Flora National Bank, Flora, IL (Charter 11509)
Flora National Bank, Flora, IL (Chartered 1919 - Liquidated 1931)
Town History
Flora is a city in Clay County, Illinois, located about 100 mils east of St. Louis, Missouri 30 miles south of Effingham, Illinois. The population was 4,803 at the 2020 census. In 1920, the population was 3,558, peaking in 1940 at 5,474.
Flora was founded by Samuel White. White was born September 10, 1831, in Warren County, Ohio. He and his family came to Clay County in 1852. During that time, he purchased 85 acres of land from the State of Illinois. The original town of Flora was laid out, surveyed and platted in February 1854 by Ethelred Nixon, County Surveyor; John Brown, Trustee for Songer, Camp & Company; and Samuel White. Samuel White who still owned the land, deeded one-half interest in forty acres to John Brown, Trustee, with a view of securing the town and depot. An effort had already been made to establish a town one mile west called Mooresville, where over 100 lots had been sold and some buildings done. After the collapse of that village, the principal house was moved to Flora, and was then known as the "Commercial House." The city's founder died November 15, 1912, in Sterling, Colorado, and was returned to Flora for burial in the family plot at Elmwood.
The Flora Station of the Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) was built in 1872 with generous help from local citizens. It served the City of Flora until 1916, when it was destroyed by fire. In 1916–1917, a new three-story brick depot was built. This building was a huge part of the economic life of the community during those early years. In the 1920s, the railroad employed half the wage earners in Flora.
Flora had two National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and both of those banks issued National Bank Notes.
Bank History
- Organized October 7, 1919
- Chartered November 14, 1919
- Succeeded Bank of Flora, Flora, Illinois
- Liquidated May 14, 1931
- Absorbed by 1961 (First National Bank, Flora, IL)
In April 1908, the Bank of Flora moved into their new quarters in the Kumer building. Dr. J.M. Boyles was president of the bank.[1]
In 1919, the Flora National Bank was organized by F.H. Simpson, T.J. Friend, W.A. Karr, H.C. Chaffin and C.E. Gibson, with capital of $65,000. Its officers from the beginning were as follows: F.H. Simpson, president; T.J. Friend and W.A. Karr, vice presidents; C.E. Gibson, cashier; and Charles C. Snyder, assistant cashier. On November 1, 1924, the Flora National Bank moved from its original location at 101 West North Avenue to its new $75,000 building at 100 West North Avenue in Flora.[2]
On Monday, March 30, 1931, a merger of the Flora National Bank with the First National Bank was completed with the combined bank operating under the charter of the First National. Charles C. Snyder, formerly with the Flora National, would be retained as assistant cashier of the First National. The Flora National would be kept open for the benefit of safety deposit box customers until additional boxes could be installed at the First National.[3]
Frank H. Simpson was born on December 6, 1870, at Vincennes, Indiana, the son of James H. Simpson, a veteran of the Civil war. He had been a citizen of Illinois since 1891, casting his first vote in Richmond County in 1892 for Benjamin Harrison for president. He engaged in orchard and fruit growing in Richland County from 1891 to 1901. In 1894 he was married to Miss Pearl H. Pipes of Washington, D.C., who was the daughter of Capt. James M. Pipes, veteran of the Civil War, recipient of the Medal of Honor for actions on the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg, (July 2, 1863) and at the Battle of Reams Station, Virginia (August 25, 1864) where he lost an arm,[4] and the first secretary of state of West Virginia. He had one daughter, the wife of Arthur P. Holt, formerly of Urbana, Illinois, but now a resident of Flora. Mr. Simpson entered the employment of the Ebner Ice & Cold Storage Company in 1901, moved to Flora, and took charge of their cold storage and ice plant at that place and remained with them until 1913. In 1913 he organized the F.H. Simpson Fruit Company to market fruits in car lots and at the time of his death, was engaged in that business, operating throughout southern Illinois and western Illinois in shipments averaging 900 to 1,600 cars annually and mainly Illinois fruits. He was interested in fruit farms located in Adams, Marion and Richlands Counties, principally apples and peaches. Mr. Simpson was president of the State Horticultural Society in 1922 and 1923, president of the International Apple Shippers Association in 1926 and 1927 and at the organization of the Flora National Bank of Flora, Illinois, was elected president. He held the office of precinct committeeman and was chairman of the Clay County Republican central committee for six years.[5] recipient of moh
Official Bank Title
1: The Flora National Bank, Flora, IL
Bank Note Types Issued
A total of $600,580 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1919 and 1931. This consisted of a total of 77,894 notes (65,360 large size and 12,534 small size notes).
This bank issued the following Types and Denominations of bank notes:
Series/Type Sheet/Denoms Serial#s Sheet Comments 1902 Plain Back 4x5 1 - 10500 1902 Plain Back 3x10-20 1 - 5840 1929 Type 1 6x5 1 - 1256 1929 Type 1 6x10 1 - 651 1929 Type 1 6x20 1 - 182
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1919 - 1931):
Presidents:
Cashiers:
Other Known Bank Note Signers
- No other known bank note signers for this bank
Bank Note History Links
Sources
- Flora, 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
- ↑ The Olney Times, Olney, IL, Thu., Apr. 30, 1908.
- ↑ Huston, Francis Murray and Russel, Andrew, Financing an Empire: History of Banking in Illinois, Chicago, S.J. Clarke Pub. Co. (1926), p. 483.
- ↑ Lawrence County News, Lawrenceville, IL, Thu., Apr. 2, 1931.
- ↑ The Washington Herald, Washington, DC, Mon., Dec. 3, 1928.
- ↑ Clinton Daily Journal and Public, Clinton, IL, Wed., Sep. 26, 1928.