First National Bank, Troy, PA (Charter 4984)

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The First National Bank of Troy, Pennsylvania, located on Main Street, ca1930s.
The First National Bank of Troy, Pennsylvania, located on Main Street, ca1930s. Courtesy of Adam Stroup

First National Bank, Troy, PA (Chartered 1895 - Closed (Merger) 1992)

Town History

NEEDED: a recent photo of the bank or another postcard.
NEEDED: a recent photo of the bank or another postcard.

Troy is a borough in Bradford County, Pennsylvania. The population was 1,354 at the 2010 census. In 1900 the population was 1,450 but dropped by 1930 to 1,190.

The borough of Troy was incorporated in 1845 from Troy Township, which encircles the borough. Originally part of Luzerne County, the borough became part of Ontario (now Bradford) County when it was created in 1810.

U.S. Route 6 passes through the borough, leading east 20 miles to Towanda, the county seat, and west 17 miles to Mansfield. Pennsylvania Route 14 turns south from US-6 in the center of Troy, leading 10 miles to Canton; the highway turns north from US-6 just east of Troy and leads 25 miles to Elmira, New York.

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

Bank History

Mr. A.E. Backer began Monday, February 4, 1895, as assistant cashier leaving a host of friends in Mansfield.[1] On February 11, the First National Bank of Troy opened for business.[2]

Cashier George S. Little was married January 23, 1896 to Miss Belle Elizabeth Ballard, one of Troy's society ladies.[3] In May, A.E. Barker was elected cashier to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Geo. S. Little.[4] Mr. and Mrs. Little were visiting Philadelphia at S.W. Little's and were moving to Norfolk, Virginia.[5]

In February 1900, The First National Bank of Troy moved into the quarters of the old banking firm of Pomeroy Bros. & Mitchell who retired from business due to the continued illness of Senator Mitchell. The First National continued the business of both banks with A.E. Backer as cashier.[6]

 George S. Little, a bank clerk in the National Bank of Commerce, Norfolk, formerly employed in a confidential capacity, was missing.  His accounts were said to be between $7-$10,000 short.[7][8]

On Tuesday, January 11, 1910, the stockholders elected the following directors: L.H. Oliver, Liston Bliss, S.B. Aspinwall, H.C. Carpenter, B.B. Mitchell, John A. Parsons, H.C. Rollison, A.B. McKean and D.D. Brace. The officers elected were A.B. McKean, president; John A. Parsons, vice president; A.E. Backer, cashier; and R.E. Van Syckel, assistant cashier.[9]

On January 12, 1932, shareholders elected the following directors: A.B. McKean, Liston Bliss, H.K. Mitchell, W.W. Beaman, S.L. Ballard, H.C. Carpenter, T.W. Parsons, D.F. Pomeroy, and R.R. Soper. The officers selected were A.B. McKean, president, Liston Bliss and H.K. Mitchell, vice presidents; W.W. Beaman, cashier; and R.A. Rurr, Joseph D. Bradford, and D.F. Pomeroy, Jr., assistant cashiers.[10]

In May 1932, Shareholders of the First National Bank of Troy voted to merge with the Grange National Bank of the same place. The bank took the opportunity to enlarge and remodel the building, returning on August 27. The new banking room was very large, well ventilated and cleverly arranged to take full advantage of natural light. The room was decorated with gray marble. The woodwork and furniture harmonized with the marble to produce a pleasing effect. The Troy bank received many floral tokens from neighboring banks and business houses. Immense crowds filed through the banking rooms all day, congratulating those responsible for the alterations.[11]

On Tuesday, January 9, 1945, stockholders elected the following directors: W.W. Beaman, H.C. Carpenter, S.L. Ballard, D.S. Pomeroy, R.R. Soper, H.B. Van Dyne, J.L Parson (who succeeded his father). Officers elected were B.B. Beamon, president; H.C. Carpenter and R. R. Soper, vice presidents; R.A. Burr, cashier; and D.S. Pomeroy, Jr., assistant cashier.[12]

Official Bank Title(s)

1: The First National Bank of Troy, PA

Bank Note Types Issued

1882 Brown Back $10 bank note with pen signatures of A.E. Backer, Cashier and A.B. McKean, President.
1882 Brown Back $10 bank note with pen signatures of A.E. Backer, Cashier and A.B. McKean, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com
1929 Type 1 $10 bank note with printed signatures of W.W. Beaman, Cashier and A.B. McKean, President.
1929 Type 1 $10 bank note with printed signatures of W.W. Beaman, Cashier and A.B. McKean, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

A total of $1,853,610 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1895 and 1992. This consisted of a total of 234,346 notes (181,032 large size and 53,314 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 - 6875
1882 Brown Back 3x10-20 1 - 4420
1882 Date Back 4x5 1 - 5337
1882 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 3843
1902 Date Back 4x5 1 - 1250
1902 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 1000
1902 Plain Back 4x5 1251 - 14954
1902 Plain Back 3x10-20 1001 - 9829
1929 Type 1 6x5 1 - 4216
1929 Type 1 6x10 1 - 1824
1929 Type 1 6x20 1 - 524
1929 Type 2 5 1 - 8348
1929 Type 2 10 1 - 4649
1929 Type 2 20 1 - 933

Bank Presidents and Cashiers

Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1895 - 1992):

Presidents:

Cashiers:

Other Bank Note Signers

  • There are currently no known Vice President or Assistant Cashier bank note signers for this bank.

Wiki Links

Sources

  • Troy, 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
  1. Mansfield Advertiser, Mansfield, PA, Wed., Feb. 6, 1895.
  2. The Canton Independent-Sentinel, Canton, PA, Tue., Feb. 12, 1895.
  3. The Canton Independent-Sentinel, Canton, PA, Tue., Jan. 14, 1896.
  4. The Bradford star, Towanda, PA, Thu., May 14, 1896.
  5. The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, PA, Sun, May 17, 1896.
  6. Mansfield Advertiser, Mansfield, PA, Wed., Feb. 7, 1900.
  7. Alexandria Gazette, Alexandria, VA, Tue, May 30, 1905.
  8. Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, VA, Tue., May 30, 1905.
  9. The Canton Independent-Sentinel, Canton, PA, Thu., Jan. 13, 1910.
  10. The Canton Independent-Sentinel, Canton, PA, Thu., Jan. 14, 1932.
  11. Tunkhannock, New Age, Tunkhannock, PA, Thu., May 12, 1932.
  12. Mansfield Advertiser, Mansfield, PA, Wed., Jan. 10, 1945.