First National Bank, Frankford, DE (Charter 8918)
First National Bank, Frankford, DE (Chartered 1907 - Closed (Merger) 1983)
Town History
Frankford is a town in Sussex County, Delaware. It is part of the Salisbury, Maryland-Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 847 at the 2010 census, an increase of 18.6% over the previous decade. In 1900 the population was 424 and by 1930 it had grown to 450.
Located on U.S. Route 113, Frankford, was founded in 1808 and incorporated in 1937. The town was named Frankford Village in 1848 upon the acquisition of a post office. The establishment of the Pennsylvania Railroad brought a hotel, commercial establishments and an opera house to make Frankford a thriving commercial and cultural center. Today, the town is a mere shadow of that golden era with just a handful of thriving businesses.
Frankford had one National Bank chartered during the Bank Note Era, and it issued National Bank Notes.
Bank History
- Organized September 7, 1907
- Chartered October 19, 1907
- Opened for business January 20, 1908
- Bank was Open past 1935
- For Bank History after 1935 see FDIC Bank History website
- Merged into Sussex Trust Company in Laurel, DE, April 1, 1983
In January 1919, at the annual meeting of the Frankford National Bank stockholders, Everett Hickman, R.A. Wilgus, John H. Long, Horace J. Hickman, Ebe Walter, Burton G. Cannon, J.W.B. McNeal, Harry Wilgus, Daniel G. Long, Dr. Levin E. Murray and Charles R. Davis were elected directors.
On October 23, 1934, Topp M. Heath, 53 years old, prominent in fraternal, church and civic affairs of Frankford, Sussex County, was arrested and charged with embezzling $8,900 of the First National Bank's funds. Deputy Marshal Duncan, accompanied by James R. Sharp, agent of the Department of Justice made the arrest. The next day, he pleaded guilty before U.S. Commissioner Polk to embezzlement from the bank where he was cashier until a week earlier.
On October 30, 1934, Charles R. Davis, age 77, banker and business man of Frankford, died at noon at his home. Mr. Davis was born in Philadelphia and moved to Frankford when a child. He was the son of Robert H. Davis, a Civil War veteran, and a prominent business man. He entered the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad at Georgetown and later was agent at Stockley, Delaware; Bishop, Maryland; and Frankford. After many years in the service of the Pennsylvania Railroad, he organized The First National Bank of Frankford and served as cashier for 25 years, retiring just two years ago on account of declining health.
Official Bank Title(s)
1: The First National Bank of Frankford, DE
Bank Note Types Issued
A total of $348,750 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1907 and 1983. This consisted of a total of 28,107 notes (22,892 large size and 5,215 small size notes).
This bank issued the following Types and Denominations of bank notes:
Series/Type Sheet/Denoms Serial#s Sheet Comments 1902 Red Seal 3x10-20 1 - 470 1902 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 1720 1902 Plain Back 3x10-20 1721 - 5253 1929 Type 1 6x10 1 - 586 1929 Type 1 6x20 1 - 160 1929 Type 2 10 1 - 654 1929 Type 2 20 1 - 85
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1907 - 1983):
Presidents:
Cashiers:
Other Known Bank Note Signers
- No other known bank note signers for this bank
Bank Note History Links
Sources
- Frankford, DE, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankford,_Delaware
- 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 Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, PA, Sat., Jan. 25, 1919.
- The News Journal, Wilmington, DE, Wed., Oct. 31, 1934.