Hungerford National Bank, Adams, NY (Charter 1531)
Hungerford National Bank, Adams, NY (Chartered 1865 - Liquidated 1881)
Town History
Adams is a town in Jefferson County, New York. Named after President John Adams, the town contains a village also named Adams, and Adams Center, one of a number of hamlets, this one north of Adams village. The village and town are south of Watertown. The town had a population of 4,973 at the 2020 census. In 1860 the population was 3,496, declining to 3,081 by 1900.
Settlement began around 1800 at Adams village. David Smith built a sawmill at the present site of Adams in 1801. Renamed for John Adams in 1802 (the year after his presidency ended), the town of Adams was created from the survey townships of Aleppo and Orpheus. The eastern part of Adams was taken in 1804 to form the town of Rodman. A post office was established at Adams about 1806. During the War of 1812, the town of Adams formed a local militia for home defense.
Adams had five National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and all five of those banks issued National Bank Notes.
- First National Bank, Adams, NY (Charter 71)
- Hungerford National Bank, Adams, NY (Charter 1531)
- Adams National Bank, Adams, NY (Charter 2845)
- Farmers National Bank, Adams, NY (Charter 4061)
- Citizens National Bank, Adams, NY (Charter 4103)
Bank History
- Organized May 29, 1865
- Chartered August 19, 1865
- Succeeded 71 (First National Bank, Adams, NY)
- Liquidated January 27, 1881
- Succeeded by Hungerford Bank of Adams
S.D. Hungerford started The Hungerford Bank October 25, 1845, with $50,000 capital. This bank was successfully conducted as an individual bank until September 1853, when the capital was increased to $120,000, with the same name, and under a board of directors of which General Hungerford was president. Hungerford's notes were secured wholly by New York stocks.[1] The first board of directors in 1853 were Solon D. Hungerford, Jeremiah Griswold, Philander Smith, M.R. Patrick, N.M. Wardwell, George Gates, Almanzo Braddon, Roswell Kinney, and Samuel Wardwell.[2] The bank building, a detached two-story brick structure, was erected in 1865 and was owned by the bank.[3]
On August 24, 1865, The Hungerford National Bank of Adams, Jefferson County, New York, capital $125,000, was authorized to begin business. The president was S.D. Hungerford and Geo. W. Bond was cashier. This bank took the place of the Hungerford Bank at Adams. Mr. Hungerford was also president of the First National Bank at that place.[4]
On Tuesday morning, March 14, 1871, it was discovered that the Hungerford National bank had been broken into, the robbers entering through the president's room. The succeeded in blowing open the outer and inner doors of the vault with powder between 12 and 1, the explosion having awakened several parties in the village. The safes and the door to the back vault resisted attempts to defeat them. The burglars worked several hours and used six one-pound cans of powder, but failed to reach their objective. The bank lost between $500 and $1,000 in revenue stamps and cash and papers in the drawers which were in the outer vault. The robbers also entered Gen. Hungerford's barn and took one of his valuable gray horses. They passed through Mannsville with two bay or chestnut horses (dispatches differed as to the color) about 6 o'clock and went from there to Pulaski where they left their horses and hired conveyance further on. They were traced to Mexico and arrested in a private room of the Mexico Hotel. About half a mile out of Pulaski, they shot the horse stolen from Gen. Hungerford. The arrest was made by G.W. Grant in Mexico.[5]
Joseph Kingsland escaped from Sing Sing in 1872. He was in for robbing the Hungerford Bank and was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment in the Auburn Penitentiary, but through the influence of politicians and others in New York, he was transferred to Sing Sing in 1872 and soon afterward escaped. In 1873, Kingsland and some confederates attempted to break open the First National Bank at Wilmington, Delaware. They fled, but were captured the next morning. Mr. Jackson, an officer of Sing Sing, was sent to identify the escaped prisoner in Wilmington. There Kingsland and fellow ruffians were sentenced to ten years' imprisonment and each to receive forty lashes on the bare back. In February 1874, Kingsland and others escaped from Wilmington Jail and were next heard of in connection with the Barre Bank in Vermont which they tried to rob, but failed. Kingsland was arrested in New York by a Boston detective about August 1875, but he fearing the consequences of a trial on the new charges confessed himself an escaped convict from Sing Sing. Mr. Jackson went to New York and again identified Kingsland who was at once sent to his old quarters. A few months later, a conspiracy to liberate a portion of the Sing Sing convicts was discovered by Warden Alfred Walker, the principal object of which was the liberation of Joseph Kingsland on Christmas evening.[6]
In January 1877, the directors were Solon D. Hungerford, Hart Grenell, S.D. Kimbull, A.M. Wardwell, Luther Haven, G.W. Bond, R.H. Huntington, J.A. Lawyer, and Abram Sheldon.[7]
In January 1881, the Hungerford National Bank liquidated and was succeeded briefly by the Hungerford Bank before the Adams National Bank, Ch2845, succeeded Hungerford's Bank. On December 23, 1882, The Adams National Bank was authorized to begin business with a capital of $50,000.[8]
On May 12, 1884, Gen. S.D. Hungerford of Adams died at Adams Center at the age of 76. For 16 years he was a prominent member of the state agricultural society, founder of the Hungerford Collegiate Institute at Adams, and commander of the 16th Brigade at the opening of the Civil War.[9]
Official Bank Title(s)
1: The Hungerford National Bank of Adams, NY
Bank Note Types Issued
A total of $311,030 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1865 and 1881. This consisted of a total of 53,888 notes (53,888 large size and No 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 - 4600 Original Series 2x10-20-50 1 - 1855 Series 1875 3x1-2 1 - 192 Series 1875 4x5 1 - 759 Series 1875 2x10-20-50 1 - 66
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1865 - 1881):
Presidents:
Cashiers:
Other Known Bank Note Signers
- No other known bank note signers for this bank
Bank Note History Links
Sources
- Adams, 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
- ↑ New-York Tribune, New York, NY, Thu., Jan. 29, 1846.
- ↑ "History of Chautauqua County, New York, From its First Settlement to the Present Time," by Andrew W. Young, Printing House of Matthews & Warren, Buffalo, NY, 1875, p. 254.
- ↑ "History of Chautauqua County, New York, From its First Settlement to the Present Time," by Andrew W. Young, Printing House of Matthews & Warren, Buffalo, NY, 1875, p. 254-255.
- ↑ The Daily Gate City, Keokuk, IA, Fri., Aug. 25, 1865.
- ↑ The New York Times, New York, NY, Sat., Mar. 18, 1871.
- ↑ New York Daily Herald, New York, NY, Wed., Jan. 5, 1876.
- ↑ "History of Chautauqua County, New York, From its First Settlement to the Present Time," by Andrew W. Young, Printing House of Matthews & Warren, Buffalo, NY, 1875, p. 254.
- ↑ The Boston Globe, Boston, MA, Sun., Dec. 24, 1882.
- ↑ The Evening Telegraph, Buffalo, NY, Tue., May 13, 1884.