Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Helena National Bank records, 1890-1896
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Helena National Bank (Helena, Mont.)
- Title
- Helena National Bank records
- Dates
- 1890-1896 (inclusive)18901896
- Quantity
- 22 linear feet of shelf space.
- Collection Number
- MC 114 (collection)
- Summary
- The Helena National Bank was organized in Helena, Montana, in September 1890 by John T. Murphy, S.C. Ashby, A.B. Clements, and Frank Baird. In October 1893 the bank merged with the Second National Bank, and E.D. Edgerton became president. This combined bank in turn merged with the First National Bank in January 1895. Records (1890-1895) include correspondence; financial records; legal documents; organizational records; and miscellany.
- Repository
-
Montana Historical Society, Library & Archives
Montana Historical Society Research Center Archives
225 North Roberts
PO Box 201201
Helena MT
59620-1201
Telephone: 4064442681
Fax: 4064445297
mhslibrary@mt.gov - Access Restrictions
-
Collection open for research.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Historical NoteReturn to Top
The Helena National Bank was opened for general banking business on September 1, 1890, in the Power Block at 58 N. Main Street, Helena, Montana. At the time of the opening, the new bank possessed capital of $500,000, "equal to that of any other Helena bank." Officers in the early years of Helena National Bank included John T. Murphy, president, (of the Murphy, Neel and Company mercantile firm); Shirley C. Ashby, vice president and later president (the head of one of Montana's leading agriculture houses); and Frank Baird, cashier from 1890 to 1894.
During the panic of 1893, Helena National Bank negotiated a consolidation with the city's Second National Bank whose president was Erastus D. Edgerton. The merger was completed on October 1st, the two banking houses joining under the name of Helena National Bank with Edgerton assuming the office of president for the consolidated banks. At the time of the merger, there were suggestions of improprieties in the handling of a loan to D.A.G. Floweree by Helena National's president, Shirley C. Ashby.
Helena National Bank continued to operate through 1894. However, at the end of that year, the stockholders were asked to consider a merger of the bank with the reorganized First National Bank of Helena. The merger was approved and became effective on January 1, 1895. All Helena National assets were transferred to First National and the liquidation completed. Helena National stockholders were offered the exchange of their stock for that of the First National Bank at eighty per cent of the value of the Helena National certificates (Helena National stock having been reduced by the Comptroller), or they could retain their stock and receive payment following the collection of Helena National Bank assets. Most stockholders agreed to the stock exchange. E.D. Edgerton remained an officer following the merger, becoming a vice president and manager of First National Bank.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
This collection includes incoming and outgoing correspondence, court papers, legal documents, organizational materials, and numerous volumes of financial records documenting the daily operations of the bank. The materials also supply information concerning the economy of Helena.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical Society. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collection. In some cases permission for use may require additional authorization from the copyright owners. For more information contact an archivist.
Preferred Citation
Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Research Center, Archives, Helena, Montana.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection
Incoming Correspondence Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 1 | American National Bank |
1890 |
1 / 2 | A (correspondents include Charles Abell; The Alden
Vinegar Company; The American Banker; American Exchange National Bank; The American
Wringer Company; Anderson Brothers; William J. Anderson; A.H. Andrews and Company;
Armstrong) |
1890 |
1 / 3 | B (correspondents include Bank of the Republic, New
York; The Bankers' Directory and The Bankers Monthly; Charles G. Baird; J.P. Bartlett;
Bee Hive and News Depot; Robert Bement and Company; Ezra G. Benedick; F.W. Biebinger;
W.G. Bixby; Bozeman National Bank; Mary E. Bradford; Brown and Maybury; Charles F.
Brown; Fred A. Brown; J.E. Bush) |
1890-1895 |
1 / 4 | C (correspondents include L.W. Campbell; Carter and
Bowman; Central National Bank; Charles J. Chapman, Norron-Chapman Company; B.M.
Chattell; W.P. Cherry; City National Bank; Cheyenne National Bank; Citizens Bank of
Ogden; Albert H. Clark; Frank W. Clay; Cheshire Mills; Coeur D' Alene Bank; D. W.
Conard; Continental Oil Company; W.G. Corthell; W.H. Crossman and Brother; W.S.
Culbertson; Cumberland Mining and Smelting Company; George M. Curtis; Marcus M.
Cutler) |
1890 |
1 / 5 | D-F (correspondents include George P. Davenport;
Henry H. Davis; Double Eagle Mining Company; Drumm Flato Commission Company; Z.H.
Ellis; Exchange Printing Company; Farmers National Bank; George H. Fister; First
National Bank; W.D. Flowers; E.T. Foote; Fort Dearborn National Bank; Fourth National
Bank of St. Louis) |
1890-1895 |
1 / 6 | Great Falls National Bank (Robert S. Ford) |
1893-1895 |
1 / 7 | G-L (correspondents include Gast-Paul Bankers
Reporter; Germania Bank of St. Paul; Peter Gilles; W.G. Gooding; Luther R.. Graves;
Great Northern Railway; Halls Safe and Lock Company; G.H. Hammond Company; Hanover
National Bank; Louis Hax Furniture Company; Helena Capital Fund; Helena National Bank;
E.F. Heneage; Charles E. Hibbard; Hoiles and Sons, Bankers; E.P. Inglee; Inter State
National Bank; Investors Directory Company; Milton C. Johnson and Company; Kansas Loan
and Trust Company; John P. Keiser; R. Kempf and Brothers; Kenyon-Connell Commercial
Company; U. King; C.J. Kinna; D.W. Kinsey; Kopperl and Company; Kountze Brothers;
Krull and Volger Company; J.L. Kuing; Larabie Brothers and Company; V.D. Latimer; B.H.
Lawson; W.C. Leistikow; T.J. Lonergan and Company; A.H. Loomis; Lowell and Parker;
George H. Lyon; M.M. Lyter) |
1890-1895 |
1 / 8 | M (correspondents include Bernard MacDonald;
Manhattan Malting Company; McGraw and Sons; Guy W. McGriff; John F. McKeown; D.A.
McKibben; Mercantile National Bank; Merchants and Manufacturers Bank; Merchants Loan
and Trust Company; Metropolitan Bank; Missouri, Kansas and Texas Trust Company;
Missouri State Bank; Moscow Savings Bank; Joab Mulvane; Musselshell State Company) |
1890-1895 |
1 / 9 | N-Q (correspondents include Lucila Nance; Nashua
Savings Bank; National Park Bank; National Tobacco Works; A.H. Nelson; John H.
Neville; Norther Pacific Rail Road Company; Northern National Bank; Omaha and Grant Smelting Company; Central National
Bank; Park Coal and Coke Company; T.C. Power and Brothers; Riley Pebbles and Company;
Bank of the Republic New York; John M. Peets; Peoples Bank; Peoples Trust Company;
F.W. Pierce; Pitkin and Brooks; Pomeroy Duplicator Company; C.D. Porter; Porter
Brothers; Portland National Bank; A. Potter; John Potter; W.J. Powell; F.A. Pratt) |
1890-1895 |
1 / 10 | C.F. Rieger and Company |
1890 |
1 / 11 | R-T (correspondents include George Reuter Jr.; Rice
and Deremer; Rich and Stone; Thomas Ross; A.D. Ryder; St. Paul National Bank; Emery A.
Sanborn; A.W. Schreiber; L.K. Scotford; Second National Bank; Charles E. Severance;
Janney Semple and Company; Court Sheriff; David Sloan; C.H. Smith; J.F. Sprain; James
D. Standish; Steele and Clements; Stephens Lithographing and Engraving Company; Stock
Growers National Bank; G.W. Sugden; Charles Swift; Third National Bank; Thompson
Brothers General Merchandise; Traders National Bank) |
1890 |
1 / 12 | U-V (correspondents include Union Bank of Denver;
Union Trust Company; United States National Bank; United States Treasury Dept.; Utah
National Bank; Paul L. VanCleve; Vandercook and Company) |
1890-1895 |
1 / 13 | Washington National Bank |
1891-1892 |
1 / 14 | Ralph Wells |
1893-1894 |
1 / 15 | W-Y (correspondents include T.J. Walsh; William E.
Walton; I.B. Welter; T. Warren Welter; Western Sugar Refining Company; M.B. Whitney;
E.S. Wilkinson; Williams, Russell and Company; Isaac Willis; Peter Winne; William A.
Wilson and Company; Wolf and Gross; C.H. Woolley; B.R. Wright; Yellowstone National
Bank) |
1890-1895 |
Outgoing Correspondence Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 16 | Letterpress book |
1890-1892 |
2 / 1-2 | Letterpress books |
1892 |
3 / 1-2 | Letterpress books |
1892-1893 |
4 / 1-3 | Letterpress books |
1893-1894 |
5 / 1-2 | Letterpress books |
1894 |
6 / 1 | Letterpress book |
1894-1895 |
6 / 2 | Letterpress book: Frank Baird |
1893-1894 |
6 / 3 | Letterpress book: E.D. Edgerton |
1893-1894 |
6 / 4 | Miscellaneous |
1892-1895 |
Interoffice Correspondence Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
6 / 5 | Miscellaneous |
1894 |
Court Papers Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
7 / 1 | U.S. v. S.C. Ashby |
1893-1895 |
7 / 2 | Eugene T. Wilson v. Indian River State Bank |
1900, undated |
Financial Records Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Volume | ||
1 | Cash book #1 |
1890-1891 |
2 | Cash book #2 |
1891-1892 |
3 | Cash book #3 |
1892-1893 |
4 | Cash book #4 |
1893-1894 |
5 | Cash book #5 |
1894-1896 |
6 | Cash record |
1891-1894 |
Box/Folder | ||
7 / 3 | Cash record |
1894 |
Volume | ||
7 | Cashiers' checks |
1890-1894 |
8 | Cashiers' checks |
1894-1895 |
9 | Certificates of deposit (stubs) |
1892-1894 |
10 | Certificates of deposit register |
1890-1893 |
Box/Folder | ||
7 / 4 | Certificates of indebtedness: State of Montana |
1894 |
7 / 5 | Clearings book |
1890-1892 |
7 / 6 | Collateral register |
1891-1894 |
Volume | ||
11 | Collection register #1 |
1890-1894 |
12 | Collection register #2 |
1894 |
13 | Discount register #1 |
1890-1895 |
14 | Drafts: National Bank of the Republic, New York |
1892-1893 |
15 | Drafts: Fort Dearborn National Bank, Chicago |
1892-1893 |
16 | Drafts: Mercantile National Bank, New York |
1893-1894 |
17 | Drafts: Commercial National Bank, Chicago |
1893-1894 |
18 | Drafts: St. Paul National Bank |
1893-1895 |
19 | Draft register |
1890-1893 |
20 | General balances A: daily |
1893 |
21 | General balances: daily and irregularly |
1894-1895 1895-1896 |
22 | General balances (by bank) |
1890-1894 |
23 | General balances (by bank) |
1894-1895 |
Box/Folder | ||
7 / 7 | Individual account books (6 books) |
1890-1892 |
8 / 1 | Individual account books (8 books) |
1893-1894 |
Volume | ||
24 | Individual liability book |
1893-1895 |
25 | Individual daily balances: A-Z and A-L |
1890-1892 1893-1894 |
26 | Individual daily balances: A-Z |
1892-1893 |
27 | Individual daily balances: M-Z (A-1) |
1894 |
28 | Individual daily balances: A-L (B-1) |
1894 |
29 | Individual daily balances: A-Z |
1894 |
Box/Folder | ||
8 / 2 | Insurance policies |
1894-1895 |
8 / 3 | Insurance policies: Frank Baird |
1895-1896 |
Volume | ||
30 | Journal A |
1890-1891 |
31 | Journal B: A-Z |
1891-1892 |
32 | Journal C: A-Z |
1892-1893 |
33 | Journal D: A-Z and A-L |
1893 1893-1894 |
34 | Journal: M-Z |
1893-1894 |
35 | Journal E: A-L |
1894 |
36 | Journal: A-Z |
1894 |
37 | Ledger: general #1 |
1890-1893 |
38 | Ledger: general #2 |
1893-1895 |
39 | Ledger: individual #1 |
1890-1892 |
40 | Ledger: individual #2 |
1892-1893 |
41 | Ledger: individual #3 |
1893-1894 |
42 | Ledger: individual #4 |
1894 |
43 | Remittance register #1 |
1890-1893 |
44 | Remittance register #2 |
1893 |
45 | Remittance register #3 |
1893-1894 |
46 | Remittance register #4 |
1894-1895 |
Box/Folder | ||
8 / 4-5 | Reports of condition |
1890-1894 |
Volume | ||
47 | Savings journal |
1894-1896 |
Box/Folder | ||
8 / 6 | Statements: Shirley C. Ashby |
1890-1891 |
9 / 1 | Statements: Frank Baird |
1890-1891 |
9 / 2-3 | Statements: E.D. Edgerton |
1893-1895 |
10 / 1 | Stock subscriptions: Great Falls National Bank |
1890-1891 |
10 / 2 | Teller's cash book |
1890-1894 |
10 / 3 | Teller's (paying) cash book |
1894 |
Volume | ||
48 | Trial balances |
1893-1894 |
Box/Folder | ||
10 / 4 | United States Treasury |
1889-1894 |
10 / 5 | Miscellaneous |
1878-1894 |
Legal Documents Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
10 / 6 | Contracts; abstract; etc. |
1892-1895 |
10 / 7 | Merger with Second National Bank of Helena |
circa 1893 |
10 / 8 | Charles Seavey escrow |
1869-1872 |
Organizational Records Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
10 / 9 | List of directors; organization certificate; articles
of association |
1890 |
10 / 10 | List of stockholders; etc. |
1890, undated |
10 / 11 | Stock certificates (includes transfer proxies) |
1893-1895 |
10 / 12 | Stock ledger |
1890 |
11 / 1 | Stock ledger |
1890-1895 |
Miscellany Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
11 / 2 | Burglar-proof safe information |
undated |
11 / 3 | Cipher code book |
undated |
11 / 4 | Drawings of unidentified dikes |
undated |
Volume | ||
49 | Signature book |
undated |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Bank mergers--Montana--Helena
- Banks and banking--Montana--Helena
Corporate Names
- Helena National Bank (Helena, Mont.) (creator)
Geographical Names
- Helena (Mont.)--Commerce