Farmers National Bank, Canton, PA (Charter 9317)

An advertisement for The Farmers National Bank of Canton, Pennsylvania from August 1924. The ad shows the bank and reads, "Test your enduring qualities.  Start a savings account for yourself with a small first deposit. Set yourself a goal, not-too-easy, not-too-hard. Then see that you have the ability to STICK.  It will mean not only strengthened character and increased self-respect, but dollars and cents to your credit."

Farmers National Bank, Canton, PA (Chartered 1909 - Liquidated 1932)

Town History

Canton is a borough in Bradford County, Pennsylvania. The population was 1,976 at the 2010 census.

Canton is located in southwestern Bradford County in the valley of Towanda Creek. It is surrounded by Canton Township but is a separate municipality. Pennsylvania Route 14 passes through the borough, leading north 10 miles to U.S. Route 6 in Troy and south 25 miles to U.S. Route 15 at Trout Run.

Canton had two National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and both of those banks issued National Bank Notes.

Bank History

• Organized November 11, 1908
• Chartered January 12, 1909
• Opened for business January 19, 1909
• Liquidated November 1, 1932
• Absorbed by 2505 (First National Bank, Canton, PA)
• Circulation assumed by 2505 (First National Bank, Canton, PA)

On January 12, 1909, the Comptroller of the Currency, Lawrence O. Murray, authorized The Farmers National Bank of Canton to begin the business of banking with Capital of $50,000. The officers were: John A. Innes, president, Elwin Allen, first vice president; H. Crawford, second vice president; H.A. Bell, cashier.

In January 1932, stockholders elected the following directors: C.F. Biddle, A.H. Bunn, Thomas Collins, H.C. Gates, H. Hendleman, Robert Krise, and F.D. Taylor.

On January 12, 1932, The First National Bank of Canton elected the following directors: Charles A. Innes, Charles E. Bullock, E. Lloyd Lewis, G.F. Krise, Edward R. Innes, Martin L. Rockwell, Frank S. Stull. The officers chosen were Charles A. Innes, president; Charles E. Bullock, chairman of the board; E. Lloyd Lewis, vice president; H.T. Owen, cashier; and F.C. Griswold, assistant cashier.

On July 1, 1932, formal announcement was made of the merger of the Farmers National Bank of Canton and the First National Bank, the new institution to be known as the First National Bank of Canton. The merger gave the new bank capital stock of $150,000 and surplus of $30,000, with total assets well over $1.5 million. The bank occupied the quarters of the First National Bank and no announcement was made as to what use would be made of the Farmers National Bank Building.

On 14 March, 1933, Carlton W. Manley, white-haired teller at the Farmers National Bank of Canton before its merger was paroled for a year by Federal Judge Albert W. Johnson, Sr., after he had pleaded guilty in United States criminal court at Scranton to nine counts of embezzlement of the bank's funds. The court was informed that Manley had made restitution.

Official Bank Title(s)

1: The Farmers National Bank of Canton, PA

Bank Note Types Issued

1902 Plain Back $10 bank note with printed signatures of H.C. Gates, Cashier and John A. Innes, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

1929 Type 1 $10 bank note with printed signatures of H.C. Gates, Cashier and C.F. Biddle, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

A total of $874,720 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1909 and 1932. This consisted of a total of 109,610 notes (94,520 large size and 15,090 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	4x5	1 - 4925
1902 Date Back	3x10-20	1 - 3720
1902 Plain Back	4x5	4926 - 14049
1902 Plain Back	3x10-20	3721 - 9581
1929 Type 1	6x5	1 - 1579
1929 Type 1	6x10	1 - 750
1929 Type 1	6x20	1 - 186

Bank Presidents and Cashiers

Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1909 - 1932):

Presidents:

• John A. Innes, 1909-1923
• Alden Swayze, 1925-1925
• Claude Fields Biddle, 1925-1931

Cashiers:

• Henry A. Bell, 1909-1909
• Phelps A. Manley, 1910-1910
• Harry C. Gates, 1911-1931

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 Canton (Wikipedia)
• General information on Bradford County (Wikipedia)
• General information on Pennsylvania (Wikipedia)

Sources

• Canton, PA, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canton,_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://spmc.org/bank-note-history-project
• Pittsburgh Daily Post, Pittsburgh, PA, Fri., Jan. 15, 1909.
• The Canton Independent-Sentinel, Canton, PA, Thu., Jan. 28, 1909.
• Mount Union Times, Mount Union, PA, Fri., Feb. 4, 1910.
• The Canton Independent-Sentinel, Canton, PA, Thu., Jan. 14, 1915.
• The Canton Independent-Sentinel, Canton, PA, Thu., Dec. 9, 1915.
• The Canton Independent-Sentinel, Canton, PA, Thu., Jan. 13, 1916.
• The Canton Independent-Sentinel, Canton, PA, Thu., Aug. 14, 1924.
• The Canton Independent-Sentinel, Canton, PA, Thu., Jan. 14, 1932.
• The Evening Times, Sayre, PA, Fri., July 1, 1932.
• The Wilkes-Barre Record, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Wed., Mar. 15, 1933.