Orson Clark-12/14/81 - Pg 5

Of course, I never knew Ezra T.

Ruth Knowlton: We should have asked your dad that question, I forgot. Well, I really don't think I realized it until later, until we started interviewing and it came up so many times. It's fascinating, I think it's a nice expression. I like it.

Interviewer: What were some of the other profitable years up there?

Orson Clark: I figured I made a little every year. I didn't have anything outstanding.

Interviewer: You say that most years you made a reasonable profit?

Orson Clark: Yes. I made expenses and a little profit.

Interviewer: That's more than farmers could say around here all that time.

Orson Clark: Yes, I guess that's right.

Interviewer: I wanted to ask you another question before we come back to Farmington. Well, I guess it's on Farmington. Did you ever inherit any of the stock in the bank?

Orson Clark: When the bank was organized, my mother had a little money. She had taken up boarders and she had saved a little money. Ezra T. got her to invest it in the bank, buy a little stock in the bank, which she did. She carried that and kept it. When she died it went to Father. In Father's will he distributed it to his children, of which I got some.

Ruth Knowlton: It was distributed equally among his children?

Orson Clark: Yes. 

Interviewer: Do you still have that stock in the bank?

Orson Clark: I still have that stock. I got three shares of stock, I think it was. I have forgotten how many there was all together. Anyway, in the past years, the bank people increased that from three shares to one hundred and twenty shares. They pay dividends on one hundred and twenty shares.

Ruth Knowlton: That's been very profitable.

Orson Clark: That was a good investment. However, the money that it represents isn't what you would say is a profitable investment. In other words the dividend that you get for the amount of money it is valued at isn't enough to make it what you would call a real