Lackawanna County, PA Bank Note History

$10 Series 1882 Brown Back, issued by Third National Bank of Scranton, PA, signed by William H. Peck, Cashier and George H. Catlin, Vice President. This note has the abnormal border variety found only on Series of 1882 $10s. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

1902 Plain Back $20 bank note from the Traders National Bank of Scranton, PA with a radar serial number and printed signatures of D.R. Atherton, Cashier and J.J. Jermyn, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

The National Banks, Bankers and Bank Notes of Lackawanna County, PA (1863-1935)

'Hometown' National Bank Notes showing the bank's name, and signed by local bank officers, were issued by most National Banks during the National Bank Note Era (1863-1935). Lackawanna county had 24 National Banks in operation between 1863 and 1935, and 20 of those banks issued National Bank Notes.

The first banking house in Scranton was established by Col. G.F. Mason and Michael Meylert, under the name of Mason, Meylert & Co., who commenced business May 1, 1855, with a capital of $50,000, under the management of Mr. R.C. Simpson, in a small, one-story frame building erected by them on the corner of Wyoming Avenue and Centre Street, opposite the present [1892] office of the Scranton Gas and Water company. In those early days a banking house was a novelty in this vicinity, and therefore looked upon with much distrust by a majority of the people outside of the few businessmen, but as time went on they gradually gained confidence, until an institution of this kind was regarded by them as a necessity. In 1856 they erected and moved to the building later owned and occupied by the Scranton Savings Bank. Gen. A.N. Meylert, having purchased the building and business and moved from Philadelphia to Scranton, the firm name was, in 1858, changed to A.N. Meylert & Co., when Mr. Simpson resigned his position as manager and was succeeded by W.H. Perkins, who conducted the business until its close, in April 1866.

Mr. George Sanderson came with his family in the spring of 1855, and, in the November following, opened a banking business in a small wooden building just above the Wyoming House, afterward occupied by the late Thomas Parrott as a tailoring establishment. The style of the firm was George Sanderson & Co., the other partner being Mr. Burton Kingsbury, whose interests were represented by his son, George S. Kingsbury. In a few years the business of the firm had so increased that larger and better quarters were necessary, and the bank was moved to a building occupying the site of the present Safe Deposit company. This was destroyed by fire in 1863, and a much more handsome structure rose on its ruins without interruption to business. On the death of Mr. Kingsbury, Sr., it was decided to enlarge the capital and increase the business, which was organized as the Lackawanna Valley Bank  with the following officers and directors:  George Sanderson, president; J. Gardner Sanderson, vice-president; George S. Kingsbury, cashier; A. Minor Renshaw, teller; George Sanderson, George S. Kingsbury, J. Gardner Sanderson, Charles Du Pont Breck, and Dr. R.A. Squires, directors. In addition to carrying on a general banking business, it also maintained a general savings department and was a model institution of the decade before its reorganization, which occurred in 1881, when a number of new directors and officers came into power. This institution continued to do a thriving business until 1887, when it was merged into the Lackawanna Trust and Safe Deposit Company, to accommodate which the old banking house was remodeled, being fitted up with private vaults of the most modern construction. The institution received trust funds, and was authorized to act as administrator, guardian, trustee, agent, receiver and assignee, by appointment of court and power of attorney. It had in 1897 about $50,000 undivided surplus.

On May 30, 1863, The First National Bank was organized with a paid-up capital of $200,000.

National Banks of Lackawanna County

Postcard showing Lackawanna Avenue looking south ca1930s. On the far left you see the National Bank of Olyphant, Pennsylvania. Courtesy of Adam Stroup

Postcard, ca1930s, of the Lackawanna Valley and the slag pile from the Lackawanna Coal Company near Olyphant and Blakely, Pennsylvania. Courtesy of Adam Stroup

Carbondale

• First National Bank (Charter 664) (1864-2000) (Merged into Pennstar Bank, N.A. in Lake Ariel, PA, December 9, 2000)

Clark's Summit

• Abington National Bank (Charter 10383) (1913-1936)

Dickson City

• Dickson City National Bank (Charter 9851) (1910-1934) (Liquidated/Succeeded by 13937)
• Liberty National Bank (Charter 12459) (1923-1932) (Receivership)
• First National Bank (Charter 13937) (1934-1936) ()

First National Bank (Charter 13937) did not issue National Bank Notes.

Dunmore

• First National Bank (Charter 9868) (1910-1936) ()

Jermyn

• First National Bank (Charter 6158) (1902-2001) (Merged into Community Bank, N.A. in Canton, NY, May 11, 2001)

Jessup

• First National Bank (Charter 9600) (1909-1936) ()

Moscow

• First National Bank (Charter 9340) (1909-1936) ()

Olyphant

• First National Bank (Charter 8806) (1907-1929) (Absorbed)
• National Bank (Charter 14079) (1934-1999) (Merged into First National Bank of Jermyn, PA, February 13, 1999)

Peckville

• Peckville National Bank (Charter 7785) (1905-1933) (Receivership)
• First National Bank (Charter 13754) (1933-1936) (December 30, 1988, acquired by The Northeastern Bank of Pennsylvania)

First National Bank (Charter 13754) did not issue National Bank Notes.

Providence

• First National Bank (Charter 521) (1864-1867) (Liquidated/Succeeded by 49)

Scranton

• Second National Bank (Charter 49) (1863-1879) (Receivership, March 15, 1879)
• First National Bank of (Charter 77) (1863-1936) (2697 Retook Charter 77; on January 2, 1974, The Northeastern National Bank of Pennsylvania Changed Institution Name to Northeastern Bank of Pennsylvania and chartering agency to State)
• Third National Bank/Third NB & TC (Charter 1946) (1872-1936) (Merged into Corestates Bank, N.A. of Philadelphia, November 18, 1994)
• Traders National Bank (Charter 4183) (1889-1929) (Closed/Succeeded by 77)
• Peoples National Bank (Charter 8235) (1906-1917) (Liquidated, June 3, 1917)
• Union National Bank (Charter 8737) (1907-1934) (Receivership, February 21, 1934)
• County NB (Charter 13040) (1927-1927) (Liquidated/Succeeded by 77)

County NB (Charter 13040) did not issue National Bank Notes.

• Hyde Park National Bank (Charter 13225) (1928-1932) (Liquidated/Succeeded by the Pennsylvania Trust Company of Scranton)

Hyde Park National Bank (Charter 13225) did not issue National Bank Notes.

• Scranton National Bank (Charter 13947) (1934-1984) (Merged into First Eastern Bank, N.A. in Wilkes-Barre, PA, on September 15, 1984)

Bank Note Signers

• George Henry Catlin (Scranton, PA) Vice President of the Third National Bank of Scranton
• William Connell, 1880-1909 U.S. Congressman and president, Third National Bank of Scranton
• Ellis Pusey Passmore, Jr., (Avondale, Scranton, Philadelphia, PA) Cashier of the Traders National Bank of Scranton and Governor of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia

National Bank Notes

1882 Brown Back $5 bank note issued by the Third National Bank of Scranton with stamped signatures of William H. Peck, Cashier and William Connell, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

1902 Plain Back $10 bank note issued by the Third National Bank of Scranton. This is a Replacement note. Courtesy of the NBNCensus.com

1929 Type 1 $10 bank note issued by the Third National Bank of Scranton with printed signatures of J.E. Williams, Cashier and R.A. Gregory, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

1902 Red Seal $10 bank note from the First National Bank of Scranton with stamped signatures of Isaac Post, Cashier and J.A. Linen, President. Courtesy of Lyn Knight Auctions, www.lynknight.com

1929 Type 1 $10 bank note from the First National Bank of Scranton with printed signatures of George C. Nye, Cashier and C.S. Weston, President. This note is a Mismatched prefixes variety with a non-standard C in the right SN. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

1929 Type 2 $10 bank note from the First National Bank of Carbondale with printed signatures of F.G. Winter, Cashier and R.A. Jadwin, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

1929 Type 2 $10 bank note from the First National Bank of Jermyn with printed signatures of T.B. Crawford, Cashier and John W. Cure, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

1929 Type 2 $10 bank note from the National Bank of Olyphant with printed signatures of Herbert S. Hummler, Cashier and H.B. Bush, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

1929 Type 1 $20 bank note from the Peckville National Bank with printed signatures of Floyd E. Brink, Cashier and F.H. Hemelright, President. Courtesy of Lyn Knight Auctions, www.lynknight.com

National Bank Ephemera

Check dated June 2d, 1900 from the Third National Bank of Scranton. Courtesy of Adam Stroup

Wiki Links

• Pennsylvania Bank Note History
• Information on the origin and history of National Bank Notes (Wikipedia)
• General information on Lackawanna County (Wikipedia)
• General information on Pennsylvania (Wikipedia)

Sources

• Lackawanna Historical Society. The LHS is headquartered at the Catlin House in Scranton's Hill Section. The former residence of George H. Catlin, an organizer and first vice president of the Third National Bank of Scranton, and his wife, Helen, the home is one of Scranton's architectural treasures.
• 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