First National Bank, Van Wert, OH (Charter 422)

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Needed: a contemporary postcard or photo of the bank.
Needed: a contemporary postcard or photo of the bank.

First National Bank, Van Wert, OH (Chartered 1864 - Open past 1935)

Town History

Van Wert is a city in and the county seat of Van Wert County, Ohio. It is located in northwestern Ohio approximately 77 miles southwest of Toledo and 34 miles southeast of Fort Wayne, Indiana. The population was 11,092 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Van Wert micropolitan area, which is included in the Lima–Van Wert–Wapakoneta combined statistical area.

Van Wert is named for Isaac Van Wart, one of the captors of Major John André in the American Revolutionary War. Van Wert was surveyed in 1824 by Captain James Riley, who was contracted by the government to survey lands purchased from Native Americans under a treaty in 1818. It was incorporated as a town in 1848 and was chartered as a city in 1903. A center of peony cultivation, Van Wert has hosted the annual Van Wert Peony Festival on and off since 1902. Van Wert is home to the first county library in the United States, the Brumback Library.

Van Wert had three National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and two of those banks issued National Bank Notes.

Bank History

  • Chartered May 11, 1864
  • Succeeded Charles Emerson
  • Bank was Open past 1935

In February 1869, Mr. Horace E. Wells was chosen cashier to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Andrew S. Burt.[1] Mr. Burt resigned to become a director and cashier of the new bank in Van Wert, the Van Wert County Bank.[2]

George Marsh was elected president in 1911 and would remain in charge of the bank until his death 9 years later. In 1878 he became a director. In the 1880s he acquired a hotel in Van Wert, the Hotel Marsh, and in later years he added many other properties in downtown Van Wert. George Marsh was known in financial circles throughout the U.S. His investments crisscrossed the country, favoring national bank stocks. In 1885, he said, "I've seen a majority of the states of the Union, but I have no desire to leave Van Wert County." [3][4]

In May 1938, Van Wert's two national banks consolidated and would be known as the First National Bank of Van Wert. The new institution had assets of $2,500,000 and over $2 million in deposits. The Van Wert National Bank was established shortly after the banking holiday in March 1933. It purchased the good assets of The Van Wert National Bank (Charter 2628) that received a national charter on February 13, 1882.[5]

In January 1939, reorganization of the board of directors resulted in the election of David L. Brumback as president. He succeeded C.M. Purmort, Sr. Homer J. Gilliland was named chairman of the board, James M. Collette, vice president; and Clarence Kohn, cashier.[6]

In January 1942, Clarence Kohn, cashier of the Van Wert National Bank for the past 24 years voluntarily retired at the annual meeting of the bank.[7]

On Tuesday, June 13, 1939, Harry L. Conn, 72, prominent Van Wert County barrister and former judge of the Ohio Supreme Court, died in a fall. He was born April 28, 1867, in Van Wert, son of Mr. and Mrs. Perry Conn. He was forced to resign from the US Military Academy at West Point after two years due to his health. He went to Indianapolis and studied stenography, being appointed official court stenographer for Allen, Van Wert, Auglaize, Mercer and Paulding Counties. He was admitted to the bar in 1894. While practicing law he drew up the will of George H. Marsh which established the Marsh Foundation in Van Wert and served for many years as chairman of the board there. He was also chairman of the board of the First National Bank until he resigned in 1937. He was senior member of the law firm of Conn, Stroup and Spahr.[8]

On June 18, 1986, Van Wert native David L. Brumback, 92, died at Convoy Care Center. He was born December 27, 1893, the son of David LaDoyt and Elizabeth Pinkerton Brumback. On April 15, 1922, he married Gladys Marie Gilliland who survived him. He was a former employee of Simon Wyandt Construction and entered banking in 1919 at Van Wert National Bank. He retired as chairman of the board in 1980. He was past president and trustee of the Van Wert County Foundation and the Brumback Library.[9]

Community First was formed in November 1997 after management at Citizens Commercial Bank & Trust in Celina and Van Wert National Bank, Van Wert, Ohio, decided that merging was the best course. It was part of First Financial Bancorp, a $3 billion banking company built by acquiring small community banks, keeping the management and name while improving operations, products and efficiency.[10][11]

Official Bank Title(s)

1: The First National Bank of Van Wert, OH

Bank Note Types Issued

Original Series $2 bank note with pen signatures of G.A. Sahlquist, Cashier and J.M.C. Marble, President
Original Series $2 bank note with pen signatures of G.A. Sahlquist, Cashier and J.M.C. Marble, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com
1882 Brown Back $5 bank note with pen signatures of John A. Conn, Cashier and A. Conant, President.
1882 Brown Back $5 bank note with pen signatures of John A. Conn, Cashier and A. Conant, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com
1902 Date Back $10 bank note with SN 7 and pen signatures of F.L. Webster, Cashier and A.B. Gleason, President.
1902 Date Back $10 bank note with SN 7 and pen signatures of F.L. Webster, Cashier and A.B. Gleason, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com
1929 Type 1 $50 bank note with printed signatures of J.M. Collette, Cashier and Homer J. Gilliland, President. This is a Replacement note
1929 Type 1 $50 bank note with printed signatures of J.M. Collette, Cashier and Homer J. Gilliland, President. This is a Replacement note. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com
1929 Type 2 $10 bank note with printed signatures of J.M. Collette, Cashier and L.C. Morgan, President
1929 Type 2 $10 bank note with printed signatures of J.M. Collette, Cashier and L.C. Morgan, President. Courtesy of Lyn Knight Auctions, www.lynknight.com

A total of $1,609,010 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1864 and 1935. This consisted of a total of 109,452 notes (103,168 large size and 6,284 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 - 3600
Original Series 4x5 1 - 5725
Series 1875 3x1-2 1 - 2260
Series 1875 4x5 1 - 4050
1882 Brown Back 4x5 1 - 5943
1882 Brown Back 3x10-20 1 - 232
1902 Red Seal 50-100 1 - 1260
1902 Date Back 50-100 1 - 1300
1902 Date Back 3x50-100 1 - 2063
1902 Plain Back 3x50-100 2064 - 2702
1929 Type 1 6x10 1 - 316
1929 Type 1 6x20 1 - 106
1929 Type 1 6x50 1 - 295
1929 Type 1 6x100 1 - 95
1929 Type 2 10 1 - 1117
1929 Type 2 20 1 - 295

Bank Presidents and Cashiers

Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1864 - 1935):

Presidents:

Cashiers:

Other Known Bank Note Signers

  • No other known bank note signers for this bank

Bank Note History Links

Sources

  • Van Wert, OH, 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
  1. The Fremont Weekly Journal, Fremont, OH, Fri., Feb. 5, 1869.
  2. The Times-Democrat, Lima, OH, Wed., Apr. 21, 1869.
  3. The Daily Advocate, Greenville, OH, Sat., May 7, 1938.
  4. The Lima Citizen, Lima, OH, Sun., Apr. 10, 1960.
  5. The Daily Advocate, Greenville, OH, Sat., May 7, 1938.
  6. The Lima News, Lima, OH, Thu., Jan. 12, 1939.
  7. Delphos Daily Herald, Delphos, OH, Thu., Jan. 15, 1942.
  8. The Lima News, Lima, OH, Wed., June 14, 1939.
  9. The Lima News, Lima, OH, Thu., June 19, 1986.
  10. The Cincinnati Post, Cincinnati, OH, Wed., May 19, 1999.
  11. The Cincinnati Post, Cincinnati, OH, Fri., Apr. 3, 1998.