The
Jamestown Banking Company,
one of the old and solid financial institutions of Mercer county, was
organized July 21, 1874, with a capital stock of $50,000. Its original
officers were as follows: Dr. William Gibson,
president; James McMaster, vice president,
and W. W. Davis, cashier. By the death of Dr.
Gibson, Mr. McMaster succeeded to the presidency, and remained at
the head of the bank’s affairs until his death in 1897. The deceased
thus added another strong claim to the fatherhood of Jamestown, upon
whose homestead the main portion of the town was laid out and in the
furtherance of whose interests he had always been foremost. In the
meantime William A. McMaster, the son, had
entered the bank, of which he became cashier in 1885, and when his
father died, twelve years later, he was the only legitimate successor to
the presidency. Under the able guidance of both father and son, the
Jamestown Banking Company has successfully weathered all financial
crises, national and local, and has long since been classed as a most
substantial and progressive institution.
Twentieth
Century History of Mercer County,
1909, pages 228 - 229
