First National Bank of Alliance, OH (Charter 2041)
First National Bank of Alliance, OH (Chartered 1872 - Liquidated 1882)
Town History
Alliance is a city in eastern Stark County, Ohio. It was established in 1854 by the merger of three smaller communities and was a manufacturing and railroad hub for much of the 20th century. It is associated with the state flower of Ohio, the scarlet carnation, and is known as the "Carnation City". The University of Mount Union, a private liberal arts college established in 1846, is located in Alliance. Partially extending into Mahoning County, the city is part of the Canton–Massillon metropolitan area. The population was 21,672 as of the 2020 census. In 1890 the population was 7,607, growing to 23,047 by 1930.
Alliance was founded in 1854 by the merger of three smaller communities called Williamsport, formed in 1827, Freedom, formed in 1838, and Liberty, formed in 1850 to act as a station and support hub for the Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad. A fourth community, Mount Union, was added in 1888. Alliance was incorporated as a city in 1889.
There are two popular theories regarding the origin of the city's name. One holds that it was chosen because of the "alliance" of three small settlements into a larger entity. The other theory says the name reflects the fact that two major railroad lines, the Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad and the Ohio and Pennsylvania Railroad, intersected at Alliance, once known as "The Crossing".
In 1923, Alliance Rubber Company was founded in Alliance. It was a manufacturer of rubber bands cut from discarded rubber inner tubes into small strips.
Alliance had three National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and two of those banks issued National Bank Notes.
Bank History
- Organized June 19, 1872
- Chartered September 6, 1872
- Liquidated January 3, 1882
- Succeeded by Alliance Banking Company
On July 11, 1882, the Alliance Bank Company, capital $50,000, and the Sandusky Basket Co., capital $20,000, incorporated at Columbus.[1]
On Tuesday, January 16, 1883, the directors of the Alliance Bank Co. elected were John Atwell, N.L. Wann, Morris Pennock, S.J. Williams, WM. A. Miller, Richard Lee, James Ailes, Wm. Chambers and Ed. M. Day. At a subsequent meeting of the directors, the following officers were elected: John Atwell, president; M.C. Pennock, vice president; and W.H. Ramsey, cashier.[2]
In April 1887, Mr. Henry C. Ellison, cashier of the Ohio National Bank and a native of Stark County, had been identified with the business interests of Cleveland little more than three years. Not many of his friends in Cleveland were aware that he served with honor and distinction for three years in the war of the rebellion, returning from which he found an opportunity to engage in trade. It was not until 1872 that his name appeared in Bradstreet's among the list of Ohio bankers and then it was as cashier of the First National Bank of Alliance. He continued as cashier of the Alliance bank until 1879, when the Citizens National Bank of Canton was organized and Mr. Ellison was made the cashier of that institution. In 1884 he was called to Cleveland to take charge of the Ohio National Bank. He was an unassuming, modest man, who greeted every comer with the deference generally reserved in banking institutions for the magnates of the city.[3]
On April 7, 1891, John Atwell of Alliance, president of the Alliance Banking Co. and one of the leading businessmen of the area, died after a lingering illness. He was born in Ireland and came to the United States in 1831. For years he was a member of the Allegheny, Pennsylvania, firm of Atwell, Lee & Co. on Liberty Street. He acquired a considerable fortune and retired in 1871. He moved from Pittsburgh to Alliance in 1868 and organized the bank in 1872.[4]
In 1922, the Alliance Bank Company merged with First National Bank/Alliance First NB, Alliance, OH (Charter 3721) with title change to the Alliance First National Bank.
Official Bank Title
1: The First National Bank of Alliance, OH
Bank Note Types Issued
A total of $107,300 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1872 and 1882. This consisted of a total of 16,024 notes (16,024 large size and No 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 - 500 Original Series 4x5 1 - 1475 Original Series 3x10-20 1 - 630 Series 1875 4x5 1 - 875 Series 1875 3x10-20 1 - 526
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1872 - 1882):
Presidents:
Cashiers:
Other Known Bank Note Signers
Bank Note History Links
Sources
- Alliance, 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