Henry N. Clemons, cashier of the First National Bank of Killingly, was born in Granby, Conn., son of Allen and Catharine Clemons. He was educated in the district school, the Granby Academy, the Suffield Literary Institution and the Williston Seminary, East Hampton, Mass. He began teaching at sixteen years of age, and taught in Hartland, Granby and Hartford. Conn., and Woonsocket and Central Falls, R. I. He was for a while in the office of the commissioner of the school fund in Hartford, Conn. In 1844 he commenced railroading on the New Haven & Northampton road, with the engineer corps. He served as station agent at Farmington and Collinsville, Conn., and was assistant postmaster at the latter place; then ticket agent of the Providence & Worcester road at Providence. In 1855 he commenced banking, as clerk in the Arcade Bank, at Providence, and in 1856 became teller of the Merchants’ Bank, then the redeeming bank for Rhode Island, in the old Suffolk system. In June, 1864, he was elected cashier of the First National Bank of Killingly, Conn., then just organized, which office he now holds, after more than twenty-five years’ service, a period longer than any other cashier in eastern Connecticut. The capital of the bank is $110,000. With its July dividend, 1889, it had paid back to its stockholders $226,600 in dividends. In August, 1864, he was elected treasurer of the Windham County Savings Bank, and organized the bank, and held that position till 1875. Under his treasurership the bank’s deposits reached $1,300,000. It was the first savings bank in eastern Connecticut to allow interest to commence each month. In 1866-7 the savings bank built, under his supervision, their present bank building. On the organization of the Music Hall Company he was chosen treasurer, and arranged in its building the banking rooms now occupied by the national bank. In 1866 he was chosen treasurer of District No. 1, Killingly, and on the union of districts 1 and 2 was re-elected, carrying out the financial arrangements needed in building the high school house, holding the office for eighteen years. Mr. Clemons was treasurer of the Congregational church for thirteen years, and has been notary public for twenty-five years in this state.
