State National Bank of Saint Joseph, MO (Charter 4228)

An advertisement for the State Savings Bank from January 1889.

State National Bank of Saint Joseph, MO (Chartered 1890 - Liquidated 1897)

Town History

St. Joseph is a city in Andrew and Buchanan counties and the county seat of Buchanan County, Missouri. Located on the Missouri River, it is the principal city of the St. Joseph Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Buchanan, Andrew, and DeKalb counties in Missouri and Doniphan County, Kansas. As of the 2020 census, St. Joseph had a total population of 72,473, making it the 8th most populous city in the state, and the 3rd most populous in Northwest Missouri. St. Joseph is located roughly 30 miles north of the Kansas City, Missouri, and approximately 125 miles south of Omaha, Nebraska. The city was named after the town's founder Joseph Robidoux and the biblical Saint Joseph. St. Joseph is home to Missouri Western State University.

St. Joseph was founded on the Missouri River by Joseph Robidoux, a local fur trader of French Canadian descent. It was officially incorporated in 1843. In its early days, it was a bustling outpost and rough frontier town, serving as a last supply point and jumping-off point for travelers on the Missouri River toward the "Wild West". It was the westernmost point in the United States accessible by rail until after the American Civil War. The main east–west downtown streets were named for Robidoux's eight children: Faraon, Jules, Francois (Francis), Felix, Edmond, Charles, Sylvanie, and Messanie. The street between Sylvanie and Messanie was named for his second wife, Angelique.

St. Joseph, or "St. Joe", as it was called by many, was a "Jumping-Off Point" for those migrants headed to the Oregon Territory in the mid-1800s. Such cities, including Independence, and St. Joseph, were where pioneers would stay and purchase supplies before they headed out in wagon trains across the Great Plains. The town was a very lively place.

Between April 3, 1860, and late October 1861, St. Joseph was one of the two endpoints of the Pony Express, which operated for a short period over the land then inaccessible by rail, to provide fast mail service. Today the Pony Express Museum hosts visitors in the former stables of the company. St. Joseph is identified by the slogan, "Where the Pony Express started and Jesse James ended."

Outlaw Jesse James lived here under the alias "Mr. Howard". The song, "Jesse James", includes the lines, "...that dirty little coward that shot Mr. Howard has laid poor Jesse in his grave." On April 3, 1882, James was killed at his home, originally located at 1318 Lafayette. It has been relocated next to the Patee House and still has the visible bullet hole from the fatal shot. It is now operated as the Jesse James Home Museum.

Saint Joseph had ten National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and all ten of those banks issued National Bank Notes.

Bank History

The old Missouri Valley Trust Company Building, ca2023. The Missouri Valley Trust Company moved into this building on March 5th, 1901. It was formerly the home of the State National Bank of St. Joseph, Missouri. Courtesy of Google Maps

• Organized January 31, 1890
• Chartered February 4, 1890
• Liquidated April 3, 1897

Robert W. Donnell and Albe M. Saxton organized a branch of the Bank of the State of Missouri in 1859, locating it in the rear of their general store at Fourth and Francis Streets. In 1860 this bank went into its new home at the southeast corner of Fourth and Felix Streets . Five years later it became a national bank called the State National Bank of St. Joseph (Charter 1667). It changed back to a state bank in 1871 as the State Savings bank. Then in 1890 it again became a national bank, the State National. In 1897 it liquidated.

In January 1889, the directors of the State Savings Bank were C.B. France, Silas McDonald, Jr., E. Lindsay, D.M. Steele, and John Townsend. The officers were C.B. France, president and E. Lindsay, cashier. The capital and surplus was $250,000 with assets of $1,495,300.

On February 4, 1890, E.S. Lacy, Comptroller of the Currency, authorized the State National Bank of St. Joseph to commence the business of banking. The directors were C.B. France, M.A. Reed, W.A.P. McDonald, W.A. Wilson, E. Lindsey, August Nunning, S. McDonald, Jr., R.H. Faucett, John Townsend, Robt. Winning, and W.P. Jones. The officers were C.B. France, president; John Townsend, and W.A.P. McDonald, vice presidents; E. Lindsey, cashier; and S. McDonald, Jr., assistant cashier. The State National Bank was the successor to the State Savings Bank with capital of $1,000,000. On March 3rd, the State Savings Bank transferred its real estate to the State National Bank; the value was placed at $60,000.

In January 1895, at the election of directors and officers of the People's Home and Savings Association, the following were elected for the ensuing year:  C.B. France, president and treasurer; John Townsend, vice president; W.L. Buechle, secretary; Charles E. Pratt, attorney; E. Lindsay, W.A. Evans, P.P. Welty, E.J. Eckel, C.B. France, John Townsend and W.L. Buechle, directors.

In January 1896, the directors of the State National Bank were John Townsend, Townsend & Wyatt Dry Goods Co.; R.H. Faucett, president, R.H. Faucett Mill Co.; H.C. Duncan, president, Bank of Osborn, Osborn, Missouri; W.P. Jones, Jones, Townsend & Shireman; W.A.P. McDonald, R.L. McDonald & Co., wholesale dry goods; J.H. Robinson, hardware merchant; W.L. Bruchle, president, city council; E. Lindsay, president; and S. McDonald, Jr., cashier. The officers were E. Lindsay, president; John Townsend, W.A.P. McDonald, and H.C. Duncan, vice presidents; and S. McDonald, Jr., cashier. The capital was $500,000.

On February 16, 1897, the stockholders of the State National Bank voted on a plan to go into voluntary liquidation. The bank would not suspend business and would not go into liquidation until a new state bank bank was organized. The capital stock would be reduced from $500,000 to $200,000. The plan was approved unanimously by the directors and met opposition from only a few of the stockholders. The bank officials gave their reason for the changes as under the rules of state banks their business could be conducted on a more profitable basis. The formation of a new bank was not expected to result in any change in the officers and directors of the bank. The officers and directors of the State National were E. Lindsay, president; Silas McDonald, cashier; Alex H. McDonald, assistant cashier; John Townsend, Eugene Soper, W.A.P. McDonald, W.L. Buechle, W.P. Jones, R.H. Faucett, H.C. Duncan, Osborn, Mo.; E. Lindsay, E. McDonald, Jr., directors.

In January 1898, the South St. Joseph Town Company had the following officers: John Donovan, president; S.S. Brown, vice president; E.M. Lindsay, secretary; and Ernest Lindsay, treasurer. These officers and Louis R. Sack and Albert H. Veeder comprised the board of directors. Ernest Lindsay was also a director of the St. Joseph Stock Yards Company.

On March 9, 1898, the fine Mosler safe used by the old State National Bank was moved to the exchange building in the stock yards for the use of the new Stock Yards Bank in South St. Joseph.

On March 29, 1899, the Missouri Valley Trust Company filed articles of incorporation in the office of the county recorder, the company to have its general office in St. Joseph.  It had capital of 100,000, divided into 1,000 shares and one half was paid up. The stockholders were John J. Tootle, Milton Tootle, Charles F. Enright, J.O. Fairleigh, and Robert A. Brown. These five stockholders would comprise the board of directors. The company was organized to conduct a general trust and banking business. Its main office would be in the new bank building of Tootle, Lemon & Company. On March 5th, 1901, the trust company moved to the Missouri Valley Trust Company building, Fourth and Felix Streets. J.J. Tootle was president, C.F. Enright, vice president and treasurer; and A.J. Enright, secretary.

In April 1898, the stock yards bank was in business at the St. Joseph stock yards with the following officers: Gordon Jones, president; Ernest Lindsay, vice president; and E.M. Lindsay, assistant cashier. The paid up capital stock of the new bank was $50,000. It would soon have commodious quarters in the new exchange building especially adapted for its use.

Official Bank Title

1: The State National Bank of St. Joseph, MO

Bank Note Types Issued

1882 Brown Back $5 bank note with pen signatures of S. McDonald, Jr., Cashier and E. Lindsay, Vice President. Courtesy of the NBNCensus.com

A total of $125,200 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1890 and 1897. This consisted of a total of 25,040 notes (25,040 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
1882 Brown Back	4x5	1 - 6260

Bank Presidents and Cashiers

Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1890 - 1897):

Presidents:

• Charles Beeson France, 1890-1894
• Ernest Lindsay, 1895-1896

Cashiers:

• Ernest Lindsay, 1890-1893
• Silas McDonald, Jr., 1894-1896

Other Known Bank Note Signers

• No other known bank note signers for this bank

Bank Note History Links

• State National Bank of Saint Joseph, MO History (NB Lookup)
• Missouri Bank Note History (BNH Wiki)

Sources

• Saint Joseph, MO, 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