St. Johns National Bank, St. Johns, MI (Charter 3378)
St. Johns National Bank, Saint Johns, MI (Chartered 1885 - Open past 1935)
Town History
St. Johns or Saint Johns is the largest city in and the county seat of Clinton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 7,698 at the 2020 census. In 1880 the population was 2,370, growing to 3,929 by 1930.
St. Johns is located in the north of Clinton County, surrounded by Bingham Township (although the two are administered independently). St. Johns is about 18 miles north of Lansing, Michigan's capital city, and is part of the Lansing–East Lansing metropolitan area. St. Johns has been nicknamed the "Mint Capital of the World"
Near the turn of the century, high demand for mint oil in medicines and candy from companies like Wrigley caused a surge in demand for mint farming. The rich, organic, muck soil of Clinton County makes the area around St. Johns particularly well-suited for mint farming. As a result, many mint farmers cultivated mint. The Crosby Mint Farm, established by J.E. Crosby in 1912, claims to be the oldest continuously family-operated mint farm in the United States.
St. Johns had two National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and both of those banks issued National Bank Notes.
Bank History
- Organized June 8, 1885
- Chartered August 15, 1885
- Succeeded 1539 (First National Bank, St. Johns, MI)
- Bank was Open past 1935
In August 1885, the First National Bank of St. Johns was reorganized with a capital of $100,000 under the name of The St. Johns National Bank." The officers were John Hicks, president; Geo. A. Steel, vice president; Galusha Pennell, cashier. Directors were John Hicks, Josiah Upton, G. Pennell, A.H. Walker, C.E. Ball, R.M. Steel, and Geo. A. Steel.[1]
In September 1906, the contract for the new St. Johns National Bank building to be erected on the corner of Clinton Avenue and Walker Streets was let to Charles Hoertz & Son of Grand Rapids for the sum of $23,408.[2]
In July 1907, St. Johns was looking forward with proud anticipation to the day when the fine new home of the St. Johns National Bank would be completed. The building was a three-story structure of cut granite and fancy pressed paving brick. The first floor was all granite and marble. The interior was being finished to a plan that recognized no limit of expense, replete with polished marble, Mexican onyx, mahogany and other expensive, highly finished woods. The vault would be the latest burglar- and fire-proof, time-locked device and the structure would be far and away the finest building in St. Johns. The cost was in the neighborhood of $50,000.[3]
In September 1908, the St. Johns National Bank and the Clinton County Savings Bank moved into their new block, Clinton Avenue and Walker Streets, St. Johns. The first deposits made in the new building were by Ida M. Hicks, youngest daughter of John C. Hicks, president of the national bank, and Jeanette McCall, daughter of J.R. McCall of Detroit, and granddaughter of President A.J. Baldwin of the savings bank. The erection of the new bank building began in October 1906, but there were unavoidable delays in getting furniture and fixtures. The first story of the building was of Indiana Bedford stone and the two upper stories of pressed glazed brick, with stone trimmings. The counters and wainscoting were of Pavonazza marble. The woodwork of the counters was of mahogany, and bronze grill work was used. The floors were of tile. The bank featured a customers' room, president's office, fire-proof vaults and directors' room. All wires were in conduits, rendering them absolutely safe. In addition to the banking offices, the building contained a store on the north, a ground floor office, five suites of offices on the second floor and a large hall for parties on the third floor.
The First National bank was incorporated in 1865 and reorganized in 1885 as the St. Johns National Bank. The directors for 1908 were Hicks, Galusha Pennell, R.C. Dexter, C.E. Ball, O.P. Dewitt, P.E. Walsworth, and C.C. Vaughan. The Clinton County Savings bank was organized in 1899. The directors for 1908 were A.J. Baldwin, Galusha Pennell, O.P. Dewitt, Frank Percy, P.E. Walsworth, C.E. Ball, John C. Hicks, C.C. Vaughan, and Mrs. Eliza A. Hicks. [4]
The morning of Friday, October 28, 1910, Galusha Pennell, one of the most prominent citizens of St. Johns, died after a long illness from neuritis. Mr. Pennell was born in Orleans County, New York, January 6, 1845. He moved to Michigan with his parents in 1861, settling on a farm near Ann Arbor. In 1868 they moved onto a farm near DeWitt, Clinton County. Mr. Pennell graduated from the literary department of the University of Michigan with the class of 1868. He then returned to the home farm where he devoted his energies to agricultural pursuits until called to public office, being elected on the democratic ticket to the office of sheriff in 1874. He served four years, during which period he became cashier in the St. Johns National Bank. He retained this position 12 years. From 1886 to 1890 he was again in public office, filling the position of United States Marshall under President Cleveland. Throughout this period he retained his interest in the bank and at the time of his death was vice president of the institution. For two years following his retirement as a U.S. Marshall, he was cashier of the La Grande National Bank of La Grande, Oregon. In December 1879 he married Miss Lydia Brinkeroff of DeWitt. Mr. Pennell was very prominent in masonry.[5]
In May 1917, realizing the need of a public time-piece where everyone could get the correct time of day, the St. Johns National Bank and Clinton County Savings Bank erected a magnificent electric illuminated clock in front of their banking house. The new time-piece had four large dials facing in as many directors and featured a complete set of Westminster chimes ringing every quarter hours and audible as far as the clock could be seen.[6]
In 1961 the Clinton National Bank and Trust Co. of St. Johns was formed through a merger of the State Bank of St. Johns, the St. Johns National Bank and the State Savings Bank of Elsie.[8]
Enoch T. "Ink" White, Jr., son of Enoch T. White Sr. and Jacqueline Eggleston, graduated from Lapeer High School, the Asheville School in Asheville, North Carolina, and the University of Michigan. In 1934, he became editor and publisher of the Gladwin County Record in Gladwin, Michigan. In 1945 he acquired the Clinton County Republican (later the Clinton County News) and became editor and publisher until 1965. In 1962 he joined the board of directors of the Clinton National Bank and Trust Company and eventually became president, serving until 1978.[9] Mr. White died on November 4, 1995, aged 82 years.[10]
- 08/04/1979 Changed Chartering Agency to STATE, and Changed Institution Name to Clinton Bank and Trust Company (FDIC #5047).
- 02/29/1980 Main Office moved to 200 North Clinton Avenue, Saint Johns, MI 48879.
- 06/15/1989 Changed Institution Name to Clinton Bank.
- 07/11/1989 Changed Trust Powers to None.
- 01/01/1991 Changed Institution Name to City Bank.
- 01/06/1996 Main Office moved to 200 West Higham Street, Saint Johns, MI 48879.
- 07/01/1997 Merged and became part of Citizens Bank (FDIC #986) in Flint, MI.
- 04/12/2013 Merged and became part of Firstmerit Bank, National Association (FDIC #13675) in Akron, OH.
- 08/16/2016 Merged and became part of The Huntington National Bank (FDIC #6560) in Columbus, OH.
Official Bank Title
1: The St. Johns National Bank, St. Johns, MI
Bank Note Types Issued
A total of $328,010 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1885 and 1935. This consisted of a total of 26,249 notes (23,504 large size and 2,745 small size notes).
This bank issued the following Types and Denominations of bank notes:
Series/Type Sheet/Denoms Serial#s Sheet Comments 1882 Brown Back 3x10-20 1 - 2542 1902 Red Seal 3x10-20 1 - 500 1902 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 1130 1902 Plain Back 3x10-20 1131 - 2834 1929 Type 1 6x10 1 - 314 1929 Type 1 6x20 1 - 106 1929 Type 2 10 1 - 185 1929 Type 2 20 1 - 40
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
The St. Johns National Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1885 - 1936):
Presidents:
Cashiers:
Other Bank Note Signers
- There are currently no known Vice President or Assistant Cashier bank note signers for this bank.
Wiki Links
- Michigan Bank Note History
- General information on St. Johns (Wikipedia)
- General information on Clinton County (Wikipedia)
- General information on Michigan (Wikipedia)
Sources
- Saint Johns, MI, 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://bbdata.banknotehistory.com
- ↑ Grand Rapids Morning Telegram, Grand Rapids, MI, Mon., Aug. 24, 1885.
- ↑ Lansing State Journal, Lansing, MI, Fri., Sep. 28, 1906.
- ↑ The Grand Rapids Press, Grand Rapids, MI, Sat., July 6, 1907.
- ↑ Lansing State Journal, Lansing, MI, Sat., Sep. 26, 1908.
- ↑ Lansing State Journal, Lansing, MI, Sat., Oct. 29, 1910.
- ↑ Belding Banner, Belding, MI, Wed., May 2, 1917.
- ↑ Lansing State Journal, Lansing, MI, Mon., Jan. 16, 1978.
- ↑ Lansing State Journal, Lansing, MI, Thu., Nov. 30, 1972.
- ↑ Livingston County Daily Press and Argus, Howell, MI, Wed., Nov. 15, 1995.
- ↑ Lansing State Journal, Lansing, MI, Wed., Nov. 8, 1995.