First National Bank, Rochester, MN (Charter 579)

ca. 1930 postcard of the First National Bank

First National Bank, Rochester, MN (Chartered 1864 - Closed (Merger) 1993)

Town History

Rochester is the county seat of Olmsted County in southeastern Minnesota.

The community was founded by George Head and his wife Henrietta who built log cabin Head's Tavern in 1854 and named the city after his hometown of Rochester, New York.

When the Winona and St Peter Railroad initiated service in October 1864, it brought new residents and business opportunities further spurring growth and expansion.

In 1863, Dr. William W. Mayo arrived as the examining surgeon for Union draftees in the Civil War.

Mayo Clinic is today among the largest and most well-respected medical facilities in the world and it has been consistently ranked No. 1 Best hospital in the United States by U.S. News & World Report.

During the National Bank Note Era Rochester had a population of 3,953 in 1870, 20,621 in 1930, and 106,769 as of 2010.

Rochester was home to three National Banks, all of them issued bank notes.

Bank History

1877 Bank letter signed by Walter Hurlbut, Cashier

• Organized Sep 24, 1864
• Chartered Nov 21, 1864
• Absorbed 2316 Jun 21, 1924 (Rochester National Bank, Rochester, MN)
• Bank was Open past 1935
• For Bank History after 1935 see FDIC Bank History website
• Merged into First Bank NA in Minneapolis, MN Oct 8, 1993

Official Bank Title(s)

1: The First National Bank of Rochester, MN

Bank Note Types Issued

1902 Plain Back $10 bank note with stamped signatures of L.J. Fiegel, Cashier and C.A. Chapmain, President. Courtesy of Lyn Knight Currency Auctions, www.lynknight.com

1929 Type 1 $20 bank note with printed signatures of L.J. Fiegel, Cashier and C.A. Chapman, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

A total of $1,420,580 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1864 and 1935. This consisted of a total of 124,861 notes (81,228 large size and 43,633 small size notes).

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

Series/Type	Sheet/Denoms	Serial#s
Original Series	3x1-2	1 - 800
Original Series	4x5	1 - 3000
Original Series	3x10-20	1 - 1700
Series 1875	3x10-20	1 - 1512
1882 Brown Back	3x10-20	1 - 2551
1902 Red Seal	3x10-20	1 - 900
1902 Date Back	3x10-20	1 - 3000
1902 Plain Back	3x10-20	3001 - 9844
1929 Type 1	6x10	1 - 4822
1929 Type 1	6x20	1 - 1402
1929 Type 2	10	1 - 5211
1929 Type 2	20	1 - 1078

Bank Presidents and Cashiers

First National Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1864 - 1936):

Presidents:

• John R. Cook, (Sr.), 1864-1880
• Frances S. Cook, 1881-1883
• John R. Cook, (Jr.), 1883-1905
• John R. Cook, (Jr.), 1907-1907
• A. C. Gooding, 1908-1918
• J. H. Kahler, 1919-1923
• Clair Albian Chapman, 1924-1932
• A. C. Gooding, 1932-1935

Cashiers:

• T. H. Titus, 1864-1873
• Walter Hurlbut, 1874-1891
• T. H. McConnell, 1892-1894
• Walter Hurlbut, 1895-1898
• Geo. B. Doty, 1899-1908
• E. F. Cook, 1909-1919
• L. J. Fiegel, 1920-1933
• R. A. Bezoier, 1934-1935

Other Known Bank Note Signers

• Chester Julius Leusman (Asst Cashier 1927...1932)

Bank Note History Links

• First National Bank, Rochester, MN History (NB Lookup)
• Olmsted County Bank Note History (BNH Wiki)
• Minnesota Bank Note History (BNH Wiki)

Sources

• Rochester, MN, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rochester,_Minnesota
• 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