Peoples National Bank, Manassas, VA (Charter 6748)
Peoples National Bank, Manassas, VA (Chartered 1903 - Closed (Merger) 1975)
Town History
Manassas (/məˈnæsəs/), formerly Manassas Junction, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 42,772 at the 2020 Census. It is the county seat of Prince William County and is part of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1900 the population was 817, growing to 1,215 by 1930.
In July 1861, the First Battle of Bull Run (also known as the Battle of First Manassas) was fought nearby, the first major land battle of the American Civil War. The Second Battle of Bull Run (or the Battle of Second Manassas) was fought near Manassas on August 28–30, 1862. At that time, Manassas Junction was little more than a railroad crossing, but a strategic one, with rails leading to Richmond, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and the Shenandoah Valley. Despite these two Confederate victories, Manassas Junction was in Union hands for most of the war.
Following the war, the crossroads grew into the town of Manassas, which was incorporated in 1873. In 1894, Manassas was designated the county seat of Prince William County, replacing Brentsville. In 1975, Manassas was incorporated as an independent city, and as per Virginia law, was separated from Prince William County. Manassas is about 32 miles west of Washington, DC.
Manassas had two National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, the National Bank of Manassas (Charter 5032) and the Peoples National Bank (Charter 6748), and both of those banks issued National Bank Notes.
Bank History
- Organized April 4, 1903
- Chartered April 28, 1903
- Bank was Open past 1935
- For Bank History after 1935 see FDIC Bank History website
- Merged into United Virginia Bank/National in Vienna, VA, December 31, 1975
The building at 9406 Battle Street was built in 1875 and is the oldest existing storefront in Manassas. In 1895, the building was home to the Misses Hazen Millinery Shop located at the corner of Center and Battle Streets. In 1903 it was moved to make room for the new Peoples National Bank of Manassas.[1]
In January 1909, the directors elected were G. Raymond Ratcliffe, William H. brown, A.W. Sinclair, George M. Ratcliffe, Ira E. Cannon, A.A. Hooff, John W. Prescott, Daniel H. Prescott, S.J. Johnston, R.H. Davis, William N. Lipscomb, and James E. Nelson.[2]
In February 1915, A.A. May accepted a position with the Peoples National Bank of Manassas made vacant by promotions attending the resignation of Harry P. Davis, assistant cashier, who became the assistant cashier of the National Bank of Manassas.[3]
In June 1921, the officers of the Peoples National Bank of Manassas were William H. Brown, president; G.M. Ratcliffe, vice president; G. Raymond Ratcliffe, cashier; and M.M. Ellis, assistant cashier; The directors were William H. Brown, G. Raymond Ratcliffe, E.H. Hibbs, A.A. Hooff, Ira E. Cannon, G.M. Ratcliffe, C.A. Sinclair, George D. Baker and J.J. Connor. The resources on February 21, 1921, were $547,328.67.[4]
On Tuesday, September 17, 1929, George Matthews Ratcliffe, prominent banker and merchant of Prince William County died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. H. Clay Speake in Dumfries. Mr. Ratcliffe was born April 9, 1845, about 5 miles from his present home and was the oldest merchant in point of continuous service in Prince William County having started a merchandise and lumber business in Dumfries in 1880. He was one of the organizers of the Peoples National Bank of Manassas having been a director since its organization in 1903 and its president since 1924. In politics he was a Democrat and had held several offices including that of mayor of Dumfries, magistrate, and deputy county treasurer.[5]
In November 1966, Gene K. Conner was elected president of the Peoples National Bank of Manassas. Conner began his banking career in 1948 with the Peninsula Bank and Trust Co. of Williamsburg. He also was associated with the Valley National Bank of Phoenix and joined the Peoples National in January 1955.[6]
On May 22, 1973, United Virginia Bankshares, Inc., announced that the Justice Department would not appeal a recent US District Court decision that upheld the holding company's acquisition of Peoples National Bank of Manassas. K.A. Randall, president of the holding company, said UVB would proceed immediately to complete its identification program with Peoples National. The holding company originally announced its intention to acquire Peoples National in February 1969, but the Justice Department filed an antitrust suit the following year. In a recent decision favorable to UVB the district court ruled that the acquisition did not violate antitrust laws.[7]
UVB was originally chartered as State Planters Bank of Commerce and Trusts on December 8, 1865, in Richmond. In 1926, State Planters Bank of Commerce and Trusts merged with State & City Bank and Trust Co. and was renamed State Planters Bank and Trust Company. In 1969, it was renamed United Virginia Bank/State Planters. It reorganized as a holding company, United Virginia Bankshares, in 1971, which changed its name to Crestar Financial Corporation in 1987.
On September 24, 1976, Russell Powell, retired president of the Peoples National Bank of Manassas, died at his home in Williamsburg. A native of Greene County, Mr. Powell began his banking career in 1912 as a cashier with the Bank of Greene in Stanardsville. He moved to Peoples bank in 1944, retiring in 1962.[8]
Official Bank Title
1: The Peoples National Bank of Manassas, VA
Bank Note Types Issued
A total of $666,080 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1903 and 1935. This consisted of a total of 53,644 notes (43,456 large size and 10,188 small size notes).
This bank issued the following Types and Denominations of bank notes:
Series/Type Sheet/Denoms Serial#s Sheet Comments 1902 Red Seal 3x10-20 1 - 1790 1902 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 2510 1902 Plain Back 3x10-20 2511 - 9074 1929 Type 1 6x10 1 - 1044 1929 Type 1 6x20 1 - 278 1929 Type 2 10 1 - 1824 1929 Type 2 20 1 - 432
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1903 - 1935):
Presidents:
- William Hill Brown, 1903-1923
- George Matthews Ratcliffe, 1924-1928
- Charles Armistead Sinclair, Sr., 1929-1935
Cashiers:
Other Known Bank Note Signers
Bank Note History Links
Sources
- Manassas, VA, 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
- ↑ Potomac News, Woodbridge, VA, Sun., Apr. 5, 1998.
- ↑ The Washington Herald, Washington, DC, Thu., Jan. 14, 1909.
- ↑ Evening Star, Washington, DC, Sun., Feb. 7, 1915.
- ↑ Evening Star, Washington, DC, Sun., June 19, 1921.
- ↑ The Free Lance-Star, Fredericksburg, VA, Wed., Sep. 18, 1929.
- ↑ Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond, VA, Fri., Nov. 18, 1966.
- ↑ Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond, VA, Wed., May 23, 1973.
- ↑ The Virginia Gazette, Williamsburg, VA, Fri., Oct. 1, 1976.