Montpelier National Bank, Montpelier, VT (Charter 857)
Montpelier National Bank, Montpelier, VT (Chartered 1865 - Liquidated 1935)
Town History
Montpelier (/mɒntˈpiːliər/) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Washington County. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,074 making Montpelier the least populous state capital in the United States. However, the daytime population grows to about 21,000, due to the large number of jobs within city limits. It was named after Montpellier, a city in the south of France.
Originally charted on August 14, 1781, the Town of Montpelier was granted municipal powers by the Governor of Vermont. The first permanent settlement began in May 1787, when Colonel Jacob Davis and General Parley Davis arrived from Charlton, Massachusetts. General Davis surveyed the land, while Colonel Davis cleared forest and erected a large log house on the west side of the North Branch of the Winooski River. His family moved in the following winter.
Colonel Davis selected the name "Montpelier" after the French city of Montpellier, capital of the department of Hérault. There was a general enthusiasm for things French as a result of the country's aid to the American colonies during the Revolutionary War. The settlement grew quickly, and by 1791 the population reached 117.
The Vermont College of Fine Arts is located in the municipality. Companies based in Montpelier include the National Life Group. Located in Montpelier are the New England Culinary Institute, the annual Green Mountain Film Festival and the headquarters of several insurance companies. The majority of businesses in the downtown area, mostly retail, are locally owned.
Montpelier had three National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and two of those banks issued National Bank Notes.
Bank History
- Organized February 11, 1865
- Chartered March 3, 1865
- Conservatorship May 25, 1933
- Liquidated January 29, 1935
- Succeeded by 13915 (Montpelier NB (No Issue), Montpelier, VT)
On March 3, 1865, the Comptroller of the Currency, Hugh McCulloch, authorized The Montpelier National Bank to begin business under the Act approved June 3, 1864. The directors were James R. Langdon, Elisha P. Jewett, Hon. Geo. C. Shepard, Rawsel R. Keith, Daniel Baldwin, Dennison Taft, and Carlos Bancroft. The bank had capital of $300,000 and was authorized to increase its capital to $500,000. It was located on State Street.
In January 1866 and 1867, the stockholders re-elected the same directors. Officers for 1867 were listed as J.R. Langdon, President; Geo. C. Shepard, Vice President; and C.A. Reed, Cashier.
In June 1880, new and dangerous counterfeit $5 notes were reported in circulation on the Montpelier National Bank as well as a counterfeit $100 on the Pittsburgh National Bank of Commerce.
Official Bank Title(s)
1: The Montpelier National Bank, Montpelier, VT
Bank Note Types Issued
A total of $5,000,610 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1865 and 1935. This consisted of a total of 654,412 notes (600,208 large size and 54,204 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 - 9000 Original Series 4x5 1 - 9000 Original Series 3x10-20 1 - 6850 Original Series 50-100 1 - 150 Series 1875 4x5 1 - 9250 Series 1875 3x10-20 1 - 6930 1882 Brown Back 4x5 1 - 20103 1882 Brown Back 3x10-20 1 - 11929 1902 Red Seal 4x5 1 - 6300 1902 Red Seal 3x10-20 1 - 4180 1902 Date Back 4x5 1 - 11250 1902 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 9100 1902 Plain Back 4x5 11251 - 40007 1902 Plain Back 3x10-20 9101 - 26428 1929 Type 1 6x5 1 - 4934 1929 Type 1 6x10 1 - 2696 1929 Type 1 6x20 1 - 724 1929 Type 2 5 1 - 2880 1929 Type 2 10 1 - 1100 1929 Type 2 20 1 - 100
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1865 - 1935):
Presidents:
- James Robbins Langdon, 1865-1894
- Albert Tuttle, 1895-1920
- James M. Boutwell, 1922-1928
- Henry Lemuel Farwell, 1929-1932
Cashiers:
- Charles Arthur Reed, 1865-1880
- Edward Dickinson Blackwell, 1881-1889
- Levi H. Bixby, 1890-1919
- R. H. Bixby, 1920-1920
- Levi H. Bixby, 1921-1924
- Henry Lemuel Farwell, 1925-1928
- Levi H. Bixby, 1929-1932
Other Known Bank Note Signers
- No other known bank note signers for this bank
Bank Note History Links
Sources
- Montpelier, VT, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montpelier,_Vermont
- 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
- Rutland Weekly Herald, Rutland, VT, Thu., Feb. 16, 1865.
- The Daily Journal, Montpelier, VT, Wed., Jan. 10, 1866.
- Orleans County Monitor, Barton, VT, Mon., June 28, 1880.