Fayette National Bank, Connersville, IN (Charter 6265)

The Fayette Bank and Trust Company of Connersville, Indiana, ca1919, just after consolidation with the Fayette National Bank and the Farmers and Merchants Trust Company.

Fayette National Bank, Connersville, IN (Chartered 1902 - Liquidated 1918)

Town History

The old Fayette Bank and Trust Company located on the Corner of Central Avenue and 6th Street. Courtesy of Google Maps

Connersville is a city in Fayette County, east central Indiana, 66 miles east by southeast of Indianapolis. The city is the county seat of and the largest and only incorporated town in Fayette County. The city is in the center of a large rural area of east central Indiana; the nearest significant city is Richmond, 26 miles to the northeast by road. Connersville is home to the county's one and only high school. The economy is supported by local manufacturing, retail and healthcare. Employment and population have been declining since the 1960s and it is among the poorest areas of the state in median household income and other economic measures. The population was 13,481 at the 2010 census. In 1900 the population was 6,836, rising to 12,795 by 1930.

The city is among the oldest cities in Indiana and the former Indiana Territory, having been established in 1813 by its namesake John Conner. John Conner, his brother William, and others arrived in the Whitewater Valley from south central Ohio in 1802, establishing a fur trading post in an unpopulated area near what was later to become Cedar Grove on the Whitewater River (Franklin County) at the very fringe of the European penetration into the wilderness of Indiana. By 1808, as a result of reduction of Indian hunting grounds by treaty, the trading post, known as "Conner's Post", had been relocated 20 miles north on the Whitewater River junction with an Indian trail between the Ohio River 70 miles to the southeast and hunting grounds to the north.

James N. Huston, Treasurer of the United States 1889–91, lived in Connersville most of his life, founding a local bank, Citizen's Bank.

Connersville had two National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and both of those banks issued National Bank Notes.

Bank History

Organized May 19, 1902
Chartered May 21, 1902
Opened for business June 2, 1902
Succeeded Fayette Banking Co.
Liquidated December 31, 1918
Succeeded by Fayette Bank and Trust Company of Connersville

On November 17, 1892, The Connersville Examiner wrote that the Fayette Banking Co. opened its doors for business. J.B. McFarlan, Sr. was president; Joseph I. Little, cashier; and P.H. Kensler, assistant cashier. The first two along with William Newkirk and George Sinks formed the board of directors. In 1894 the bank moved to Sixth and Central and Mr. Kensler was named president with J.E. Huston, vice president, Charles Cassel, cashier and Alton G. Trusler, assistant cashier.

Francis T. Roots was the president of the Farmers and Merchants Trust Co. when it was formed in 1902 and Edward W. Ansted, vice president; Benjamin F. Thiebaud, cashier; and Florence R. Beeson, assistant cashier. The directors were Mr. Ansted, Mr. Thiebaud, Julius C. Turkenkoph, U.H. Rothschild, F.L. Power, F.B. Beeson. The building was located at Court and Central Avenue.

In April 1902 it was announced that the Fayette Banking Company of Connersville increased its capital to $100,000 and would change its name to the Fayette National Bank.

In October, 1918, it was announced that two Connersville banks, the Fayette National Bank and the Farmers and Merchants Trust Company, were to be merged into the Fayette Bank and Trust Company. On New Year's Day 1919 the Farmers and Merchants' Trust Company and The Fayette National Bank of Connersville, combined as one banking institution, known as The Fayette Bank and Trust Company. F.B. Ansted, vice president of the new institution, received a telegram announcing that the bank had been accepted as a member of the Federal Reserve Bank at Washington, DC. B.F. Thiebaud was president of the new institution.

In 1919 the Fayette Bank and Trust Company of Connersville, Indiana, held an open house to enable its friends and customers to inspect its magnificent new banking home, which was erected, equipped, decorated and furnished throughout by Hoggson Brothers, of New York and Chicago. Cross & Cross of New York were the architects. The new edifice, of which the bank may justly feel proud, is of striking design, following the pure Greek-Doric style of architecture. It is of imposing proportions, being forty-eight feet wide by eighty-two feet long, of fireproof construction throughout. The main entrance is on Central Street, flanked by a massive carved doorway, exquisite in its detail, set between huge free standing fluted columns over four feet in diameter. These columns and doorway form a recess portico entrance leading to the vestibule, which in turn opens directly into the main banking room. Marble, bronze and tile fittings and equipment combine to make a decidedly beautiful banking room, which is skillfully arranged. The walls are finished in Caen stone effect, pilasters flanking the large windows and supporting a massive cornice carried around the room. The layout is of the horseshoe type, wherein the working quarters center around the public space. This latter area is of ample size, enclosed by a counter screen of unusual beauty, constructed of Alabama marble with Verde base and glass panels, set in bronze grilles and telescopic wickets. Two large marble check desks with plate glass tops and trays containing all necessary writing materials are installed for the convenience of customers. The vault system in the new bank is of the most modern construction and ingenuity, affording accommodations not only for present needs, but for future expansion as well. The Fayette Bank and Trust Company also at the time publicly celebrated the consolidation of the Fayette National Bank and the Farmers and Merchants Trust Company. The combined interests, with a capital and surplus of $400,000, will henceforth be known as the Fayette Bank and Trust Company, recognized as one of the strongest financial organizations in the Middle West.

Official Bank Title(s)

1: The Fayette National Bank of Connersville, IN

Bank Note Types Issued

1902 Red Seal $10 bank note with pen signatures of P.H. Kensler, Cashier and Jos. I. Little, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

1902 Date Back $10 bank note with Radar SN 5335 and pen signatures of P.H. Kensler, Cashier and M.E. Dale, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

A total of $480,050 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1902 and 1918. This consisted of a total of 38,404 notes (38,404 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
1902 Red Seal	3x10-20	1 - 1500
1902 Date Back	3x10-20	1 - 6800
1902 Plain Back	3x10-20	6801 - 8101

Bank Presidents and Cashiers

Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1902 - 1918):

Presidents:

Cashiers:

Other Bank Note Signers

There are currently no known Vice President or Assistant Cashier bank note signers for this bank.

Wiki Links

Sources

Connersville, IN, 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
The Bankers' Magazine, Vol. 98, 1919, pp 247-248.
The Rushville Republican, Rushville, IN, Fri., Nov. 18, 1892.
The Rushville Republican, Rushville, IN, Fri., Apr. 25, 1902.
The Rushville Republican, Rushville, IN, Fri., Dec. 5, 1902.
The Brookville Democrat, Brookville, IN, Thu., Oct. 31, 1918.
The Richmond Item, Richmond, IN, Wed., Jan. 1, 1919.
Palladium-Item, Richmond, IN, Sat., Mar. 1, 1952.