First National Bank, Flora, IL (Charter 1961)
First National Bank, Flora, IL (Chartered 1872 - Closed (Merger) 1996)
Town History
Flora is a city in Clay County, Illinois, located about 100 mils east of St. Louis, Missouri 30 miles south of Effingham, Illinois. The population was 4,803 at the 2020 census. In 1920, the population was 3,558, peaking in 1940 at 5,474.
Flora was founded by Samuel White. White was born September 10, 1831, in Warren County, Ohio. He and his family came to Clay County in 1852. During that time, he purchased 85 acres of land from the State of Illinois. The original town of Flora was laid out, surveyed and platted in February 1854 by Ethelred Nixon, County Surveyor; John Brown, Trustee for Songer, Camp & Company; and Samuel White. Samuel White who still owned the land, deeded one-half interest in forty acres to John Brown, Trustee, with a view of securing the town and depot. An effort had already been made to establish a town one mile west called Mooresville, where over 100 lots had been sold and some buildings done. After the collapse of that village, the principal house was moved to Flora, and was then known as the "Commercial House." The city's founder died November 15, 1912, in Sterling, Colorado, and was returned to Flora for burial in the family plot at Elmwood.
The Flora Station of the Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) was built in 1872 with generous help from local citizens. It served the City of Flora until 1916, when it was destroyed by fire. In 1916–1917, a new three-story brick depot was built. This building was a huge part of the economic life of the community during those early years. In the 1920s, the railroad employed half the wage earners in Flora.
Flora had two National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and both of those banks issued National Bank Notes.
Bank History
- Organized March 23, 1872
- Chartered April 18, 1872
- Succeeded L.F. Wilson & Company
- Absorbed 11509 May 14, 1931 (Flora National Bank, Flora, IL)
- Bank was Open past 1935
- For Bank History after 1935 see FDIC Bank History website
- Merged into Mercantile Bank of Mount Vernon, IL, May 17, 1996
In April 1884, the directors were O. Pixley, Wm. Hopkins, J.I. McCawley, A.R. Kenner, John Kenner, M.H. Presley, R. Cope, and W.C. Kenner. The officers were Osman Pixley, president; Wm. Hopkins, vice president, Randolph Smith, cashier and W.A. Moore, teller. The bank had capital $50,000 and surplus $13,000.[1]
In July 1891, the Olney Paving Brick and Tile Manufacturing Company sold 35,000 brick to the First National Bank of Flora for their new bank building.[2]
Colonel Randolph Smith of Flora, Illinois, was born in Marion County, Illinois on May 31, 1849. He was educated in the free schools of Illinois. In 1878 he was made cashier of the First National Bank of Flora and was elected president in 1901, succeeding Mr. Osman Pixley. He was also president of the Breese Coal and Mining Company. He was a member of the Masonic Order, a Knights Templar, and a member of the Egyptian Club of East St. Louis. He received his appointment as Colonel on Governor Yates' staff on January 28, 1901.[3]
On April 7, 1903, Mr. Osman Pixley, one of the most widely known businessmen of Southern Illinois, died in Ingraham, Clay County, at the age of 75 years. For 28 years he was President of the First National Bank of Flora. He was of the Wabash County family of Pixley's, and was of revolutionary stock. His mother was an Ingraham, another old Wabash County family. Mr. Pixley was born in Wabash County on July 11, 1828. In 1852 he went to Clay County and settled on public land, at what is now the town of Ingraham. His home town was named for his mother's people and the township bears his own name. Mr. Pixley established the first post office at Ingraham and was postmaster for forty-one consecutive years. In 1871 he was elected a member of the State Legislature, and the following year he became president of the First National Bank of Flora. His life was characterized by shrewd business ability and he was recognized as one of the ablest financiers of Southern Illinois.[4]
On Monday, March 30, 1931, a merger of the Flora National Bank with the First National Bank was completed with the combined bank operating under the charter of the First National. Charles C. Snyder, formerly with the Flora National, would be retained as assistant cashier of the First National. The Flora National would be kept open for the benefit of safety deposit box customers until additional boxes could be installed at the First National.[5]
In 1919, the Flora National Bank was organized by F.H. Simpson, T.J. Friend, W.A. Karr, H.C. Chaffin and C.E. Gibson, with capital of $65,000. Its officers from the beginning were as follows: F.H. Simpson, president; T.J. Friend and W.A. Karr, vice presidents; C.E. Gibson, cashier; and Charles C. Snyder, assistant cashier. On November 1, 1924, the Flora National Bank moved from its original location at 101 West North Avenue to its new $75,000 building at 100 West North Avenue in Flora.[6]
On Tuesday, January 12, 1954, officers of the First National Bank of Flora were re-elected at the annual shareholder's meeting. They were H.F. Pixley, board chairman, C.E. Hemphill, president; Ed Mann and J.H. Throgmorton, vice presidents; W.E. Wood, cashier and C.E. Rankin, assistant cashier.[7]
On October 18, 1962, Arthur F. Hough, assistant cashier and auditor of the St. Clair National Bank, accepted a position as cashier of the First National Bank at Flora. He and his wife, the former Elma Warnica of Frankfort, Kansas, moved their residence to 215 East Sixth Street at Flora.[8]
In January 1963, Roger L. Wells, 33, was the new president of the First National Bank of Flora. Wells became the youngest president of a national bank in that state. He was associated with the Flora bank since 1950. Three other bank personnel changes were approved by the board. Clarence T. Smith who had been president became chairman of the board. Arthur F. Hough was elected to the board of directors. Larry C. Phillips was promoted from teller to assistant cashier. The bank's officers included Smith, chairman of the board; Wells, president; John H. Throgmorton, vice president; Hough, cashier; Herbert Tackitt, Freida Shelton, and Phillips, assistant cashiers.[9]
Roger L. Wells, a former Millikin University football player, became president of the First National Bank of Flora at age 33, the youngest president of a national bank in the state at the time.[10]
Beginning Tuesday, April 18, 1972, the First National Bank of Flora marked its 100th anniversary with celebrations lasting through Saturday. Bank employees would be dressed in 1870s fashions and hostesses would serve coffee and cake to visitors. Downtown merchants would aid in the celebration with a "Pioneer Days" sale featuring bargains and store personnel dressed in old-time costumes. The bank would award prizes for best displays of old photographs, coins and currency placed on display in the bank throughout the week.[11]
On February 28, 1977, Charles T. Smith, 74, of Flora, died in Islamorada, Florida. Mr. Smith was born in Louisville, Illinois, son of James and Sylvia Smith. He was a member of the American, Illinois and Clay County bar associations and was past president and chairman of the board of the First National Bank in Flora. He married Mildred Kelley in 1927.[12]
In September 1993, First Bank and Trust Company of Mount Vernon announced it would be renamed Mercantile Bank of Mount Vernon effective in mid-November. The bank and trust became affiliated with Mercantile Bancorporation Inc. following a merger between Mercantile and Mount Vernon Bancorp Inc. Carl L. Schweinfurth would remain chairman of the bank. David P. Strautz became the new president and CEO, pending regulatory approval. Olie Musgrave who had been the bank's president and CEO, elected to leave the bank. Strautz was most recently chairman, president and CEO at Mercantile Bank in Pike County in Bowling Green, Missouri. He was also Mercantile's Illinois regional chairman responsible for Mercantile banks in Mount Vernon, Carlyle, Centralia and Flora.[13]
In April 1996, subject to approval by regulatory authorities, Mercantile planned to consolidate its charters by region with each local bank to be known as a community bank of the newly chartered bank, according to Thomas Jacobsen, chairman and CEO of Mercantile Bancorporation Inc. Banks merging with Mercantile Bank of Mt. Vernon included Mercantile Bank of Flora. Mercantile Bank of Carlyle would become known as Mercantile Bank of Southern Illinois - Carlyle. Mary Grainberg, president of Mercantile Bank in Carlyle said the merger was a positive for customers, bank employees and administrators. The merger would allow the bank's customers to transact their banking business at any of 11 banks located throughout southern Illinois.[14]
Official Bank Title
1: The First National Bank of Flora, IL
Bank Note Types Issued
A total of $1,217,625 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1872 and 1935. This consisted of a total of 160,500 notes (141,332 large size and 19,168 small size notes).
This bank issued the following Types and Denominations of bank notes:
Series/Type Sheet/Denoms Serial#s Sheet Comments Original Series 3x1-2 1 - 2940 Original Series 4x5 1 - 1890 Original Series 3x10-20 1 - 1000 Series 1875 3x1-2 1 - 320 Series 1875 4x5 1 - 2535 Series 1875 3x10-20 1 - 2063 1882 Brown Back 4x5 1 - 3475 1882 Brown Back 3x10-20 1 - 3590 1882 Date Back 4x5 1 - 1660 1882 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 1100 1902 Date Back 4x5 1 - 1750 1902 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 1300 1902 Plain Back 4x5 1751 - 8790 1902 Plain Back 3x10-20 1301 - 5970 1929 Type 1 6x5 1 - 1690 1660 Not issued 1929 Type 1 6x10 1 - 796 1929 Type 1 6x20 1 - 218 1929 Type 2 5 1 - 1731 1929 Type 2 10 1 - 945 1929 Type 2 20 1 - 274
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1872 - 1935):
Presidents:
Cashiers:
- Luke Ferrell Wilson, 1872-1877
- Randolph "Dolph" Smith, 1878-1900
- Harvey Franklin Pixley, 1901-1904
- Conrad Hall Bothwell, 1905-1908
- Charles Edward Hemphill, 1909-1935
Other Known Bank Note Signers
- Edward Henry Hawkins, Vice President
- William Hopkins, Vice President
- Seth T. Hinkley, Vice President
Bank Note History Links
Sources
- Flora, IL, 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 Louisville Ledger, Louisville, IL, Thu., Apr. 24, 1884.
- ↑ The Olney Republican, Olney, IL, Wed., July 29, 1891.
- ↑ The Inter Ocean, Chicago, IL, Sun., May 19, 1901.
- ↑ Daily Republican-Register, Mount Carmel, IL, Mon., Apr. 13, 1903.
- ↑ Lawrence County News, Lawrenceville, IL, Thu., Apr. 2, 1931.
- ↑ Huston, Francis Murray and Russel, Andrew, Financing an Empire: History of Banking in Illinois, Chicago, S.J. Clarke Pub. Co. (1926), p. 483.
- ↑ Herald and Review, Decatur, IL, Wed., Jan. 13, 1954.
- ↑ The Belleville News-Democrat, Belleville, IL, Thu., Oct. 18, 1962.
- ↑ The Decatur Daily Review, Decatur, IL, Sun., Jan. 13, 1963.
- ↑ Herald and Review, Decatur, IL, Thu., Feb. 29, 1968.
- ↑ Herald and Review, Decatur, IL, Sat., Apr. 15, 1972.
- ↑ Herald and Review, Decatur, IL, Thu., Mar. 3, 1977.
- ↑ Southern Illinoisan, Carbondale, IL, Sun., Sep. 19, 1993.
- ↑ The Breese Journal, Breese, IL, Thu., Apr. 11, 1996.