The Press., 1916-01-26

3
not SO many present as usual. Report
were. read from which it appears tina
the total expenses of the church fo
the years we're $943 76. The tota
benevolences of the church amounte
to s 80. 50. as against an apportion
ment of $155. Expenses of Sunda,
school $48. 10. Aside from the fore
going the Ladies' society raised an
expended for support of one of tn
aged members of the church 1926 SO
The total mem bership of the churc1
is 48, of which number 8 were re
ceiyed during the year, 4 on con
fession. After the roll. call lunch wa
served and a social hour enjoyed b,
all present.
eTolland Banks was the title O
very interesting paper presented las
week Monday evening by Miss Esthe
Black enburg. Part of the paper il
as follows: There have been three
distinct institutions, namely-Th,
Tolland County Bank, The Tollant
County National Bank and The
Savings Bank of Tolland. The first
The Tolland County Bank, was state
bank, existing until the time of the
Civil war, standing as the banks Of
that time did, almost alone and on itt
owl reputation. At that time when
man started on journey he didn't
kHow whether all the moneys he
started with would be good on his
arrival. The state did not stand
back of the money put out by the
banks. and SO each piece was accept.
able to the extent that the individual
bank held the confidence of the
people. On Aug. 4, 1926 a small
company of the county fathers
assem- bled at Tolland to hear the
report of the bank commissioners as
to the advisability of establishing a
bank in the town of Tolland. The
capital stock was $4,000, divided
into $50 shares of 500 each. Elisha
Stearnes was the first president of
the bank. The fitting up of room
in the southwest chamber of Pres
Stearne's home was commenced at
once which was used for bank purposes
until the new bank building was
finished. April 3, 1865, the stock
holders of the bank met to act upon
the subject of converting the bank
into an association under the bank ing
laws of the United States. Pres
Hyde called the meeting to order,
which Immediately adjourned to May
20, when the question came to vote.
The new directors chosen were A BRAN
Z. Hyde, Joseph Bishop, Charles P.
Ryder, Charles q Underwood, Loren P.
Waldo, John H. Brockway and Ralph
P. Griggs. In 1941 a savings bank
was Established, this occupied the
building with the national bank. pay
ing rent to that organization. The
officers of the national bank also
acting as officers in the savings bank.
This continued until June, 1885,
when the national charter expired.
7 he question Of renewing the charter
was not decided favorably, so for
ten and half years the savings bank
continued the checking department.,
but doing business and Investing only
as a savings bank. Tn 1895 Mr..
Sydney Crofut. bank commissioner,
came to TolIand and examined the
bank. The next day came letter
wifl instructions that the checking
must cease and all deposits
be withdrawn within fifteen days.
This was in the winter of 95-96, and
legislature was not in session. The
next year Edwin S Agard and John
s. Usher were elected as represent
atives. Edwin S. Agard not by accident
was nominated on the banking COM
mittee. Edward E. Fuller the term
previous had been senator. Mr..
Fuller did much to help get the
charter amended, giving the savings
bank of Tolland authority to do
check ing business and invest and act
as a savings bank. When Frank T.
Newcomb came to the Savings Bank
of Tolland thirty seven years ago the
deposits were only sixty -four thousand
dollars. Now the total deposits ex
coed half million with a surplus of
over twenty per cent of the deposits,
and again the bank is paying five per
cent. per annum, sharing the surplus
with the depositors. Last year the
bank commissioners paid the Savings
Bank of Tolland the compliment of
first in the state of Conneoti-
cut. There was very interesting
exhibit of old bank money.
More about the old taverns of
Tolland: Elijah Smith commenced
a public house in Tolland about 1892
and continued in the business about
fifty years, his house being known as
the Smith tavern, and accommodated
many distinguished guests, being on
the old stage route from New York
to Boston, one of his distinguished
guests being Gen. Lafayette in his
tour in this country in 1924. Col.
Smith was succeeded by Benjamin
Fuller, and his successors were Ansel
Barber and John Fosket. At sometime
in this old buildings history Chas.
Underwood owned and rented it. The
names given it were Smiths tavern,
Barber's hotel, Holland house and
house. This old. historic
landmark was burned May, 1896.
The county house was built as early
as 1900, although no definite record
is found to state the same. The Jail
was built in 1886. In Sept. 1898.
the County house was totally destroyed
by fire, but was Immediately rebuilt
as we now find it. Ada Winter
Webster kept a hotel at the south
end of the street for few years