First National Bank, Oxford, NY (Charter 273)

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Postcard of the First National Bank of Oxford, New York, ca1900s.
Postcard of the First National Bank of Oxford, New York, ca1900s. Courtesy of Adam Stroup

First National Bank, Oxford, NY (Chartered 1864 - Receivership 1934)

Town History

The old First National Bank building, located on the corner of North Canal Street and Lafayette Park, Oxford, New York, ca2022.
The old First National Bank building, located on the corner of North Canal Street and Lafayette Park, Oxford, New York, ca2022. Courtesy of Google Maps

Oxford is a town in Chenango County, New York. The town contains a village also named Oxford. Oxford is an interior town in the south-central part of the county, southwest of the city of Norwich. The name derives from that of the native town of an early landowner from New England. At the 2010 census the town population was 3,901. In 1860 the population was 3,290, growing to 3,545 by 1900.

The town of Oxford was established in 1793 from territory divided from the town of Bainbridge and the town of Union (now in Broome County). Oxford lost some of its territory when the town of Guilford was created in 1813, and the town of Coventry was formed in 1843.

The Chenango River, a tributary of the Susquehanna River, flows southward through Oxford. The former Chenango Canal (1837) passed through the town. Railroad service began in 1870.

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

Bank History

Postcard of the First National Bank of Oxford, New York, postmarked 1908.
Postcard of the First National Bank of Oxford, New York, postmarked 1908. Courtesy of Adam Stroup
  • Chartered Feb 24, 1864
  • Conservatorship Mar 20, 1933
  • Receivership Apr 25, 1934

James Willard Clarke, born July 20, 1815, in Brookfield; died June 30, 1878, in Oxford. He was an active business man, and held the office of postmaster for two years, from 1841. In 1864 he established the First National Bank of Oxford, of which he became president. For many years he was closely identified with St. Paul's Church, as vestryman and warden. Mr. Clarke married (1) March 31, 1846, in Oxford, Catherine Iliad, daughter of Obadiah and Elizabeth (Teed) Sands, born August 13, 1818, in Franklin, New York; died March 21, 1850, in Oxford; married (2) Susan Eliza, daughter of John and Susan (Hyde) Tracy.

Peter Welcome Clarke, born April 14, 1826, in Oxford; died there on September 10, 1889; married December 31, 1867, Maria Clarissa, daughter of Dr. William G. and Sarah E. (Mygatt) Sands. Mr. Clarke was proprietor of the Chenango Valley stage line, and later became one of the board of directors and cashier of the First National Bank of Oxford.

Francis Granger Clarke, born November 22, 1830, in Oxford and died there May 12, 1910. Mr. Clarke early connected himself with the mercantile business conducted by his father, at whose death the firm became Clarke Bros. After the retirement of his brothers from the firm he continued the business for many years, when he became interested in the stone business. After years of laborious work, the Oxford Blue Stone Company was developed from a small flagging quarry into a large and profitable business.

Frederick Augustus Sands, born February 19, 1813, the son of Obadiah and Elizabeth (Teed) Sands. He was the first cashier of the First National Bank of Oxford. He died March 10, 1886 and is buried in the family section of Saint Matthew's Cemetery, Unadilla, New York.

The funeral of Cory David Hayes, a prominent banker of Clinton, vice president of the First National Bank of Oxford and a former resident of Oxford was held at 3 PM Friday in Clinton. He died Wednesday morning, November 22, 1911 after a brief illness. Mr. Hayes was born at Latham's Corners, Chenango County, 71 years ago. In early manhood he taught school and later became bookkeeper for the W.H. Chapman & Company in Norwich, at that time the leading mercantile establishment in the county. He then became connected with the First National Bank of Oxford and was finally made a director and for the past ten years had been its vice president. About 30 years ago he moved to Clinton and since that time with his cousin Nathaniel Hayes, had conducted the Clinton Bank.

On Wednesday, March 7, 1934, the New York Federal Reserve Bank notified its members that a license was issued to the National Bank of Oxford, Charter 14025, newly chartered to succeed the First National Bank of Oxford.

Official Bank Title(s)

1: The First National Bank of Oxford, NY

Bank Note Types Issued

Original Series $5 bank note with pen signatures of Frederick A. Sands, Cashier and James W. Clarke, President.
Original Series $5 bank note with pen signatures of Frederick A. Sands, Cashier and James W. Clarke, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com
Original Series $1 bank note with pen signatures of H.L. Miller, Cashier and James W. Clarke, President.
Original Series $1 bank note with pen signatures of H.L. Miller, Cashier and James W. Clarke, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com
1882 Brown Back $10 bank note with pen signatures of Jared C. Estelow, Cashier and F.G. Clarke, Vice President.
1882 Brown Back $10 bank note with pen signatures of Jared C. Estelow, Cashier and F.G. Clarke, Vice President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com
1902 Red Seal $10 bank note with pen signatures of Jared C. Estelow, Cashier and J.R. Van Wagenen, President.
1902 Red Seal $10 bank note with pen signatures of Jared C. Estelow, Cashier and J.R. Van Wagenen, President. Courtesy of Lyn Knight Auctions, www.lynknight.com
1929 Type 1 $10 bank note with printed signatures of Frederick A. McNeil, Cashier and Jared C. Estelow, President.
1929 Type 1 $10 bank note with printed signatures of Frederick A. McNeil, Cashier and Jared C. Estelow, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

A total of $2,866,640 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1864 and 1934. This consisted of a total of 359,212 notes (317,868 large size and 41,344 small size notes).

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

Series/Type Sheet/Denoms Serial#s Sheet Comments
Original Series 3x1-2 1 - 6000
Original Series 4x5 1 - 8800
Original Series 2x10-20-50 1 - 1300
Series 1875 4x5 1 - 4820
Series 1875 2x10-20-50 1 - 320
1882 Brown Back 3x10-20 1 - 9700
1902 Red Seal 4x5 1 - 3000
1902 Red Seal 3x10-20 1 - 4700
1902 Date Back 4x5 1 - 7250
1902 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 5100
1902 Plain Back 4x5 7251 - 24130
1902 Plain Back 3x10-20 5101 - 16697
1929 Type 1 6x5 1 - 3550
1929 Type 1 6x10 1 - 2000
1929 Type 1 6x20 1 - 462
1929 Type 2 5 1 - 3362
1929 Type 2 10 1 - 1596
1929 Type 2 20 1 - 314

Bank Presidents and Cashiers

Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1864 - 1934):

Presidents:

Cashiers:

Other Bank Note Signers

  • Francis George Clarke, Vice President 1903
  • There are currently no known Assistant Cashier bank note signers for this bank.

Wiki Links

Sources

  • Oxford, NY, 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
  • Press and Sun-Bulletin, Binghamton, NY, Mon., Nov. 27, 1911.
  • The Buffalo News, Buffalo, NY, Thu., Mar. 8, 1934.
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