Citizens and Southern NB, Savannah, GA (Charter 13068)

The old Citizens and Southern National Bank of Savannah, Georgia. The bank is located at 22 Bull Street. Courtesy of Google Maps, ca2023

Citizens and Southern NB, Savannah, GA (Chartered 1927 - Closed (Merger) 1997)

Town History

Sketch of the new bank erected in 1912 as a branch of the Citizens and Southern Bank in Augusta, Georgia.

Savannah is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County. Established in 1733 by General James Oglethorpe on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the British colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. A strategic port city in the American Revolution and during the American Civil War, Savannah is today an industrial center and an important Atlantic seaport. It is Georgia's fifth-largest city, with a 2020 U.S. Census population of 147,780. The Savannah metropolitan area, Georgia's third-largest, had a 2020 population of 404,798. In 1930, Savannah's population was 85,024.

Each year Savannah attracts millions of visitors to its cobblestone streets, parks, and notable historic buildings. These buildings include the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low (founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA), the Georgia Historical Society (the oldest continually operating historical society in the South), the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences (one of the South's first public museums), the First African Baptist Church (one of the oldest African-American Baptist congregations in the United States), Temple Mickve Israel (the third-oldest synagogue in the U.S.), and the Central of Georgia Railway roundhouse complex (the oldest standing antebellum rail facility in the U.S.).

Savannah was named for the Savannah River, which probably derives from variant names for the Shawnee. Downtown Savannah largely retains the original town plan prescribed by founder James Oglethorpe (a design now known as the Oglethorpe Plan).

Savannah had seven National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and five of those banks issued National Bank Notes. Savannah also had 17 Obsolete Banks that issued Obsolete Bank Notes during the Obsolete Bank Note Era (1782-1866).

Bank History

Atlanta branch of the Citizens and Southern National Bank. Building is located on the corner of Broad and Marietta Streets, Atlanta, Georgia. Courtesy of Google Maps ca2023

Main banking room ca1909.

The new vault ca1909. The man is standing on the bank's old vault to give a comparison in size.

• Organized April 30, 1927
• Chartered May 2, 1927
• Conversion of The Citizens and Southern Bank of Savannah with a main office in Savannah, one branch in Savannah and 8 branches elsewhere in Georgia
• Bank was Open past 1935
• For Bank History after 1935 see FDIC Bank History website
• Merged into NationsBank, N.A. in Charlotte, NC June 1, 1997

On November 2, 1887, stockholders of the Citizens' Mutual Loan Company held a meeting at Metropolitan Hall to consider the merging of the company into the Citizens Bank of Savannah. A large majority of the stock was represented and it was unanimously decided to change the corporation into a bank. On November 10th, the books of subscription were opened at the office of the Citizens' Mutual Loan Co., No. 94 Bryan Street. On November 29th, subscribers met at Metropolitan Hall and organized by calling Geo. N. Nichols, Esq., to the chair and electing Mr. Geo. C. Freeman, secretary. A committee was appointed t suggest names for members of the board of directors. The committee reported the following gentlemen who were unanimously elected to serve until the annual meeting in June: F.M. Hull, J.H. Estill, C.H. Dorsett, H.C. Cunningham, Wm. Rogers, Geo. N. Nichols, David Wells, F.W. Dasher, John R. Young. Four vacancies in the board would be filled at a later date. It was understood that Capt. F.M. Hull would be president, Hon. C.H. Dorsett, vice president; and Mr. Geo. C. Freeman, cashier.

In September 1902, Savannah's growth had been more substantial than ever before. The Union Depot railroad terminal was opened. She held the state fair bringing together a greater number of counties from every section of Georgia than any city which had held the fair. Cotton receipts were greater in the past year than ever before and she stood pre-eminently the largest naval stores port in the world. Among the leaders in cotton were W.W. Gordon & Co., Butler, Stevens & Co., John Flannery & Co., F.F. Jones & Co., J.S. Wood & Bro., and Hutton & Gibbes. Industries included iron foundries, lumber, cotton oil, turpentine stills, and hardware houses. As a banking city, Savannah had no peer, proportionate with her size and surroundings and boasted the distinction of never having had a bank failure. Among the largest banking houses were the Citizens Bank, the Southern Bank, Savannah Bank and Trust Company, the Germania bank and the Oglethorpe Savings Bank. The Citizens Bank would establish a branch on Liberty Street and the Germania Bank was building a new home on Bull and Congress Streets.

In February 1906, the Citizens Bank of Savannah (established November 2, 1887) merged with its crosstown rival, the Southern Bank of Georgia. Mills B. Lane began at Citizens Bank as a vice president and director in 1891. In 1901, Lane became president of Citizens Bank. In 1906, Lane and his associates purchased Southern Bank of Georgia enabling them to merge the two banks as the new Citizens and Southern Bank. The newly merged banks were officially named the Citizens and Southern Bank of Georgia. The Southern Bank was charted in 1870 with capital of $500,000 and became an important factor in the development of Savannah and the South.

On January 19, 1909, an all-day reception was held in the newly finished banking house of the Citizens and Southern. The exterior was of the whitest Georgia marble. No expense was spared in the finishings of the interior. All counters were of a rich marble imported from northern Italy, topped with grills of solid bronzed. The cabinet work was done in dark mahogany, highly polished, imported from India and Central America. On the main floor was found the safety deposit vault, the savings and trust company departments and the department provided for colored customers of the bank, the Citizens and Southern being the first to set apart a room for their use and as handsomely furnished as the others. Another special feature was the alcove or ladies' room in the center of the line of tellers. The officers' quarters were conveniently adjacent to the public space and to the working force of the bank.

In 1912, a controlling interest was bought by the Citizens and Southern Bank, Savanah, in the National Bank of Augusta. Mills B. Lane was elected president; R.L. Rockwell, vice president and E.J. Gallaher, cashier. The directors holding office in the Augusta institution were re-elected at a meeting of the stockholders in the Citizens and Southern Bank. A new building was being erected for the branch of the Citizens and Southern Bank at Augusta, Georgia.

On Saturday, September 27, 1919, the Third National Bank of Atlanta announced the consolidation with Citizens and Southern of Savannah forming the South's biggest bank with resources of not less than $50 million. Mills B. Lane would be president and Frank Hawkins, chairman of the board. The Third National Bank Building would thereafter be known as the Citizens and Southern Bank Building. The Citizens and Southern would be the largest bank operating under a state charter in the whole south and one of the largest financial institutions outside of New York operating under a state charter. The capital stock would be $2 million with a surplus of $2.5 million. The Citizens and Southern had offices in Atlanta, Augusta, Macon, and Savannah.

The Merchants Bank of Valdosta was organized by R.Y. Lane in 1888 with his son, Mills B. Lane, as cashier.  Upon Mr. Lane's death in 1917, Mills B. Lane was named chairman of the board and H.Y. Tillman was chosen as president. In 1920, the officers were Mills B. Lane, chairman of the board; H.Y. Tillman, president; A.F. Winn, Jr., vice president; T. Irving Denmark, cashier and Isiah H. Tillman, assistant cashier.  It was acquired in March 1926 by the Citizens and Southern Bank. 

In March 1921, the Citizens & Southern Bank absorbed the Hibernia Bank of Savannah and the business of that bank would be conducted under the name of the Citizens & Southern Bank. In 1919, the Hibernia Bank had absorbed the National Bank of Savannah.

In December 1926, the Citizens and Southern Bank, with branches in Athens, Macon, Savannah, Atlanta, Augusta and Valdosta, announced the absorption of the Citizens Bank of Valdosta. The C&S first came into Valdosta by purchasing the Merchants Bank of Valdosta, the oldest state bank in the section. Starting Monday, January 3, 1927, business would be conducted in the name of the Citizens and Southern Bank. Mr. John F. Lewis, formerly president of the Citizens Bank of Valdosta, was elected a vice president of Citizens and Southern. Mr. Henry Y. Tillman, Executive vice president of the Citizens and Southern in Valdosta, would be the directing executive of the Valdosta bank.

On April 20, 1927, Mills B. Lane, president of the Citizens and Southern Bank announced that stockholders had unanimously ratified the action of the board of directors to make the institution a national bank. The name of the institution would be the Citizens and Southern National Bank of Savannah with branches in Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Macon, and Valdosta. On May 2, 1927, the comptroller of the currency approved the charter. The officers were as follows: Frank Hawkins, chairman of the board; Mills B. Lane, president; H.Lane Young, vice president and executive manager; Thomas C. Erwin, vice president and trust officer; W.B. Spann, Alva G. Maxwell, W.C. Roberts, Carl H. Lewis, Henry C. Heinz, Thomas I. Miller, A.J. Stitt, vice presidents; E.T. Johnson, cashier, Marietta and Broad office; C.E. Shepard, cashier, central office; C.L. Sharp, cashier, Mitchell Street office; James Sartor, cashier, Tenth Street office; W.H. Fitzpatrick, assistant cashier and manager of the savings department; L.H. Parris assistant cashier and assistant trust officer; W.B. Symmers, Charles E. Tillman, and George L. David, assistant cashiers. The board of directors were Robert C. Alston, W.C. Bradley, Phinizy Calhoun, Asa G. Candler, Jr., E.H. Cone, J.W. Conway, Milton Dargan, Thomas C. Erwin, R.W. Freeman, John W. Grant, Frank Hawkins, Henry C. Heinz, R.T. Jones, W.H. Kiser, E.W. Lane, Mills B. Lane, W.T. Lane, Jr., Frank Lanier, Norman C. Miller, H.Y. McCord, Ben I. Simpson, W.B. Spann, H.L. Young, H.T. Adams, L.J. Daniel, Edgar Dunlap, J.H. Ewing, Sr., W.B. Hamby, Sam D. Jones, Willie B. Jones, Geo. E. King, S.D. Knight, Carl H. Lewis, Vaughn Nixon, H.O. Rogers, George E. Fauss, Lynn Fort, H.G. Hastings, R.J. Hudson, E.M. Hudson, Addison Maupin, A.J. Stitt, and D.H. Strauss.

Official Bank Title(s)

1: The Citizens and Southern National Bank, Savannah, GA

Bank Note Types Issued

1929 Type 2 $20 bank note with printed signatures of A.C. Kline, Jr., Cashier and William Murphey, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

Officers' quarters ca1909, Citizens and Southern Bank of Savannah, Georgia.

A total of $6,159,440 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1927 and 1935. This consisted of a total of 791,588 notes (No large size and 791,588 small size notes).

This bank issued the following Types and Denominations of bank notes:

Series/Type	Sheet/Denoms	Serial#s	Sheet Comments
1929 Type 1	6x5	1 - 44878
1929 Type 1	6x10	1 - 34886
1929 Type 1	6x20	1 - 5280
1929 Type 2	5	1 - 170856
1929 Type 2	10	1 - 97730
1929 Type 2	20	1 - 12738

Bank Presidents and Cashiers

Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1927 - 1935):

Presidents:

• Mills Bee Lane Sr., 1927-1927
• William Murphey, 1928-1935

Cashiers:

• Henry Martin Garwes Sr., 1927-1928
• Albert Cuyler Kline, Jr., 1929-1935

Other Known Bank Note Signers

• No other known bank note signers for this bank

Bank Note History Links

• Citizens and Southern NB, Savannah, GA History (NB Lookup)
• Georgia Bank Note History (BNH Wiki)

Sources

• Savannah, GA, on Wikipedia
• Don C. Kelly, National Bank Notes, A Guide with Prices. 6th Edition (Oxford, OH: The Paper Money Institute, 2008).
• Dean Oakes and John Hickman, Standard Catalog of National Bank Notes. 2nd Edition (Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 1990).
• Banks & Bankers Historical Database (1782-1935), https://spmc.org/bank-note-history-project