Conyngham is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. It is located 6 miles northwest of Hazleton and 12 miles southeast of Berwick. The population was 1,914 at the 2010 census. In 1930 the population was 522, peaking in 1980 at 2,242.
The first settler of Conyngham was George Drum (in the late 1700s) who served in the American Revolution and was elected justice of the peace in 1811. George Drum was an entrepreneurial businessman and was a large landowner who also owned the Drums Hotel, a shoe shop, tavern, and the Drums Post Office. He and his family developed the adjacent village of Drums, of which the village is named after the family, along with helping the development of Conyngham. Drums is a sister village to Conyngham. The George Drum residence remains standing in impeccable condition on Conyngham's Main Street.
The Sugarloaf Massacre of September 11, 1780, was one of a series of bloody engagements fought in the frontier of northeastern Pennsylvania between Iroquois (allies of British troops) and settlers loyal to the cause of American independence. Today, this event is commemorated by a historic monument with a bronze plaque bearing the names of the fifteen men who lost their lives near modern-day Conyngham.
In 1815, Redmond Conyngham represented Luzerne County in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. In 1820, he served a term in the State Senate. Captain Gustavus Conyngham was his cousin. He was an unsung hero of the Revolution. He commanded a privateer and was the first to carry the American flag in the English Channel. The townspeople suggested naming the village after Redmond Conyngham, but he replied that the town should be named in honor of his cousin, Gustavus, who frequently made trips to England to obtain military supplies for revolutionary colonists. The USS Conyngham, DDG-17, was the third ship named after Gustavus Conyngham.
Conyngham had one National Bank chartered during the Bank Note Era, and it issued National Bank Notes.
Bank History
- Organized November 6, 1929
- Chartered November 8, 1929
- Bank was Open past 1935
- Merged with The First National Bank of Wilkes-Barre (Charter 30) April 1966
In October 1929 at a meeting held at Reisenweaver's store, the stockholders of The Conyngham National Bank elected the following directors: Charles L. Tressler, Samuel C. Banks, Tittisanna Morrie, Hubert [Hilbert] Smith, Morris Keene, Harry Shuman, John Best, Roy Benjamin, Roy Reisenweaver, and Thomas B. Foulkrod. Charles L. Tressler was elected president; Roy Reisenweaver, vice president; and Thomas B. Foulkrod of Philadelphia was elected cashier.
A large turnout of the public occurred on Saturday, November 30, 1929 when the bank opened to the public to view its modern facilities.
On January 14, 1930, the stockholders met and re-elected the old board of directors plus added on new director, Ario Smith. Attorney M.S. DePierro of Freeland was re-elected solicitor.
In January 1934, shareholders elected the following directors: J.W. Best, Ario Smith, Hilbert Smith, J. Hoffman, Howard Knelly and Morris Keene. C.L. Tressler, owing to the pressure of farming and other enterprises, tendered his resignation as president. William Creasy of Mt. Grove was elected his successor and Howard Knelly was made vice president. The capital was increased from $25,000 to $40,000.
In January 1938, Directors appointed George Ernst cashier, succeeding the late Thomas B. Foulkrod, Miss Ethel Tressler was retained as teller.
In January 1941, the stockholders re-elected the old board of directors as follows: M.S. DePierro, William S. Heupcke, Wilmot J. Creasey, Roy H. Benjamin, William A. Smith, and Maurice Keene.
In February 1966, a notice of a proposed merger between The Conyngham National Bank and The First National Bank of Wilkes-Barre was published. The shareholders were called to meet on March 9th at the banking house at 329 Main Street, Conyngham, to vote on the merger. On the 9th at concurrent meetings, stockholders of the two institutions approved the plan to merge the banks under the charter and name of First National Bank of Wilkes-Barre. Thomas H. Kiley, president of First National said approval was received from the Comptroller of the Currency on March 2d and the merger would be consummated at the close of business April 1, in compliance with the recently enacted bank merger bill requiring a 30-day interval between date of approval by the Comptroller of the Currency and the effective date of the merger. One share of First National Bank stock would be issued for two shares of Conyngham National Bank stock. The Conyngham National had it main office at Conyngham and the Butler Valley Branch at Drums. Wilmot J. Creasy, president of the Conyngham bank became a director of First National. He and the other directors of the Conyngham Bank, namely, William A. Adams, George C. Ernst, William S. Heupcke, Archie S. Hilliard, Maurice Keene, and Dan E. Smith, constituted an advisory board for the Conyngham and Butler Valley offices. Addition of the Conyngham National with assets in excess of $4 million gave First National Bank of Wilkes-Barre total assets well in excess of $100 million.
Official Bank Title
1: The Conyngham National Bank, Conyngham, PA
Bank Note Types Issued
A total of $63,800 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1929 and 1935. This consisted of a total of 8,203 notes (No large size and 8,203 small size notes).
This bank issued the following Types and Denominations of bank notes:
Series/Type Sheet/Denoms Serial#s Sheet Comments 1929 Type 1 6x5 1 - 520 1929 Type 1 6x10 1 - 254 1929 Type 1 6x20 1 - 76 1929 Type 2 5 1 - 1918 1929 Type 2 10 1 - 945 1929 Type 2 20 1 - 240
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1929 - 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
- Pennsylvania Bank Note History
- General information on Conyngham (Wikipedia)
- General information on Luzerne County (Wikipedia)
- General information on Pennsylvania (Wikipedia)
Sources
- Conyngham, PA, 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 Plain Speaker, Hazleton, PA, Fri., Oct. 11, 1929.
- The Plain Speaker, Hazleton, PA, Mon., Dec. 2, 1929.
- Standard-Speaker, Hazleton, PA, Wed., Jan. 15, 1930.
- Standard-Speaker, Hazleton, PA, Mon., Jan. 22, 1934.
- The Plain Speaker, Hazleton, PA, Sat., Jan. 15, 1938.
- Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, The Evening News, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Wed., Mar. 9, 1966.