Peoples National Bank, Langhorne, PA (Charter 3063)

The Peoples National Bank of Langhorne, Pennsylvania pictured in a bank advertisement from 1903.

Peoples National Bank/Peoples NB & TC, Langhorne, PA (Chartered 1883 - Open past 1935)

Town History

Langhorne Borough is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The population was 1,622 at the 2010 census. In 1880 the population was 558, growing to 1,067 by 1920.

Langhorne began in the 17th century at the intersection of older Lenni-Lenape paths. The earliest established settlers (three Dutch and two British) arrived in the early 18th century. One of the area's first notable residents was Joseph Richardson, who established a store and inn in the 1730s. The road from Bristol grew into a very important transportation center between Trenton and Philadelphia in the later 18th century and 19th centuries, with trade and travelers contributing to the economic growth of the area. Langhorne eventually became the stagecoach transportation hub of Bucks County, transporting people between Trenton and Philadelphia and was then known as Four Lanes End, later known as Richardsons Corner.

The first mention of Attleborough was recorded on a deed in the Recorder's Office, Deed Book 6, page 210, November 7, 1737. Isaac Hicks laid out a plan for "Washington's Square in Attleborough" in November 1783. Historian William J. Buck wrote "A resident of the place has informed me that this name is of local origin; that a William Richardson Atlee (son of Colonel Samuel Atlee of the Revolutionary Army), a lawyer and son-in-law of General Wayne, resided here about 1790 or perhaps a little earlier. A fire engine was ordered to be made, for which £50 had been raised. When it was finished, word was sent from Philadelphia inquiring what name they wanted it called. Someone suggested that, as Mr. Atlee had been one of the principal contributors, it should be called after him. When the engine arrived, it was found to have painted on its sides Atleebury. Shortly afterwards a post office was established here, when it was called Attleborough, a slight change from the original." However, the post office was not established until April 1, 1806 with Richard Croasdale, the first postmaster.

The village became known as Attleborough until 1876, when it was incorporated and named for Jeremiah Langhorne, an early resident of the area and former chief justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Upon the arrival of the railroad in 1876, residents of Attleborough and Hulmeville disputed over what the name of the station should be; the President of the North Pennsylvania Railroad, Franklin A. Comly, settled the matter by naming the station Langhorne.

Langhorne had one National Bank chartered during the Bank Note Era and it issued National Bank Notes.

Bank History

Organized October 20, 1883
Chartered October 24, 1883
Bank was Open past 1935
Bank History Research Resources Pennsylvania Bank Note History (BNH Wiki)
Merged with Central-Penn National Bank of Philadelphia, Charter 723, on September 8, 1958

In January 1903, the directors were Henry C. Parry, Henry Palmer, Dr. Henry Lovett, Henry W. Watson, Alfred Marshall, of Langhorne; Howard Reifsnyder, 110 S. Front Street, Philadelphia; Alfred Johnson, Feasterville; Henry Stackhouse, Fallsington; and Dr. Abram S. Wilson, Bristol. The officers were Henry C. Parry, president; Henry Palmer, vice president; Gove Mitchell, cashier; and Horace G. Mitchell, assistant cashier.

Honorable Henry Winfield Watson (1856-1933)

On August 27, 1933, Henry Winfield Watson, 77, member of Congress from the Ninth Congressional District of Pennsylvania, Bucks and Lehigh Counties died at his home, "Beechwood," on East Maple Ave., Langhorne. Death was due to heart disease and followed an illness of a few weeks. With him at the time of his death were his wife, Mrs. Cornelia Winder Ball Watson, formerly of Detroit, and a daughter, Janet Ball. One of the best-known Republican figures in the National Capitol, Congressman Watson was re-elected to that office the previous year for the tenth term, defeating his Democratic opponent in the face of other Democratic victories in the Bucks-Lehigh district. He was the oldest man in terms of years in the House, and one of the oldest in terms of service. Watson was elected to Congress in 1914 from the Eighth District, Bucks and Montgomery Counties. For nearly 19 years he was outstanding in his service in Washington and served on many important committees, including the Ways and Means Committee of which he was a member for 12 years. He was a strong advocate of protective tariffs. Congressman Watson voted against the 18th Amendment and the Volstead Act. He was born on the paternal homestead in Buckingham Township, Bucks County, June 24, 1856. On the maternal side he was a descendant of Sir Nicholas Bacon, lord keeper to Queen Elizabeth, whose grandson, Nathaniel Bacon, emigrated to America in 1637 and located at Barnstable, Mass. Mr. Watson married first September 7, 1897, to Annie Masden Vaughan of Wilmington, Delaware. She died in September, 1914, leaving an estate of close to $500,000. He married again on November 11, 1922 to Cornelia Winder Ball, of Detroit. Educated in private schools, Mr. Watson read law under F. Carroll Brewster, of Philadelphia. He was admitted to the Philadelphia Bar and began practice in 1881. He was one of the organizers of and president of the Peoples National Bank of Langhorne and the Langhorne and Bristol Electric Railway Company. For 20 years, he was president of the Washington, Potomac and Chesapeake Railway Company and had been a director of the Philadelphia Company for Guaranteeing Mortgages since its inception. He was a director at one time of the Bucks County Trust Company, the Langhorne Electric Light and Power Company and the Langhorne Water Company. He was a member of the Metropolitan Club, the Union League of Philadelphia, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Bucks County Historical Society and many other patriotic and social organizations. He was a member of the Society of Friends, his great-great-grand-father being Dr. Thomas Watson who married Eleanor Pearson of Robank in Yorkshire, and who came from High Moor, Cumberland County, England in 1701 and settled near Doylestown.

On September 8, 1958, the Peoples National Bank and Trust Company of Langhorne merged with the Central-Penn National Bank of Philadelphia. Thomas E. Coe, Jr., Peoples' president, became a senior vice president of the merged bank with supervision over the Lower Bucks County offices in Langhorne, Penndel, Feasterville, and at the Country Club Shopping Center, Route 1. All officers and employees were retained. In addition to Coe, the other officers were Frank R. Mitchell, vice president; Arthur S. Walker, William J. Palmer, and Joseph F. Creachan, assistant vice presidents; and Daniel F. Gormley, William B. Paff, and Raymond O. Brodie, assistant cashiers. Since 1883, Central Penn National had been the main correspondent bank. C.A. Sienkiewicz, president of the Central-Penn National said the merger would provide increased banking facilities and services in the growing and thriving Lower Bucks County. The combined resources of the two banks exceeded $265 million.

Official Bank Title(s)

1: The Peoples National Bank of Langhorne, PA

2: The Peoples National Bank and Trust Company of (6/11/1925), Langhorne, PA

Bank Note Types Issued

1882 Brown Back $20 bank note with pen signatures of Gove Mitchell, Cashier and John Wildman, President. Courtesy of Lyn Knight Auctions, www.lynknight.com

1902 Plain Back $10 bank note with the bank's second title and pen signatures of Horace G. Mitchell, Cashier and Henry Lovett, President. Courtesy of Lyn Knight Auctions, www.lynknight.com

NEEDED: a picture of a Small size bank note for The Peoples National Bank and Trust Company of Langhorne.

A total of $329,960 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1883 and 1935. This consisted of a total of 26,580 notes (22,900 large size and 3,680 small size notes).

This bank issued the following Types and Denominations of bank notes:

Series/Type	Sheet/Denoms	Serial#s	Sheet Comments
1: 1882 Brown Back	3x10-20	1 - 1406
1: 1902 Red Seal	3x10-20	1 - 740
1: 1902 Date Back	3x10-20	1 - 1570
1: 1902 Plain Back	3x10-20	1571 - 2850
2: 1902 Plain Back	3x10-20	1 - 729
2: 1929 Type 1	6x10	1 - 302	303 - 316 cancelled due to obsolete signatures
2: 1929 Type 1	6x10	317 - 410
2: 1929 Type 1	6x20	1 - 68	69 - 104 cancelled due to obsolete signatures
2: 1929 Type 1	6x20	105 - 128
2: 1929 Type 2	10	1 - 613
2: 1929 Type 2	20	1 - 139

Bank Presidents and Cashiers

Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1883 - 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

Sources

Langhorne, PA, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langhorne,_Pennsylvania
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 Bucks County Gazette, Bristol, PA, Thu., Jan. 22, 1903.
The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, PA, Mon., Aug. 28, 1933
The Bristol Daily Courier, Bristol, PA, Tue., July 1, 1958.
The Bristol Daily Courier, Bristol, PA, Tue., Sep. 9, 1958.