First National Bank of Wallace records, 1892-1949

The material in this record group divides easily into three series, correspondence, bound volumes, and Bank of Murray vault items.

The correspondence is all incoming and is arranged chronologically. Most letters deal with routine deposits and withdrawals, although a 1905 letter from Senator Weldon B. Heyburn discusses the need for a new hotel in Wallace.

The bound volumes were listed on an inventory, therefore it was easy to keep them in their original order. They include general ledgers, cash books, balance books, warranty registers, teller's cash books, bills receivable ledgers, reconcilement of accounts books and computation of reserve records. Most individual journals are arranged chronologically with the exception of the draft registers which are arranged by the bank drawn on; this accounts for the overlapping dates of the journals. Each register is in two volumes, one containing banks in New York and Chicago, and the other the remaining banks across the country. Another item in this series is a bundle of purchaser's applications for three different types of traveler's checks, American Express, American Banker's Association, and National City Bank of New York.

Since the vault material is not part of the First National Bank records it was placed at the end of the collection. It contains items such as mining deeds, powers of attorney, promissory notes, and correspondence which was apparently placed in the vault of the Bank of Murray for safe keeping and not called for when the bank closed its doors. When Frank Johnson opened his bank in the same building several years later he found these items. They are arranged alphabetically by the name on the envelope in which the material was originally deposited.