Ontario National Bank, Ontario, CA (Charter 9935)
Ontario National Bank, Ontario, CA (Chartered 1911 - Liquidated 1927)
Town History
Ontario is a city in southwestern San Bernardino County, California, 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles and 23 miles west of downtown San Bernardino, the county seat. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire metropolitan area, it lies just east of Los Angeles County and is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area. As of the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 175,265. In 1900 the population was 722, growing to 4,274 by 1910, and 13,583 by 1930.
The city is home to the Ontario International Airport, which is the 15th-busiest airport in the United States by cargo carried. Ontario handles the mass of freight traffic between the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and the rest of the country. It takes its name from the Ontario Model Colony development established in 1882 by the Canadian engineer George Chaffey and his brothers William Chaffey and Charles Chaffey. They named the settlement after their home province of Ontario.
Ontario had three National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and all three of those banks issued National Bank Notes.
Bank History
- Organized January 19, 1911
- Chartered February 24, 1911
- Liquidated March 8, 1927
- Absorbed by 13044 (Bank of Italy/Bank of America NT&SA, San Francisco, CA)
In December 1910, $50,000-worth of stock subscriptions were made for the new Ontario National Bank. An architect was preparing the plans and drawings for the new building.[1]
On January 9, 1911, the comptroller of the currency approved the application to organize the Ontario National Bank of Ontario, capital $50,000, by G.A. McCrea, W.A. Freemire, J.S. Armstrong, J.B. Draper and C.A. Warner.[2] The stockholders organized, choosing as directors Judge James R. Pollock, W.A. Freemire, George McCrea, J.S. Armstrong, R.B. Campbell, Homer Berger, and F.E. Whyte.[3] A charter was issued on February 24th; W.A. Freemire, president; J.R. Pollock, vice president; and George A. McCrea, cashier.[4] The bank opened on Monday, February 27th, in temporary quarters in the Osborn Block at 139-141 North Euclid Avenue. The bank planned to occupy the southwest corner at B Street and Euclid, then occupied by the funeral parlors of J.B. Draper who planed the erection of a building at the corner of Laurel Avenue and C. Street for his establishment.[5]
The evening of October 4, 1911, the formal opening of the new quarters at the corner of B Street and Euclid Avenue was held with several hundred people attending. The fixtures of the new banking room recently remodeled were of mahogany and white marble. The room had tile floors, steel ceiling, modern desks and counters and steam gas.[6]
In March 1913, C.F. Traphagen was first vice president of the Ontario National Bank. He was the former owner of the Lake View Inn.[7]
Miss Bess Marvin, assistant cashier of the Ontario National Bank departed over the Santa Fe for Meadville, Pennsylvania in response to a telegram telling of the death in a railroad accident of her father C.P. Marvin. She was accompanied by Miss Dolly Wahl.[8]
In February 1921, the bank reported capital, surplus and undivided profits of $115,000. The officers and directors were George A. McCrea, president; W.A. Freeman and E.J. Sanford, vice presidents; N.E. Trautman, cashier; Alta M. McCrea, assistant cashier; Judge J.R. Pollock, chairman of the board; and Benton Ballou, C.S. Traphagen, John S. Armstrong, Howard R. Berg, and R.B. Campbell, directors. Mr. Campbell was president of the Ontario bond and Mortgage Co.; Mr. McCrea was vice president and manager; and Mr. Trautman was secretary-treasurer.[9]
In January 1925, the directors were George A. McCrea, W.A. Freemire, J.R. Pollock (chairman of the board), John S. Armstrong, Benton Ballou, Howard R. Berg, R.B. Campbell, N.E. Trautman, and C.S. Traphagen. The officers were Geo. A. McCrea, president; W.A. Freemire, vice president; N.E. Trautman, cashier; D.R. Leeson, Cecil Y. Dyke, Alta M. McCrea, and Roy E. Strickling, assistant cashiers.[10]
On January 28, 1927, the Bank of Italy Corporation purchased two more banks, bringing the total so far for the month to 27. The banks added were the People's State Bank at Chula Vista with resources of $800,000, and the Ontario National Bank of Ontario with resources of $1,750,000.[11]
On June 25, 1930, Ontario business and financial circles were shocked by the death of George Arthur McCrea at his home, 803 North Euclid Avenue, at the age of 68. He was one of the prime moving spirts in the founding of the Ontario National Bank and had been manager of the Ontario Branch of the Bank of Italy since that institution took over the Ontario National. He was vice president of the banking concern at the time of his death. A native of Merrickville, Ontario, Canada, he resided in Drayton, North Dakota for a number of years before coming to California. He was the son of Alexander W. McCrea, Ontario pioneer and was active in civic affairs of the city. He was a past president of the Rotary Club and was long active in the Ontario chamber of commerce and was prominent in Masonic circles. Besides his widow, Mr. McCrea was survived by two sons, Alexander G. of San Bernardino and Roscoe R. of Los Angeles; two daughters, Mrs. Wayne Burns and Mrs. Paul W. Jones of Los Angeles; two brothers, Ezra McCrea of Los Angeles and Almeron McCrea of New York; a sister, Mrs. D.W. Feltham of Long Beach and four grandchildren.[12]
Official Bank Title(s)
1: The Ontario National Bank, Ontario, CA
Bank Note Types Issued
A total of $885,150 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1911 and 1927. This consisted of a total of 70,812 notes (70,812 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 1902 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 3540 1902 Plain Back 3x10-20 3541 - 17703
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1911 - 1927):
Presidents:
Cashiers:
Other Known Bank Note Signers
- No other known bank note signers for this bank
Bank Note History Links
Sources
- Ontario, CA, 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
- ↑ Pomona Morning Times, Pomona, CA, Thu., Dec. 29, 1910.
- ↑ The Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, CA, Tue., Jan. 10, 1911.
- ↑ The San Bernardino County Sun, San Bernardino, CA, Thu., Jan. 19, 1911.
- ↑ The Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, CA, Sat., Feb. 25, 1911.
- ↑ The Evening Index, San Bernardino, CA, Sun., Feb. 26, 1911.
- ↑ The San Bernardino County Sun, San Bernardino, CA, Thu., Oct. 5, 1911.
- ↑ Lake Elsinore Valley Sun-Tribune, Lake Elsinore, CA, Fri., Mar. 14, 1913.
- ↑ The Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, CA, Wed., Oct. 17, 1917.
- ↑ The San Bernardino County Sun, San Bernardino, CA, Thu., Feb. 17, 1921.
- ↑ The Pomona Progress Bulletin, Pomona, CA, Thu., Jan. 15, 1925.
- ↑ The Ventura Weekly Post and Democrat, Ventura, CA, Fri., Jan. 28, 1927.
- ↑ The San Bernardino County Sun, San Bernardino, CA, Thu., June 26, 1930.