John C. Shirk (Brookville, IN)

Photo of John C. Shirk, President of the National Brookville Bank.

John C. Shirk (Mar 14, 1858 – April 21, 1924)

Biography

Photo, ca1924, of John C. Shirk.

• Name: John C. Shirk
• Birth: Mar 14, 1858 - Springfield Twp., Franklin County, Indiana
• Death: April 21, 1924 - Brookville, Indiana
• Member of Indiana banking family
• University of Indiana graduate 1881.

Early life and family

Mr. John C. Shirk was the son of Andrew Shirk and Sarah Wright Shirk. His paternal great-great-grandfather, Casper Sherk [sic.], set out from Switzerland for American in May 1731, his wife and child having succumbed to the rigors of the journey. Casper Sherk, a Mennonite, settled in Hempfield Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He married Magdalena Barbara Foulck in December 1732 and two sons, Casper Jr. and Andrew were know to survive. Bought land next to Swatara Creek, Bethel Township, Lebanon County. buying 275 acres around 1739. This land became the homestead and Shirksville was established thereon. Andrew, who was John C. Shirk's great-grandfather, was born in 1753. When the Revolutionary War broke out, he enlisted in the Colonial Army and served under General Greene in the Carolina Campaign. After the surrender of Cornwallis, he settled near Augusta, Georgia, where he married Martha Hamilton and they had eight children. Later, he moved with his family to Kentucky and in a short time, owing to his opposition to slavery, moved to Ohio and later to Indiana, and around 1810, entered land known as the old Ries Farm. In the journey from Georgia to Kentucky, two of the younger children, David and Samuel were carried in baskets hanging over a pack saddle. One of the children, Samuel, was the grandfather of Mr. Shirk. Samuel was married to Elizabeth Stout whose father, Job Stout, served as Washington's aide-de-camp and was present at the surrender of Cornwallis. Prior to his marriage, he entered 80 acres in Springfield Township, Franklin County, Indiana, and there, Mr. Shirk's father, Andrew Shirk was born on September 22, 1816. Andrew Shirk married Sarah Wright, daughter of William Wright and Ann Bardsley Wright, who was born at Dayton, Ohio, November 9, 1823, and who came with her parents in her infancy to Indiana where she was reared. The family consisted of nine children, Elizabeth, who died in 1922 of old age; Elbert H., a banker of the Tipton County Bank, Tipton, Indiana, who passed away April 12, 1901; Mrs. Mary Williams who died September 21, 1923; William W., hardware merchant and vice president of the Union National Bank of Muncie, Indiana, who died June 14, 1912; Samuel who died at the age of 13; Mrs. Marth Goodwin who passed away November 18, 1923; James A., retired banker of Delphi, Indiana; John C. and George M., refrigerator manufacturer of Chicago.

Mr. John C. Shirk was born in Springfield Township, Franklin County, Indiana, March 14, 1858, and departed life on April 21, 1924. He attended the Athens School half a mile from his home, the school his grandfather had named. In the fall of 1875, he entered the preparatory department of Indiana University at Bloomington, Indiana, and graduated in one year. He then entered the University proper in the fall of 1875. While in college he was a member of the Athenian Society and also a member of the Phi Delta fraternity and he helped organize the Phi Delta Theta Chapter at DePauw University at Greencastle. He was a delegate of this fraternity at Indianapolis in 1880. In 1877 he stayed out of college for a year and clerked in his brother's hardware store at Muncie, Indiana. He was a hard-working student and graduated in June 1881.

The Monday following his graduation he entered the Brookville Bank. In September 1882, his father died and with two of his brothers, James and George, he went to Petoskey, Michigan where he spent almost a year, returning to Brookville as a partner in the Brookville Bank with his brother-in-law, Charles F. Goodwin. At this time he resided with his mother.

On March 3, 1886, he was united in marriage with Miss Lura Chafee, daughter of Rev. John G. Chafee, D.D., who was at that time pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Brookville. Their family consisted of eight children. Howard, the eldest, died in 1898. The seven remaining were Charles A., Grosvernor, Samuel, Ellen (Mrs. Kenneth Coffin of Indianapolis), Cornelia, Chafee, W., and Horace Hamilton. Four of the boys were in the World War. All with the exception of Charles A., who resided at Kendallville and was cashier of the Citizens National Bank there, and Mrs. Coffin, resided in Brookville.

Mr. Shirk was fond of traveling and made many trips including the Mediterranean and to various European countries, and had visited every portion of the United States.

Banking career

On June 14, 1881, John C. Shirk began clerking in the Brookville Bank and on January 1, 1884, he became a partner in the business. Bank held an open house January 10, 1913 upon the completion of improvements and remodeling.

The application for a charter for the National Brookville Bank was approved. The new bank would succeed the Brookville Bank, changing from a private to a national bank. The officers were John C. Shirk, president; John P. Goodwin, vice president; and George E. Dennett, cashier. The paid up capital was $50,000 and a surplus was almost 50% of that amount.

• Helped organize the Indiana Bankers' Association and was treasurer for a year.
• Chairman of Group Six of the Indiana Bankers' Association, 1921.
• Chairman of the committee on agriculture of the American Bankers' Association, 1923.

Other career highlights

In 1896, the Bishop Furniture Company failed. The Brookville Bank had a mortgage on its real estate and machinery. It took a year to foreclose the mortgage. There were no bidders on the property, so the bank was obliged to buy it. Mr. Shirk immediately organized the A.M. Tucker Furniture Company with A.M. Tucker and James Buckley as associates and since opening, the operation had not shut down a day except to make repairs. In 1903 Mr. Shirk erected the magnificent building occupied by the Franklin Furniture Company and Harmony Lodge No. 11, F. & A.M., selling the third story to that order.

• Organizer and president, Franklin Furniture Company.
• Organizer and president, Brookville Telephone Company.
• During World War I, chairman of the five Liberty Loan drives and the War Savings Stamps organization for Franklin County.
• Director of the American Red Cross
• Organizer of the Franklin County Farmers' Insurance Company and was secretary and treasurer from its organization until his death.
• Secretary of the Farmers' Institution for 15 years. [The Farmers Institute was permanently organized under the act of 1881. In 1900 it had about 400 members. There were no agents or solicitors to pay. Property was insured on an appraisement of its value and the risk of the company was limited to a certain fixed percentage of such valuation. Losses were assessed against members in proportion to the amount of insurance they carried. Its losses averaged less than 0.2%. Societies at Haymond and Oldenburg had effected savings as well, but the exact figures where unknown.]
• Charter member of the Kiwanis Club
• President, Brookville Business Men's Association.
• President of the board of trustees, Methodist Episcopal Church.
• Organizer, Brookville Historical Society.
• President, Saturday Club.
• President of the School Board of Brookville.
• First to create an interest in the Public Library of Brookville, corresponding with Mr. Carnegie to secure the donation.

Later life and death

On Monday, April 21, 1924, John C. Shirk, 66, died at the family home in Brookville. Surviving were five sons, two daughter and the widow. Mr. Shirk was president of the Brookville National Bank and the Brookville Furniture Company.

Bank Officer Summary

During his banking career, John C. Shirk was involved with the following bank(s):

• Brookville Bank of Goodwin and Shirk (Private Bank): Clerk 1881, President 1896...1905
• National Brookville Bank, Brookville, IN (Charter 7805): President 1905-1923

$10 Series of 1902 Red Seal bank note with pen signatures of George E. Dennett, Cashier and John C. Shirk, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

$20 Series of 1902 Red Seal bank note with pen signature of John P. Goodwin, Vice President and stamped signature of John C. Shirk, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

Sources

• John C. Shirk on Findagrave.com
• Banks & Bankers Historical Database (1782-1935)