The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-06-28
A SKETCH OF BANKING IN
NEW BERN IN THE BYGONE
An interesting Account of Financial Institutions
and the Men Who Directed and
trolIed Them.

/ AS it was change of name Though the
! change was slight) some looked upon it
as two banks, but as it was a continuation
| of the same institution with only slight
change of name. we treat it in this sketch
as one bank.
! Presidents: Asa Jones was its first presi-
dent. He was succeeded by Geo. S. Att
more, who held the office until about the
time of the change of name. Then Ed
ward r. Stanly became its last president.
| John NJ. Roberts was cashier Of the old
| State Bank for about fifty years, until
| Ill health caused his retirement just be-
fore the war, and died about 1862. F. ].
Jones was cashier after the change Of name
to the Bank of North Carolina.
Tellers: Until his promotion, Mr.. Jones
had been teller under Mr. Roberts Other
tellers were: Charles Dewey, DR.. J. A.
Guion, Mr.. Lucas and John II. Bryan,
Jr.
Among the directors of this bank were:
Judge John r. Donnell James w. Bryan
and James W. GARNER.
Bank of Commerce officers:
The Bank of Commerce, held the same
set of officers throughout its career They
were as follows: President, A T. enkins;
Cashcier, DR. j. A. Guion, Teller. John
Hutchinson: Attorney, George s. Steven
son.
DESCENDANTS OF THESE OF
FICERS.
Several of these officers have num-
Der of honored descendants still living in
New Bern while others have made their
homes in other portions Of North Carolina,
and some in other States.
/ T. w. Dewey, cashier of the Farmers
and Merchants Bank, is a grandson of
| Charles Dewey, who was teller in the old
State bank here about seventy-fve years
ago, and who moved from New Bern to
Raleigh to take the position of cashier
| In the State bank there.
O. H. Guion, Craven county's last
Representative in the General Assembly.
had his ancestors among these officers
His father, DR.. ]. A. Guion, was the
teller in the State. afterwards cashier in
Bank of Commerce. And at an earlier
date Representative Guions paternal
grandfather, ]. w. Guion, was cashier in
the Merchants Bank, and his maternal
grandfather, John M. Roberts. cashier in
the State Bank.
George H. Roberts. the esteemed cash
Ter of the National Bank. is one of the
sons of this same John M. Roberts; f. G.
Roberts is another son.
Hon. c. c. Clark is a son of VIM w.
Clark, who was a teller and afterwards
cashier in the Merchants Bank
NJ. Dew. Stevenson. attorney of the
National Bank, is son of George S.
Stevenson, who was attorney of the Bank
of Commerce.
POST BELLUM BANKS.
private bank was started during the
war and continued few years afterward
by Northern man. S. T. Jones, in the
building which stood then where f. S.
Duffys drug store now stands, on the
northwest corner of Pollock and Middle
streets.
! The Freedman's Bureau had one of its
banks in New Bern. 1t was in the three
story building on Broad street, in which
| for long term OF years afterwards Alex.
Miller conducted a mercantile business.
This bank treated its patrons as its com
panions did, ran a similar career and shared
similar fate
Another private bank was that of Dis
erway, Guion & Co. 1t was started
after the war by Israel Disoway and
DR.. j. A. Guion, both New Bernians, in
the old Odd Fellow building on Middle
street. 1t lasted a few years, doing
fairly good business.
In 1868 private bank was started in
New Bern by r. H. Rountree and Lewis
Webb under the firm name of Rountree
& Webb. In 1874 the firm name was
changed to Rountree Co. This bank
was a branch of commission house. which
had houses in New York and Norfolk, and
in 1880 the New Bern branch was dis
continued by them. T. j. Latham, now
cashier in the Bank in Washington N. c.,
was cashier of this bank j. r. B. Car
raway, now teller of the New Bern Ma
tional Bank, was its book keeper and col
lector, and NJ. Dew Stevenson its attorney
Mr. Webb is dead r. H. Rountree now
resides in Brooklyn.
This brings the history of banking in
New Bern down to the time of the three
creditable banks now doing business here.
A sketch of them will be found elsewhere
in this issue.