First National Bank, Williamsburg, PA (Charter 6971)

NEEDED: a contemporary postcard or photo of the bank.

First National Bank, Williamsburg, PA (Chartered 1903 - Liquidated 1934)

Town History

Williamsburg is a borough in Blair County, PA. Before the first settlers arrived in the vicinity of what was later called the Big Spring, this area was part of the hunting grounds of the Lenape and Shawnee. The borough was founded in 1790 by Jacob Ake. Originally called Aketown, it is the oldest borough in the current borders of Blair County. The Main Line of the Pennsylvania Canal was completed in 1832, and opened on November 28 when the packetboat "John Blair" left Huntingdon, for the west. The town was originally served by the canal along the Frankstown Branch of the Juniata River.

Charles M. Schwab was born in Williamsburg, the son of banker John A. Schwab. At the age of 39 he became president of the United States Steel. Schwab left USS in 1903 to run the Bethlehem Shipbuilding and Steel Company in Bethlehem, PA. He would make Bethlehem Steel the second largest steel producer in the world.

The population was 1,254 at the 2010 census. In the 1900 census the population was 935, peaking by 1930 with 1,898 residents.

Williamsburg had three National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and all three of those banks issued National Bank Notes.

Bank History

Organized May 7, 1903
Chartered September 29, 1903
Opened for business October 26, 1903
Succeeded Farmers Bank
Liquidated July 18, 1934
Succeeded by 14182 (First National Bank, Williamsburg, PA)
Circulation assumed by 14182 (First National Bank, Williamsburg, PA)

Reported in the Pittsburgh Press, Oct. 8, 1934. Ellis S. Shelly was convicted of embezzling $85,000 while cashier and president of the First National Bank of Williamsburg, and receives a sentence of two years in the Federal Penitentiary in Lewisburg, PA. The sentence was relatively light. Mr. Charles Schwab, industrialist, argued before the court for leniency for his boyhood friend saying it was he who placed him in charge of the bank and he as principle stock holder who suffered any loss.

Official Bank Title(s)

1: The First National Bank of Williamsburg, PA

Bank Note Types Issued

Series 1902 Red Seal $10 bank note with pen signatures of E.S. Shelly, Cashier and J.A. Schwab, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www. ha.com

Series 1929 Type 1 $10 bank note with printed signatures of F.P. Keller, Cashier and E.S. Shelly, President. An early plate produced by the Government Printing Office (GPO) was used to print the bank information. Courtesy of Lyn Knight Auctions, www.lynknight.com

Series 1929 Type 1 $10 bank note with printed signatures of Alice M. Deitrick, Cashier and E.S. Shelly, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

A total of $782,380 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1903 and 1934. This consisted of a total of 62,882 notes (51,792 large size and 11,090 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 - 1420
1902 Date Back	3x10-20	1 - 3300
1902 Plain Back	3x10-20	3301 - 11528
1929 Type 1	6x10	1 - 1384
1929 Type 1	6x20	1 - 368
1929 Type 2	10	1 - 378
1929 Type 2	20	1 - 200

Bank Presidents and Cashiers

First National Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1903 - 1934):

Presidents:

Cashiers:

Other Bank Note Signers

There are currently no known Vice President bank note signers for this bank.
Cashier Alice Dietrick also signed notes when she was an Assistant Cashier.

Wiki Links

Sources

Williamsburg, 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
Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh PA, Oct. 8, 1934