First National Bank in Amboy, IL (Charter 14244)
First National Bank in (No Issue), Amboy, IL (Chartered 1934 - Open past 1935)
Town History
Amboy is a city in Lee County, Illinois, along the Green River. The population was 2,500 at the 2010 census. The chain of Carson Pirie Scott & Co. began in Amboy when Samuel Carson opened his first dry goods store there and in LaSalle in 1854.
Amboy had its start in the 1850s when the Illinois Central Railroad was extended to that point. The Illinois Central facility in Amboy served as the railroad's division headquarters. The building was saved from demolition and is a museum. The actual railroad and train yard were abandoned and removed in the early 1990's.
Amboy was the site of an ammunition factory for World War II - The Green River Ordnance Plant. It was roughly bordered by Sterling Road to the south, Bataan Road to the East, and Bataan Road to the North and West of the facility. The facility was completed on Dec. 15, 1942 and used until VJ day in August 1945 and at one time employed 4,500 people.
Amboy had two National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and one of those banks issued National Bank Notes.
Bank History
- Organized July 12, 1934
- Chartered August 10, 1934
- Succeeded 5223 (First National Bank of Amboy, IL)
- Bank was Open past 1935
- For Bank History after 1935 see FDIC Bank History website
- This bank is still in business as First National Bank in Amboy, IL (January 2022)
Cashier H.H. Badger of the First National Bank of Amboy was appointed conservator of the First National Bank. In December 1933, the reorganization plan was approved with frozen deposits of $626,000 and unrestricted deposits of $76,000.[1]
Dr. Eugene A. Sullivan was a prominent local physician, a former director of the old First National and president of the new First National Bank in Amboy. With the exception of a year abroad, studying in Berlin and Vienna, he spent his entire professional career in Amboy and started his medical practice in 1899. In June 1906, he married Mary McDonald at Maytown. They had four sons. He passed away on September 15, 1945 at the Amboy public hospital after a brief illness.[2]
Lester LeRoy Brink was born in Nebraska and married Grace L. Leake on May 28, 1912 at Amboy. He was a graduate of the Steinmann Business College, Dixon, IL and he was an assistant cashier under H.H. Badger in the old First National Bank. He was a 50 year member of the Illinois Bankers' Association. He passed away on April 28, 1968 and was the former president and chairman of the board of the First National Bank.[3]
05/13/2016 Acquired Franklin Grove Bank (FDIC Cert. #9636) in Franklin Grove, IL.
Official Bank Titles
1: The First National Bank in Amboy, IL
Bank Note Types Issued
No National Bank Notes were issued by this bank.
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1934 - 1936):
Presidents:
Cashiers:
Other Bank Note Signers
- There are currently no known Vice President or Assistant Cashier bank note signers for this bank.
Wiki Links
- Illinois Bank Note History
- General information on Amboy (Wikipedia)
- General information on Lee County (Wikipedia)
- General information on Illinois (Wikipedia)
Sources
- Amboy, 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