First National Bank, Laurel, MS (Charter 6681)
First National Bank, Laurel, MS (Chartered 1903 - Closed (Merger) 1983)
Town History
Laurel is a city in and the second county seat of Jones County, Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 17,161. It is located northeast of Ellisville, the first county seat, which contains the first county courthouse. Laurel has the second county courthouse as there are two judicial districts in Jones County. Laurel is the headquarters of the Jones County Sheriff's Department. Major employers include Howard Industries, Sanderson Farms, Masonite International, Family Health Center, Howse Implement, Thermo-Kool, and South Central Regional Medical Center. Laurel is home to the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, Mississippi's oldest art museum, established by the family of Lauren Eastman Rogers.
Following the 1881 construction of the New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad through the area, economic development occurred rapidly. The city of Laurel was incorporated in 1882, with timber as the impetus. Yellow pine forests in the region fueled the industry. The city was named for thickets of mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) which were native to the original town site.
Home Town television personalities Ben and Erin Napier make their home and show in Laurel.
Laurel had three National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and all three of those banks issued National Bank Notes.
Bank History
- Organized March 6, 1903
- Chartered March 20, 1903
- Opened for business March 24, 1903
- Succeeded Bank of Laurel
- Bank was Open past 1935
- For Bank History after 1935 see FDIC Bank History website
- Merged into Deposit Guaranty NB in Jackson, MS August 1, 1983
On February 10, 1903, the Comptroller of the Currency approved the application of the First National Bank of Laurel to begin business. The organizers were George Bacon, Wallace B. Rogers, T.B. Bonner, F.G. Fisher, George S. Gardiner, and others. The capital was $100,000 and officers were Wallace B. Rodgers, president; P.S. Gardiner, vice president; Geo. Bacon, cashier; and C.H. Ferrell, assistant cashier.
On January 11, 1906, the shareholders elected the following directors: F.G. Wisner, P.S. Gardiner, George Bacon, W.F. Rumble, Charles R. Shannon, Silas W. Gardiner, H.N. Rogers, E.D. Travis, and Frank Gardner.
Official Bank Title(s)
1: The First National Bank of Laurel, MS
Bank Note Types Issued
A total of $2,019,650 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1903 and 1983. This consisted of a total of 246,928 notes (197,332 large size and 49,596 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 4x5 1 - 2750 1902 Red Seal 3x10-20 1 - 4225 1902 Date Back 4x5 1 - 7400 1902 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 5240 1902 Plain Back 4x5 7401 - 25120 1902 Plain Back 3x10-20 5241 - 17238 1929 Type 1 6x5 1 - 3978 1929 Type 1 6x10 1 - 2206 1929 Type 1 6x20 1 - 512 1929 Type 2 5 1 - 5544 1929 Type 2 10 1 - 2928 1929 Type 2 20 1 - 948
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1903 - 1983):
Presidents:
Cashiers:
Other Known Bank Note Signers
- No other known bank note signers for this bank
Bank Note History Links
Sources
- Laurel, MS, 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 Times-Democrat, New Orleans, LA, Wed., Feb. 11, 1903.
- The Hazlehurst Courier, Hazlehurst, MS, Thu., Feb. 19, 1903.
- Vicksburg Evening Post, Vicksburg, MS, Mon., Mar. 23, 1903.
- The Birmingham News, Birmingham, AL, Fri., Jan. 12, 1906.
- The Laurel Ledger, Laurel, MS, Thu., Mar. 18, 1909.