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MC 113
Second National Bank of
Helena, Mont.
Second National Bank of Helena, Mont.
records
1881-1896
17 linear feet of shelf space
The Second National Bank of Helena, Montana, headed by
Erastus D. Edgerton, opened in 1882 and merged with the Helena National Bank in 1893 as a
result of the financial panic. Collection (1881-1896) includes correspondence, court papers,
financial records, legal documents, organizational records, and miscellany.
5:8-4
English
The Second National Bank of Helena, Mont. was organized at a meeting held on June 3, 1882,
by a group of the city's businessmen, including Erastus D. Edgerton, Decius S. Wade, John
Kinna, John B. Sanford, Cornelius L. Vawter, Charles K. Cole, and Christian Kenck. When the
new general banking house opened for business in August at 7 N. Main Street, its capital
totaled $75,000. The bank moved to 56 N. Main in 1888. E.D. Edgerton was elected as the
bank's first president, an office he held until the closing of the Second National Bank in
1893. Throughout these years, several of the bank's organizers served as vice presidents,
including Wade, Sanford, and Cole. Cashiers included Alonzo E. Bunker and George B. Child.
The Second National Bank was involved through loans and investments in real estate,
agriculture, small businesses, and mining. During the difficult economic times of the early
1890s, the Second National Bank struggled to stay solvent. According to President Edgerton,
the bank's problems stemmed from the fact that the capitalization of the bank was only
$75,000 while "other banks had 8 to 9 times more." Even though business was good, expenses
were high, and it was determined not "altogether profitable" to continue the bank's
operation. During the panic of 1893, a merger of the Second National Bank with the Helena
National Bank was arranged with a stock exchange offered to stockholders. The merger became
effective on October 1st, with Edgerton serving as the president of the newly organized
Helena National Bank.
This collection contains incoming and outgoing correspondence, court papers, legal
documents, organizational materials, and numerous volumes of financial records documenting
the daily operations of the Second National Bank of Helena. The materials also supply
information concerning the economy of Helena and the developing system of governmental
regulation of national banks. Also included is some correspondence of the Western Newspaper
Union of St. Paul, contained in a letterpress book used by Alonzo E. Bunker.
Arranged by series
Collection open for research.
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.
Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers.
Montana Historical Society Research Center, Archives, Helena, Montana.
Acquisition information available upon request
Maps transferred to Library. See inventory below for more information.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the Montana Historical Society
Archives catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places
should search under these terms.
Helena (Mont.)--Commerce
Toston (Mont.)
Bank mergers--Montana--Helena
Banks and banking--Montana--Helena
Mines and mineral resources--Montana--Jefferson
County
Mines and mineral resources--Montana--Lewis and
Clark County
Montana
Business, Industry, and Labor
Detailed Description of the Collection
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection
Incoming Correspondence
1 / 1
A (correspondents include J.R. Alden; American
Bankers' Supply Company; American Desk and Seating Company; Louis Anderson; Atlantic
Grocery; M.L. Austin; Julius Austrian and Son; Automatic Bank Punch Company)
1883-1893
1 / 2
Bank of Colfax [Wash.]; Bank of Glendive; Bank of
Independence; Bank of North Seattle; Bank of Oregon City; Bank of St. Vincent [Minnesota]
1883-1891
1 / 3
Bozeman National Bank
1882-1885
1 / 4
[__] Bunker [mother of A.E. Bunker]
1883
1 / 5
B (correspondents include Benjamin D. Bacon; L.
Bailey; E.G. Bailey; G.M. Baire; Fred F. Bancroft; H.B. Barkley; E.T. Barnum Wire and
Iron Works; Eugene Baumgartner; Berg Brothers; Biebinger and Harrington; J.F. Boyle;
C.A. Broadwater; Lyman B. Brooks; David G. Browne; Buck and Hunt)
1883-1891
1 / 6
C (correspondents include Caldwell, Hamilton and
Company; Campbell G. Powell; W.H. Cary; W.F. Chadwick; Oliver J. Chapman; Chicago and
Grand Trunk Railway; Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway; Cincinnati, Hamilton and
Dayton; City Bank, Ltd.; R.H. Clendenin; B.K. Collier; Consolidated Time Lock Company;
Continental Collection Union; Cramer and Company; E.F. Crane; C.L. Cross Company;
Culver, Page, Hoyne and Company; Cumberland Mining and Smelting Company; D.W. Curtiss)
1882-1891
1 / 7
D-E (correspondents include William DeBenson, Warren
DeCamp, Dennison and Brown, J. Dewing and Company, Chauncey Dodge, Moses Doggett, A.J.
Douds, George J. Douglas, D. Durkee, Dyas and Murray, John Edgerton, S.C. Edgerton,
W.R. Edwards, John H. Elder, Ellis and Berendes, Emerson and Turnbull, Emery County
Bank, Equitable Life Assurance Society, A.M. Esler)
1882-1891
1 / 8
First National Bank of Billings; First National Bank
of Butte; First National Bank of Livingston; First National Bank of White Sulphur
Springs
1883-1891
1 / 9
B.F. Fish
1883-1885
1 / 10
F (correspondents include Fairbanks Morse and
Company; F.B. Fairfax; Farmers National Bank; M.T. Fergan; Fenno and Manning; The
Financial News; R.H. Floyd-Jones; Jirah I. Foote)
1883-1891
1 / 11
F.R. Grisnold
1883-1884
1 / 12
G-H (correspondents include John Gallagher; Gallatin
Valley National Bank; W.W. Gaskill; Frank J. Gaugler; German National Bank; William
Glassman; Charles H. Green; Patrick Griffin; W.E. Tierney and Company General
Merchandisers; John Hancock; A.S. Hatch and Company; George M. Hutch and Brothers;
Henrietta National Bank; Hugh Heron; C.H. Hildreth and Company; Hopkins and Company;
Henry Hutchinson, M.D.)
1883-1891
1 / 13
I-K (correspondents include Idaho Trading Company;
Mary Ingersoll; Isdell and Pattee; I.L. Israel and Company; M.W. Johnson; Johnson,
Smith and Harrison; H.A. Jones; Randall H. Kemp; Mrs. Frank Kempsey; J. Knauber and
Company; Knauth, Nachod and Kuhne; Knoblauch and Company; B.J. Kuehn)
1882-1894
1 / 14
L (correspondents include John Lamey; Fred E.
Lawrence; H.E. Lawrence; Lewis and Clark County; Lindsay and Company; W.W. Livingston
and Company; Livingston National Bank; Lockey's Land, Insurance, Abstract and Loan
Office; E. Longyear; Jim S. Luce; M.A. Lynch; Lynde and Company)
1883-1892
1 / 15
John R. Miller
1884
1 / 16
M (correspondents include William Mann; Daniel
Marshall and Company; James Mason; Matthews and Sayre; A.S. McDonald; N. McAfee; Max
McKnight; Y.E. McKoin; H.C. McNally; Meagher County; Edward Mellor and Company;
Mercantile Cigar Factory; Merchants Bank of Glendive; Merchants National Bank; E.M.
Miller; Montana and Idaho Mining and Reduction Company; Montana Smelting Company; John
Moore; John Morris Company; C.W. Munson)
1883-1885
1 / 17
N (correspondents include National Bank of Illinois;
National Wire and Iron Company; Nebraska National Bank; William Neill; New York Life
Insurance Company; W.A. Newton and Company; Nicolai and Michaelis; Northern Pacific
Railroad Company; Northwestern Stamp Works)
1882-1893
1 / 18
Omaha and Grant Smelting and Refining Company
1887-1889
1 / 20
M.H. Parker
1884-1885
1 / 21
P (correspondents include W.H. Parkison; Benjamin G.
Peck; Merritt Peckham; John Peterson; Pioneer Press; Pittsburgh Mining Company;
Preston, Kean and Company)
1882-1890
1 / 22
R (correspondents include Charles Rader; Railway and
Bankers; N.A. Ramsey; Rand, McNally and Company; J.L. Randall; Henry Raymond; Reading
Hardware Company; A. Redding; A.W. Reed and Company; C.H. Reed; George W. Reed and
Company; Reid, Murdoch and Fischer; William Rennie; The Republican and News; George M.
Reynolds; Rice County Journal; Corporation of Riverside; Rocky Mountain Husbandman;
H.P. Rolfe)
1882-1891
1 / 23
W.B. Settle
1883-1885
1 / 24
S (correspondents include Lethbridge and Sawyer;
Second National Bank; F.B. Scott; Security Bank of Minnesota; Sharp Brothers; Sherwin
and Schermerhorn; J.M. Sligh, M.D.; Joseph Smyser; Joseph Stead; S.T. Suit, Fruit
Grower and Distiller)
1883-1893
1 / 25
Third National Bank of New York
1883-1885
1 / 26
T (correspondents include Charles T. Tallmadge;
J.M.D. Taylor; John W. Thompson; Toston Smelting Company; James Travis)
1883-1893
1 / 27
United States Controller of the Currency
1882-1892
1 / 28
U-V (correspondents include Union Bank Note Company;
United States Assay Office; United States National Bank; Vandercook and Company)
1882-1893
1 / 29
W-Z (correspondents include John Ward; Charles L.
Webster and Company Publishers; Wells Fargo and Company; Werner Printing and
Lithographing Company; Western Bank Note Engraving Company; Western Commercial Agency
Company; Western Newspaper Union; Williamsburgh Savings Bank; Charles Wilson; Winslow
Lanier and Company; L.L. Wood; Ziegler Brothers)
1882
Outgoing Correspondence
2 / 1
Letterpress book (includes correspondence of Western
Newspaper Union of St. Paul)
1881
2 / 2
Letterpress book
1883-1884
3 / 1-2
Letterpress book
1884-1886
4 / 1-2
Letterpress book
1886-1888
5 / 1-2
Letterpress book
1888-1889
6 / 1-2
Letterpress book
1889-1890 1890-1891
7 / 1-3
Letterpress book
1891-1893
8 / 1-2
Letterpress book
1893
8 / 3
Letterpress book: notices
1893
8 / 4
Miscellaneous
1882-1893
Interoffice Correspondence
9 / 1
Miscellaneous
1883-1891
Court Papers
9 / 2
Second National Bank v. Charles F. Blake; James C.
Gibson v. Second National Bank; Margaret Ann Farrell v. James Farrell
1891, undated
Financial Records
9 / 3
Bradstreet Mercantile Agency reports
1891-1893
1
Certificates of deposit
1886-1889
2
Certificates of deposit register
1883-1892
9 / 4-6
Clearings books
1885 1890-1891 1890-1893
3
Collection register
1882-1893
9 / 7
"Collections and D.B.'s Paid" (1 book)
1882-1885
9 / 8
Credit book
1885-1888
4
Credit book
1888-1893
5
Depositors' daily balances
1882-1886
6
Depositors' daily balances
1886-1888
7
Depositors' daily balances
1888-1889
8
Depositors' daily balances
1889-1892
9
Depositors' daily balances
1892-1894
10
Discount register
1882-1895
11
Draft register
1882-1886
12
General daily balances
1882-1885
13
General daily balances
1885-1887
14
General daily balances
1887-1889
15
General daily balances
1889-1892
16
General daily balances
1892-1894
10 / 1
Individual account books (5 books)
1882-1884
10 / 2
Individual account books (6 books)
1885-1887
10 / 3
Individual account books (3 books)
1889-1890
10 / 4
Individual account books: E.D. Edgerton
1882-1884
10 / 5
Individual account books: E.D. Edgerton and Company
Bankers, Marysville
n.d.
10 / 6
Insurance policies
1883-1889
10 / 7
Insurance policies: assigned to Second National Bank
1883-1884
10 / 8
Insurance policies: E.D. Edgerton
1888
10 / 9
Interest tables
undated
17
Invoices
1882-1890
18
Invoices (includes taxes)
1890-1893
19
Invoices: E.D. Edgerton household and business
1882-1892
10 / 10
Jefferson County warrants
1882-1888
20
Journal A
1882-1884
21
Journal B
1885-1886
22
Journal C
1886-1888
23
Journal D
1888-1889
24
Journal E
1889-1890
25
Journal F
1890-1891
26
Journal G
1891-1892
27
Journal H
1892-1893
28
Journal I
1893-1894
29
Ledger: general and individual A
1882-1888
30
Ledger: general C
1888-1895
31
Ledger: individual B
1885-1888
32
Index to individual ledger B
1885-1888
33
Ledger: individual C
1889-1891
34
Index to individual ledger C
1889-1891
35
Ledger: individual D
1892-1893
10 / 11-13
Note registers
1884-1886
11 / 1
Note registers
1887
36
Remittance register
1882-1890
37
Remittance register
1890-1893
11 / 2
Reports of condition
1882-1892
11 / 3
Reports of earnings and dividends
1882-1893
11 / 4
Reports of semi-annual returns
1883, 1891
11 / 5-6
Savings journals
1884-1894
38
Savings ledger B
1889-1896
39
Index to savings ledger B
1889-1896
11 / 7
Statements of other banks
1883-1893
11 / 8
Taxes
1895
11 / 9
Teller's cash book
1887-1890
40
Tickler
1891-1893
11 / 10
United States Treasury
1884-1892
11 / 11
Miscellaneous
1882-1893
Legal Documents
12 / 1
Leases; bonds; garnishment; etc.
1883-1890 undated
12 / 2
E.D. Edgerton indentures; agreements; powers of
attorney
1881-1892
12 / 3
Edgerton and Carter articles of agreement, etc.
1882-1883 undated
12 / 4
Roger McCaffery escrow
1887
Maps
12 / 5
List of maps transferred to the Library
Organizational Records
12 / 6
List of directors; certificate of organization;
articles of association
1882
12 / 7
Minute book (includes bylaws)
1882-1894
12 / 8
Proxies; election notices
1887-1888
12 / 9
Stock certificate book
1882-1892
Miscellany
13 / 1
Advertisements; cards; etc.
undated
13 / 2
Cipher code book for First National Bank of Butte
undated
13 / 3
National Bank Act
1882
13 / 4
Reports of other banks
1882-1890
13 / 5
Savings department signature book
undated