North Kingston Bank, Wickford

As noted in 1889:

“The North Kingston Bank was chartered in October 1818 as the ‘South Kingston Bank, to be located at Little Rest’ (now Kingston), but after holding a few meetings there, and being unable to get the capital stock readily taken, that location was abandoned, and the charter in 1819 was amended to the North Kingston Bank, to be located at Wickford, and was that year there established.

“Daniel Champlin of Exeter (well known as Judge Champlin) was elected president to 1825; George W. Tillinghast from 1825 to 1827, Elisha Watson from 1827 to 1834, Jonathan Reynolds from 1834 to the time of his death in 1851, John J. Reynolds from 1851 to the surrender of its charter in 1865.” — J. R. Cole, History of Washington and Kent Counties, Volume 1. New York: W. W. Preston & Co., 1889.

The bank’s principal founder in 1818 was William Hammond, Jr. (1766-1827), a ship builder, farmer and owner of a general store in Wickford. He was also engaged for a time in the West India trade. From the very beginning, William’s son Pardon Tillinghast Hammond (1792-1872) served as the cashier of the bank until his retirement in 1867.

In 1865, this bank was merged with the Narragansett Bank to form the the Wickford National Bank (charter #1592). The North Kingston Bank’s last president, John J. Reynolds, became the first president of Wickford National. (In addition, Reynolds also served as Lt. Governor of Rhode Island from 1854-55).

Today, North and South Kingstown are both spelled with a “w” added, while within South Kingstown, there remains a village named Kingston.