Berkley Bank Barons

By Roger and Marcia Eaton, grandson*

*Relation to Andy and/or Flora Lehr

How did Flora’s cousins emerge from a small Kansas bank to become an influential power in the Kansas banking community? The Berkley family controls four banks in Kansas and Colorado with total managed assets of over a billion dollars. This post explores the connection of our family with the Berkleys and the path of their banking legacy.

Flora’s grandparents lived in Ellsworth, Kansas. The Rogers arrived in Ellsworth in 1878. In the years leading up to 1878, Ellsworth was known as the Wickedest cattletown in Kansas. In the late 1870s, the Pacific Kansas Railroad closed its stockyards. The crime rate plummeted and the town became a peaceful farming community.

Two of the Rogers’ sons married Berkley sisters. The two Berkley-Rogers families yielded twenty cousins. One of them was Flora Rogers.

In the 1890s, agriculture supported both the Rogers and Berkley families.

United States Census 1900. Carrie (Berkley) Rogers lived near Carrie’s brother, Robert and his family.

From the collection of Arliene (Berkley) Matthews.

United States Census 1920. The 1920 Census indicates that Howard Berkley lived with John Rogers. John is listed as a Grain Buyer and Howard as a Laborer at a grain elevator.

In 1924, one of the cousins, Howard Berkley, broke from the agricultural occupations of the families. He decided to convert from corn to currency and entered the banking profession. Howard Berkely bought shares of the Tescott Bank, Tescott, Kansas and became the Assistant Cashier.

From the Berkley Family in Banking – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SwrJa3BsIQ

Howard’s brother, Robert Berkly, Jr., joined the bank as a bookkeeper in 1935. Paulina, Howard’s wife, was elected to the board of directors, of the Tescott State Bank, in 1937. Another brother, Hal, joined the family at the bank. After sixteen years at the Tescott State Bank, Howard became the bank’s president.

Bank assets grew over the years. Howard and a couple brothers acquired the Bennington State Bank, in nearby Bennington, Kansas, in 1945. Twenty-two years later Howard and Paulina’s children purchased the bank. Kent “Mike” served as president. His nephew Burke Matthews succeeded him as the president. The Bennington bank has blossomed into the largest of the Berkley family banks.

In 1951, Howard and two of his sons acquired the Stockton National Bank, Stockton, Kansas. Stockton Bancshares became the holding company for the bank in 1980. Eight years later, the holding company began acquiring four banks. The banks were combined and rebranded as Solutions North Bank in 2016. Solutions North Bank acquired the Community State Bank of Coffeyville, Coffeyville Kansas in 2024.

Howard’s sons acquired the State Bank of Downs, Downs, Kansas in 1961. Great-grandchildren work at the bank. A branch was opened in Englewood, Colorado. It is branded the Berkley Bank and is operated by a Berkley.

When the second generation purchased the Bennington Bank, in 1967, Joe Berkley was the bank’s Cashier. He was not ready to leave the banking profession. With his wife, Ester, he purchased the Talmage State Bank. They operated the bank until 1980, then retired.

The second generation added the Gypsum Valley National Bank to their portfolio in 1976. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation lists this bank as closed or merged as of December 31, 1995.

Howard’s grandson, Jeff Berkley, formed the Alliance Bank, in Topeka Kansas, in 1998. His banking experience with non-Berkley banks included Bank IV and Boatman’s Bank. Both banks acquired the smaller bank where he was employed. They were large regional banks. That culture conflicted with his desire to provide personal service, so he formed a new bank. It was acquired by the Bennington State Bank (see above) in 2024.

100 Years of Family Banking

In August 2024, the family was recognized by the Kansas Bankers Association with the Century of Family Banking award. The Berkley family’s banking roots date back to 1924 with Howard Berkley at the Tescott State Bank in Tescott, Kansas.

The generations have effectively passed the torch on to their descendants to ensure that a continuity of personal service thrives in all the Berkley banks.

Note: Baron: an extremely powerful person in a particular area of business – Cambridge Dictionary https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/baron

Resources

Berkley Family in Banking video