Healdsburg National Bank, Healdsburg, CA (Charter 10204)
Healdsburg National Bank, Healdsburg, CA (Chartered 1912 - Liquidated 1925)
Town History
Healdsburg is a city located in Sonoma County, in California's Wine Country. At the 2010 census, the city had a population of 11,254. Due to its three most important wine-producing regions (the Russian River, Dry Creek, and Alexander Valley), Healdsburg has been continuously awarded one of the top 10 small towns in America and is home to three of the top wineries in the United States.
Early inhabitants of the local area included the Pomo people, who constructed villages in open areas along the Russian River. Anglo-American and Russian settlement may have commenced in the mid-19th century, with a settlement nearby, established downstream along the Russian River near Graton, in 1836, and later the Rancho Sotoyome land grant, in 1844. In 1857, Harmon Heald, an Ohio businessman who had been squatting on Rancho Sotoyome since 1850, purchased part of the rancho, giving the city its official founding date. In 1867, Healdsburg was incorporated. Farming, especially orchards and truck farms, was common within the present city limits from at least the 1890s to 1940s.
Healdsburg had two National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, The First National Bank (Charter 10184) and The Healdsburg National Bank (Charter 10204), and both of those banks issued National Bank Notes.
Bank History
- Organized May 15, 1912
- Chartered May 21, 1912
- Succeeded The Sotoyome Bank of Healdsburg
- Liquidated November 30, 1925
- Absorbed by Liberty Bank of San Francisco
The Healdsburg National Bank was founded by George H. Warfield as the Sotoyome Bank in 1903. The Healdsburg National Bank with capital of $75,000 merged with the Healdsburg Savings Bank with capital of $25,000 in May 1912. The directors of the new institution were George C. Alexander, E.H. Barnes, A.E. Barnes, A.E. Burnham, E.M. Norton, Frank Passalacqua, Ira H. Rosenberg, J.W. Seawell, and George H. Warfield. The Healdsburg National Bank succeeded the Sotoyome Bank, increasing the capital by $25,000.
On about October 27, 1925, an agreement was made by the Liberty Bank to purchase the Healdsburg National Bank subject to the approval of California's Superintendent of Banks. The Liberty Bank was led by president R.E. Miller. The Bank of Italy had controlling interest in the Liberty Bank and this was the fourth Sonoma county bank to be acquired in 1925. The Healdsburg National Bank had assets of more than $3 million at the time with George H. Warfield, president, Fred W. McConnell, vice president, and W.R. Haley, cashier.
On June 21, 1947, George H. Warfield, retired Healdsburg banker whose father helped found the Farmers and Mechanics Bank there in 1877, died after a long illness. He was 78. Mr. Warfield joined his father's bank as a clerk in 1889 and held a number of positions including the presidency. Later, he had an interest in the Sotoyome Bank of Healdsburg which, in 1912, became the foundation for two institutions, the Healdsburg National Bank and the Healdsburg Savings Bank. In 1925 the two organizations were purchased by a predecessor of the Bank of America and Mr. Warfield was appointed branch manager. He became vice president in 1931 when the First National Bank became a part of the Bank of America system. He retired in 1935.
Official Bank Title(s)
1: The Healdsburg National Bank, Healdsburg, CA
Bank Note Types Issued
A total of $994,700 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1912 and 1925. This consisted of a total of 121,876 notes (121,876 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 1902 Date Back 4x5 1 - 2550 1902 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 1960 1902 Plain Back 4x5 2551 - 17625 1902 Plain Back 3x10-20 1961 - 12844
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1912 - 1925):
Presidents:
Cashiers:
Other Known Bank Note Signers
- No other known bank note signers for this bank
Bank Note History Links
- Healdsburg National Bank, Healdsburg, CA History (NB Lookup)
- California Bank Note History (BNH Wiki)
Sources
- Healdsburg, CA, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healdsburg,_California
- 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
- Petaluma Daily Morning Courier, Petaluma, CA, Fri., May 17, 1912.
- Petaluma Argus-Courier, Petaluma, CA, Tue., Oct. 27, 1925.
- The San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco, CA, Sun., June 22, 1947.