Hamilton County National Bank, Wells, NY (Charter 13289)
Hamilton County NB, Wells, NY (Chartered 1929 - Open past 1935)
Town History
Wells is a town in Hamilton County, New York, located 30 miles north of Gloversville and 79 miles east of Rome. The population was 674 at the 2010 census. The town is named after Joshua Wells, a land agent, who built the first mills in the area. It is in the Adirondack Park and on the eastern border of the county.
The area was first settled around 1798. The town was formed in 1805 while still part of Montgomery County, and was set off from parts of the towns of Mayfield and Northampton.
During the War of 1812, settlers of Wells and Lake Pleasant were afraid of potential attacks from Native Americans allied with the British Empire. An application was made by a remaining few settlers to New York governor Daniel D. Tompkins for an order to raise a company of volunteers from Lake Pleasant and Wells to create a militia in order to "allay the fears of the inhabitants," to protect them from a possible massacre and to encourage them to return to their homes. The petition was granted and William B. Peck of Lake Pleasant was commissioned captain of the Wells and Lake Pleasant Home Guards of Company C under the 122d regiment. Lt. John L. Francisco of Wells later took command of the militia.
The population was 674 at the 2010 census and in 1930 it was 527.
Wells had one National Bank chartered during the Bank Note Era, and it issued National Bank Notes.
Bank History
- Organized January 29, 1929
- Chartered March 6, 1929
- Bank was Open past 1935
- In February 1956, acquired by the Manufacturers National Bank of Troy, NY (Charter 721)
On May 28, 1954, a bandit walked into the bank, threatened a teller and got away with approximately $1,200. Police identified the alleged bandit as William Ruck of Fultonville. They said Ruck, a 33-year old patient, had fled the Veterans Administration Hospital at Canandaigua two days prior. The robber was masked with a white handkerchief and with another handkerchief wrapped around his right hand as if to conceal a gun. Officers who made the arrest said Ruck had in his possession all but a few dollars of the loot. He had no gun, but said he used an automobile direction light wrapped in a handkerchief as the robbery weapon.
In February 1956, The Hamilton County National Bank of Wells was acquired by cash merger by the Manufacturers National Bank of Troy.
Official Bank Title(s)
1: The Hamilton County National Bank of Wells, NY
Bank Note Types Issued
A total of $122,280 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1929 and 1935. This consisted of a total of 18,036 notes (No large size and 18,036 small size notes).
This bank issued the following Types and Denominations of bank notes:
Series/Type Sheet/Denoms Serial#s Sheet Comments 1929 Type 1 6x5 1 - 1440 1929 Type 1 6x10 1 - 828 1929 Type 2 5 1 - 2976 1929 Type 2 10 1 - 1452
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1929 - 1936):
Presidents:
Cashiers:
Other Bank Note Signers
- There are currently no known Vice President or Assistant Cashier bank note signers for this bank.
Wiki Links
- New York Bank Note History
- General information on Wells (Wikipedia)
- General information on Hamilton County (Wikipedia)
- General information on New York (Wikipedia)
Sources
- Wells, 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
- The Daily Item, Port Chester, NY, Fri., May 28, 1954.
- Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester, NY, Sat., May 29, 1954.
- The Troy Record, Troy, NY, Sat., May 29, 1954.
- Star-Gazette, Elmira, NY, Mon. Feb. 13, 1956.