Commercial National Bank, Oshkosh, WI (Charter 5557)
Commercial National Bank, Oshkosh, WI (Chartered 1900 - Liquidated 1919)
Town History
Oshkosh is a city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, of which it is the county seat. The city had an estimated population of 67,004 in 2019, making it the ninth-largest city in Wisconsin.
Oshkosh was named for Menominee Chief Oshkosh, whose name meant "claw" (cf. Ojibwe oshkanzh, "the claw"). Although the fur trade attracted the first European settlers to the area as early as 1818, it never became a major player in the fur trade. The 1820s mining boom in southwest Wisconsin along with the opening of the Erie Canal shifted commercial activity away from the Fox River Valley and Green Bay. Soon after 1830, much of the trade moved west, as there had been over-trapping in the region. Following the publicity caused by the Black Hawk War in 1832, there was increased interest in settling Wisconsin by whites from the East Coast, especially New York, Indiana, and Virginia, and by 1836 the cities of Milwaukee, Madison, Janesville, Beloit, and Fond du Lac were founded, with Madison the capital of a new territorial government, setting the stage for the economic and political importance of the southern part of the state. However, Oshkosh would continue to be one of Wisconsin's top five largest cities into the twentieth century.
The establishment and growth of the wood industry in the area spurred development of Oshkosh. Already designated as the county seat, Oshkosh was incorporated as a city in 1853. It had a population of nearly 2,800. The lumber industry became well established as businessmen took advantage of navigable waterways to provide access to both markets and northern pineries. The 1859 arrival of rail transportation expanded the industry's ability to meet the demands of a rapidly growing construction market. At one time, Oshkosh was known as the "Sawdust Capital of the World" due to the number of lumber mills in the city, 11 by 1860.
On April 28, 1875, Oshkosh had a "Great Fire" that consumed homes and businesses along Main Street north of the Fox River. The fire engulfed 70 stores, 40 factories, and 500 homes, costing nearly $2.5 million (or $51.2 million in 2010 money).
Oshkosh had 10 National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and all 10 of those banks issued National Bank Notes. Oshkosh also had three Obsolete Banks that issued Obsolete Bank Notes during the Obsolete Bank Note Era (1782-1866).
Bank History
- Organized August 11, 1900
- Chartered August 25, 1900
- Succeeded Commercial Bank
- Liquidated Nov 1, 1919
- Absorbed by 6604 (Old NB/Old Commercial NB/FNB In, Oshkosh, WI)
On August 25, 1900, the Commercial Bank would once again receive a charter and convert to a National Bank, this time with Charter 5557. This was one of just 21 banks that liquidated and later re-charted using exactly the same title for reasons other than forced corporate expirations. In this case the bank operated as a state bank for nearly 29 years before reorganizing as a national bank.
On January 13, 1903, stockholders elected the following directors: Leander Choate, Benjamin Doughty, James P. Gould, T.R. Wall, John Laabs, Fred Zentner, and George F. Gilkey. The officers elected were Leander Choate, president, T.R. Wall, vice president; Thomas Daly, cashier; and E.R Williams, assistant cashier.
On January 14, 1919, stockholders re-elected the former board of directors. The directors chosen again were Thomas Daly, T.R. Wall, James P. Gould, George F. Gilkey, Otto A. Haase, D.C. Buckstaff, W.J. Campbell, Charles P. Bray, W.E. Pollock, W.J. Hay, and E.R. Williams.
On October 27, 1919, stockholders of the Old National Bank and the Commercial National Bank ratified the plans for consolidation. For the Commercial National Bank there were 1,920 shares out of 2,000 represented in person or by proxy and the vote in favor of uniting was unanimous. The following directors of the Commercial National Bank were elected to membership in the directorate of the new organization to be known as The Old Commercial National Bank: Thomas Daly, George F. Gilkey, E.R. Williams, D.C. Buckstaff, W.J. Campbell, W.E. Pollock, Charles P. Bray, John C. Thompson, and T.R. Wall. Three new directors were elected: O.T. Waite, H.C. Roenitz, and R.C. Brown. At a meeting of the board of directors on the 28th, new officers were elected as follows: Edgar P. Sawyer, president; Thomas Daly, vice president; Louis Schriber, vice president; E.R. Williams, vice president; J.P. Fitch, cashier; F.A. Labudde, E.R. Dickmann, and E.R. Heisinger, assistant cashiers; and Reid Murray, manager of the farm business department. Opening was planned for Saturday, November 1 in the quarters of the Old National Bank building, corner of Main and Washington Streets, the interior of which had been remodeled to accommodate the increased business and enlarged force of employees. All employees of the Commercial National Bank were retained in the combined institution.
Official Bank Title(s)
1: The Commercial National Bank of Oshkosh, WI
Bank Note Types Issued
A total of $1,449,500 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1900 and 1919. This consisted of a total of 181,876 notes (181,876 large size and No small size notes).
This bank issued the following Types and Denominations of bank notes:
Series/Type Sheet/Denoms Serial#s Sheet Comments 1882 Brown Back 4x5 1 - 9065 1882 Brown Back 3x10-20 1 - 6674 1882 Date Back 4x5 1 - 13250 1882 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 8800 1882 Value Back 4x5 13251 - 18400 1882 Value Back 3x10-20 8801 - 11330
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1900 - 1919):
Presidents:
Cashiers:
Other Bank Note Signers
- There are currently no known Vice President or Assistant Cashier bank note signers for this bank.
Wiki Links
- Wisconsin Bank Note History
- General information on Oshkosh (Wikipedia)
- General information on Winnebago County (Wikipedia)
- General information on Wisconsin (Wikipedia)
Sources
- Oshkosh, WI, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oshkosh,_Wisconsin
- 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
- Huntoon, Peter, Duplicated National Bank Titles, Chapter L16, The Encyclopedia of U. S. National Bank Notes published jointly by the National Currency
Foundation (www.nationalcurrencyfoundation.com) and Society of Paper Money Collectors (www.spmc.org).
- The Oshkosh Northwestern, Oshkosh, WI, Fri., Jan. 2, 1903.
- The Oshkosh Northwestern, Oshkosh, WI, Wed., Jan. 14, 1903.
- The Oshkosh Northwestern, Oshkosh, WI, Sat., Jan. 4, 1919.
- The Oshkosh Northwestern, Oshkosh, WI, Wed., Jan. 15, 1919.
- The Oshkosh Northwestern, Oshkosh, WI, Thu., July 17, 1919.
- The Oshkosh Northwestern, Oshkosh, WI, Tue., Oct. 28, 1919.