Enoch A. Banks was born in 1833 to Ephraim and Mary Banks. Enoch’s father was an attorney, and after moving from Lewistown, PA to Norristown somewhere around 1850, Enoch was also admitted to the bar on August 20, 1855. As an attorney in Norristown, he was well respected by his peers and described as having “the natural powers of a fluent, vigorous, and eloquent speaker.” Practicing mainly in criminal law, his career was also described as “brilliant.” By 1862, Enoch was elected as the District Attorney of Montgomery County.
Enoch’s successful law career did not prevent him enlisted as a Lieutenant with the 34th Pennsylvania Militia during the Civil War, earning a promotion by the end of the war. He also found the time to marry Rachel Banks sometime after 1860. However, Enoch passed away in 1867 when he was visiting his brother in Hollidaysburg, PA. The cause of death is not known, but his headstone mysteriously states he “sank from this earth.” Following his death, Enoch was so well respected that the Montgomery County Bar Association passed a resolution to provide care for his family.
Location: K-31