First National Bank, New Bloomfield, PA (Charter 5133)

The First National Bank of New Bloomfield, Pennsylvania, ca1900s.

First National Bank, New Bloomfield, PA (Chartered 1898 - Open past 1935)

Town History

The First National Bank of New Bloomfield, Pennsylvania, March 2022. Courtesy of Adam Stroup

New Bloomfield is a borough in Perry County, Pennsylvania, and is the county seat. The population was 1,247 at the 2010 census; back in 1900 the population was 772.  New Bloomfield was laid out in 1823, and named for the blooming clovers near the original town site. A post office called New Bloomfield has been in operation since 1825. The official name of the borough is Bloomfield. However the United States Postal Service, presumably to avoid confusion with the neighborhood of Pittsburgh which is also named Bloomfield, refers to the area as "New Bloomfield."  The Perry County Courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

The banking business in Perry County dates back to 1866 when two banks were established. The first one to open was the Perry County Bank, started at New Bloomfield by Sponsler, Junkin & Company, September 20, 1866 and continuing until 1894. The second bank was the Newport Deposit Bank which began business on December 12, 1866 in the Wright Building (later Butz Building). Perry Kreamer was president; Isaac Wright, cashier; and Charles A. Wright, teller.

New Bloomfield had one National Bank chartered during the Bank Note Era, and it issued National Bank Notes.

Bank History

A view from the south of New Bloomfield, Pennsylvania, ca1900s. Courtesy of Adam Stroup

• Organized July 12, 1898
• Chartered August 9, 1898
• Bank was Open past 1935

The First National Bank of New Bloomfield, with capital of $50,000, was authorized to begin business on August 9, 1898. It occupied the old bank building formerly in use by Sponsler, Junkin & Company. The officers were William C. Pomeroy, President; Louis E. Atkinson, Vice President; and James T. Alter, Cashier. The Directors were Wm. C. Pomeroy, Louis E. Atkinson, Geo. T. Kepner, William Swartz, S.S. Willard, John H. Sheibley, and Abraham Bower.

The Report of Condition of the First National Bank of New Bloomfield as of the close of business on September 28, 1962 listed loans and discounts of $1,855,599.81 against deposits of over $3.3 million, capital stock was $50,000, surplus was $250,000 and undivided profits were $179,043.99. Gladys G. Black was cashier and directors attesting to the correctness were Joe G. Darlington (president and director), Charles W. Kugler, and Harry W. Keller.

The First National Bank of New Bloomfield announced the intent to consolidate with the Harrisburg National Bank and Trust Company in November 1963. Approval was received by regulatory authorities and the merger became effective at the close of business on Friday, February 14, 1964. The New Bloomfield Office of the Harrisburg National added services including fiduciary powers, additional lending capacity and a complete trust department.

Banker Biographies

Featured banker biographies are available for:

• William Culbertson Pomeroy, President 1898-1906
• Louis E. Atkinson, Vice President 1898...1910
• Clark Milton Bower, Vice President 1920...1929 Signature

Official Bank Title(s)

1: The First National Bank of New Bloomfield, PA

Bank Note Types Issued

1882 Date Back $20 Serial Number 1 bank note with pen signatures of James T. Alter, Cashier and William C. Pomeroy, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

1882 Date Back $5 Serial Number 1 bank note with pen signatures of James T. Alter, Cashier and James W. Shull, President. The note retains the top selvage showing a number of printers' initials. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

1929 Type 1 $10 bank note with printed signatures of James T. Alter, Cashier and James W. Shull, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

A total of $933,420 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1898 and 1935. This consisted of a total of 100,968 notes (79,772 large size and 21,196 small size notes).

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

Series/Type	Sheet/Denoms	Serial#s	Sheet Comments
1882 Brown Back	4x5	1 - 3200
1882 Brown Back	3x10-20	1 - 2280
1882 Date Back	4x5	1 - 3600
1882 Date Back	3x10-20	1 - 2540
1882 Value Back	4x5	3601 - 4627
1882 Value Back	3x10-20	2541 - 3210
1902 Plain Back	3x10-20	1 - 6626
1929 Type 1	6x5	1 - 1658
1929 Type 1	6x10	1 - 874
1929 Type 1	6x20	1 - 294
1929 Type 2	5	1 - 2404
1929 Type 2	10	1 - 1512
1929 Type 2	20	1 - 324

Bank Presidents and Cashiers

First National Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1898 - 1936):

Presidents:

• William Culbertson Pomeroy, 1898-1906 -- NOTE: A featured biography is available
• James Wilson Shull, 1907-1935

Cashiers:

• James T. Alter, 1898-1935

Other Bank Note Signers

• Clark Milton Bower, Vice President 1920...1929 Signature -- NOTE: A featured biography is available
• There are currently no known Assistant Cashier bank note signers for this bank.

Wiki Links

• Pennsylvania Bank Note History
• General information on New Bloomfield (Wikipedia)
• General information on Perry County (Wikipedia)
• General information on Pennsylvania (Wikipedia)

Sources

• New Bloomfield, 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://bbdata.banknotehistory.com
• H.H. Hain, History of Perry County, Pennsylvania. (Harrisburg, PA: Hain-Moore Company, 1922), p. 489 and 492.
• The Wall Street Journal, New York, NY, Wed., Aug. 10, 1898.
• The Perry County Democrat, Bloomfield, PA, Wed., Oct. 5, 1898.
• The Perry County Times, New Bloomfield, PA, Thu., Oct. 11, 1962.
• The Perry County Times, New Bloomfield, PA, Thu., Nov. 14, 1963.
• Duncannon Record, Duncannon, PA, Thu., Feb. 20, 1964.