Montana Historical SocietyArchives
MC 116
First National Bank of
Helena
First National Bank Of Helena
Records
1865-1903
165 linear feet of shelf space
The First National Bank of Helena, Montana, was
organized by Samuel T. Hauser and T.H. Kleinschmidt, in 1866. Prominent officers
included: John S. Atkinson, D.C. Corbin, and E.W. Knight, cashiers; George H. Hill,
assistant cashier. The bank was in receivership from its closing in 1896 until 1903.
Records (1865-1903) include correspondence, financial volumes, legal documents, and
organizational records of the bank and of its receiver, Eugene S. Wilson.
6:7-1
English
German
The first national bank to be established in Montana Territory was originally
organized by Samuel T. Hauser as a private bank under then name S.T. Hauser and
Company. It received a national charter as the First National Bank of Helena on
April 5, 1866, with a capitalization of $100,000. The bank's first officers were
S.T. Hauser, president; and Theodore H. Kleinschmidt, Cashier. Originally housed in
a grocery store on Main Street, the bank erected its own building in 1866 at the
corner of Main and Wall streets, near where Helena's first gold strike had been made
two years before. The building was twice consumed by fire in 1869 and 1874, but was
rebuilt each time on the same site. In 1886 a new First National Bank building was
erected at the corner of Main and Grand streets, at a cost of between $35,000 and
$40,000. For many years the bank's chief business was the handling of gold dust,
which was the accepted medium of exchange. The average price of $17.50 per ounce
varied considerably from gulch to gulch, depending on the fineness or the dust. The
evaluation and purchase of gold dust was thus a job for an expert and Cashier T.H.
Kleinschmidt was such an expert, with the reputed ability to distinguish exactly
which gulch a shipment of gold dust came from. In addition to the gold trade, the
Bank bought and sold coin and government vouchers and acted as a collection agency.
An assay office was operated in connection with the Bank by Augustus Steitz.
Although initially organized to serve the needs of the mines and miners, the First
National Bank grew and changed with the times and shifted its emphasis to serving
the growing cattle and sheep industries. Under the leadership of officers Hauser
(President), A.J. Davis (Vice President), E.W. Knight (Cashier) and T.H.
Kleinschmidt (Assistant Cashier) the Bank was strong enough to withstand the severe
ranch losses of the winter of 1886-1887 with little adverse effect. By 1893, Helena
had six national banks and several local banks. No other city in the country had a
comparable per capita bank capitalization or deposits as Helena. However, the Panic
of 1893 brought an end to this prosperity. During a two week period in July 1893
more than a million dollars in coin and currency were withdrawn from Helena's banks.
On July 27, the First National Bank suspended operations. With the cooperation of
the Bank's depositors and creditors business was resumed on January 23, 1894. The
following December the First absorbed the Helena National Bank, which had previously
merged with the Second National Bank. With the exception of Hauser, the old officers
were replaced. Vice President E.D. Edgerton took over the actual operation of the
Bank. This new organization, however, could not save the Bank,. In September 1896
the First National Bank closed and a Receiver was appointed. The Bank's failure was
due to a combination of national and local problems. Nationally, the currency system
and banking laws were inadequate to deal with the major depression of the 1890s.
Locally, Helena's economy was in decline. The Bank had been mismanaged for a number
of years, with excessive loans granted to bank officers, deficient legal money
reserves and excessive overdrafts and overdue paper.
Incoming and Outgoing Correspondence, 1865-1896. Large number of bound volumes of
financial records, including General and Individual Ledgers, Cash Books, Daily
Balance Books, various Registers, etc. Legal Documents of the Bank and of the
various individuals involved with the Bank. Subject File containing material of
various people and companies which did business with the Bank. There is a Subgroup
for the papers of the Bank Receivership, 1896-1903.
Arranged by subgroup series. Some material housed in Manuscript Volumes. See inventory below
for more information.
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
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.
First National Bank of
Helena
Butte (Mont.)--Commerce
Cable City (Mont.)--Industries
Castle (Mont.)--Commerce
Deer Lodge (Mont.)--Commerce
Helena (Mont.)--Commerce
Jefferson City (Mont.)--Industries
Philipsburg (Mont.)--Industries
Wickes (Mont.)--Industries
Bank mergers
Banks and banking
Gold mines and mining
Mines and mineral
resources--Montana--Jefferson County
Montana
Business, Industry, and Labor
Mines and Mineral Resources
Detailed Description of the Collection
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection
First National Bank
Incoming Correspondence
1 / 1
U.S. Controller of the Currency (re
charter for national bank at Virginia City)
1865
1 / 2
B-U (correspondents include I.G.
Baker; Clark Brothers and Company; Jay Cooke and Company; Dance,
Stuart and Company; Fourth National Bank of St. Louis; Gilman, Son
and Company; Miners' National Bank of Salt Lake; James Stuart; Third
National Bank of St. Louis; U.S. Internal Revenue; U.S. Treasurer;
U.S. Controller of the Currency)
1866
1 / 3
B-U (correspondents include I.G.
Baker; Clark Brothers and Company; Jay Cooke and Company; A.M.
Esler; Fourth National Bank of St. Louis; T.W. & B.N. Harris;
George Hoagland; Isett, Kerr and Company; Commick McKeon; W.A.
Ransom and Company; John B. Tilden; U.S. Treasurer; U.S. Controller
of the Currency; Marcus A. Wolff)
1867
1 / 4
B-W (correspondents include Clark
Brothers and Company; J.B. Curle; Dance, Stuart and Company; Silas
Harvey; Hussey, Dahler and Company; S. Landsberg; Hugh McAuley;
William A. McMurray; Thomas C. Power; James Stuart; U.S. Treasury
Dept.; Wing, Willoughby and Company)
1868
1 / 5
B-W (correspondents include G.D.
Beebe; R.W. Carroll and Company; Carroll and Steell; W. Clinton;
W.B. Dance; Fort Shaw Quartermaster; Minnie Grady; John How; King,
Stewart and Aldrich; N.P. Langford; J.S. Pemberton and Company; M.F.
Robbins; St. Louis and Montana Mining Company; James Stuart; U.S.
Treasury Dept.; E. Wakeley)
1869
1 / 6
B-W (correspondents include Bank of
California; A.B. Campbell; William H. Clagett; N. Cormally; William
Cutler; Fort Shaw Quartermaster; H.D. Hauser; Ferd. Kennett; Thomas
C. Power; Cole Saunders; Taylor and Wright; Traders Bank, St. Louis;
U.S. Treasury Dept.; Marcus A. Wolff)
1870
1 / 7
C-W (correspondents include Jay Cooke
and Company; R.M. Cooney; W.B. Dance; Fourth National Bank of St.
Louis; Healy and Hamilton; E.W. Knight; N.P. Langford; North West
Fur Company; O.B. O'Bannon; T.C. Power and Brother; Henry Thompson;
U.S. Indian Agent for Flathead Reservation; U.S. Treasury Dept.;
Frank H. Woody)
1871
1 / 8
A-U (correspondents include C.C. Abel
and Company; Bank of California; J.V. Bogert; James F. Brown and
Company; William A. Clark; Jay Cooke and Company; J.A. Creighton and
Company; W.W. Dixon; R.G. Dun and Company; Fourth National Bank of
St. Louis; John Glandon; George Higgins; Imperial Silver Mining
Company; Kountz and Brothers; N.P. Langford; George A. Lowe; James
H. Mills; S.N. Norton; V.W. Olds; T.C. Power and Brother; Cole
Saunders; Walter Trumbull; U.S. Indian Agent for Flathead
Reservation; U.S. Treasury Dept.)
1872
1 / 9
A-J (correspondents include John J.
Atchison; Baldwin, Wright and Rising; J.L. Buskett; William H.
Clagett; Jay Cooke and Company; Austin Corbin; T.T. Crittenden; E.M.
Dunphy; First National Bank of Bozeman; A.G. George; C.P. Higgins;
George Higgins; W.S. Irvine; Jefferson County Treasurer)
1873
1 / 10
M-W (correspondents include J.G.
Marsden; John McCormick; V.W. Olds; Phillips, Taber and Company;
T.C. Power and Brother; Winfield Robbins; Robertson and McBride;
James M. Ryan; Salt Lake National Bank; Granville Stuart; U.S.
Office of Indian Affairs; U.S. Indian Agent for Crow Reservation;
Frank Walker; J.J. Wheeler; F.L. Worden)
1873
2 / 1
A-E (correspondents include J.M.
Alger re death of Felix McArdle; George T. Bruce; J.E. Callaway;
N.L. Chadwick; Austin Corbin; D.S. Dewey; R.G. Dun and Company; W.G.
Edwards)
1874
2 / 2
A.M. Esler (Divide)
1874
2 / 3
F-W (correspondents include Fort
Ellis Commissary; C.W. Higley, Henry Holcomb; Thomas H. Irvine;
Ferd. Kennett; N.P. Langford; John E. McDonald; C.W. Mather; O.B.
O'Bannon; V.W. Olds; T.C. Power and Brother; Rich and Willson; A.L.
Rogers; W.F. Sanders; R.R. Shipler; G.W. Stapleton; J.C. Stuart;
W.H. Sutherlin; U.S. Office of Indian Affairs; U.S. Indian Agent for
Blackfeet Reservation; U.S. Treasury Dept.; John R. Waller; B.F.
White)
1874
2 / 4
B-E (correspondents include William
Bailey; J. Bogert; John M. Butler; William A. Clark; Austin Corbin;
C.L. Dahler; W.B. Dance; Carrie Evans)
1875
2 / 5
A.M. Esler (Divide, Argenta, Bannack)
1875
2 / 6
F-P (correspondents include Ann
Farrar; Fort Shaw Quartermaster; John G. Hammer; Joseph Hirschman;
John Jacobs re Hugh Kirkendall estate; George S. Kennedy and
Company; N.P. Langford; P.A. Largey; Lewis, Bull and Company re
Legal Tender Silver Mines; John McCormick; John E. McDonald;
Missoula National Bank; O.B. O'Bannon; Omaha Smelting and Refining
Company; T.C. Power and Brother)
1875
2 / 7
R-Y (correspondents include H.
Robertson; R.J. Robertson; Peter Ronan; Cole Saunders; A.J. Simmons;
Granville Stuart; W.C. Swett; D.C. Turner; U.S. Treasury Dept.; C.D.
Yancey)
1875
2 / 8
B-D (correspondents include I.G.
Baker and Company; Royal M. Bassett; Seth Bullock; Corbin Banking
Company; W.W. Dixon)
1876
2 / 9
A.M. Esler (Butte)
1876
2 / 10
F-M (correspondents include First
National Gold Bank; C.W. Higley; H.M. Hill; Joseph Hirschman; Lewis,
Bull and Company re Legal Tender Silver Mines; John McCormick;
Martin Maginnis; Missoula National Bank; Murphy, Neel and Company)
1876
3 / 1
N-W (correspondents include W.H.
Nelson; A.B. Nettleton; Pope, Cole and Company re Baltimore Copper
Works; St. Louis Smelting and Refining Company; Rosemary Smith;
Granville Stuart; U.S. Treasury Dept.; U.S. War Dept.; J.A. Viall;
J.P. Woolman re U.S. Centennial Commission)
1876
3 / 2
B-E (correspondents include I.G.
Baker and Company; Black and Daniels; S.M. Breckinridge; J.E.
Callaway; Corbin Banking Company; T. Dawes; George S.C. Dow; Henry
Elling)
1877
3 / 3
A.M. Esler (Butte)
1877
3 / 4
G-W (correspondents include Henry
Guyer; H.D. Hauser; S.T. Hauser and Company, Butte; C.W. Hoffman;
Hope Mining Company; George A. Lowe; John McCormick; The Montana
Company; A.B. Nettleton re Northestern Company; Pope, Cole and
Company re Baltimore Copper Works; T.C. Power; Revere Copper
Company; J.G. Sanders; Joseph K. Toole; P.O. Toole; U.S. Indian
Agent for Lemhi Reservation; U.S. Office of Indian Affairs; U.S.
Treasury Dept.; Weeks and Forster; L.S. Willson)
1877
3 / 5
A-L (correspondents include American
Bankers Association; I.G. Baker and Company; W.C. Barsten; Black and
Daniels; James Brisbin; John P. Bruce; A.J. Davis; W.W. Dixon; Henry
Elling; Ellis and Davis; Sarah Frederick; Daniel G. Garnsey; E.
Grisar and Company; Henry Guyer; Charles W. Hoffman; Hope Mining
Company; J.O. Hussey; Kelley and Cameron; I.I. Lewis)
1878
3 / 6
M-W (correspondents include Missoula
National Bank; The Montana company; The Northwestern Company; Revere
Copper Company; H. Robertson; Cole Saunders; Story and Willson;
Union Pacific Railroad Company; U.S. Office of Indian Affairs; U.S.
Treasury Dept.; Walker Brothers; J. Whitney)
1878
3 / 7
A-L (correspondents include
Algonquian Company; J. Bogert; James Brisbin; John P. Bruce; Butte
City Bank; Caplice and Smith; D.C. corbin; C.L. Dahler; Ellis and
Davis; A.M. Esler; William Gaddis; E. Grisar and Company; Harding,
Martin and Company; Hope Mining Company; Floyd Jones; August
Krueger; Ladd and Tilton; I.I. Lewis)
1879
3 / 8
M-W (correspondents include Montana
Freight Line; The Northwestern Company [Frank Frisbee]; H.
Robertson; Peter Ronan; Cole Saunders; E.W. Toole; U.S. Treasury
Dept.; Walker Brothers; William Weintein; B.F. White)
1879
3 / 9
A-J (correspondents include Alta
Montana Company; I.G. Baker and Company; C. Berg; E.G. Brooks;
George Clendenin; Corbin Banking Company; Deer Lodge County Sheriff;
Henry Elling; A.M. Esler; L. Fitzpatrick; William Gaddis; Gray,
Dewey, Gould and Company; Harding, Martin and Company; Russell B.
Harrison; Hatch and Brother; Gavin Johnson)
1880
3 / 10
M-W (correspondents include M.
Kronberg; Missoula National Bank; Pennsylvania Fire and General
Detective Agency inquiring about Montana Stock Growers Association;
H. Robertson; Story and Willson; Granville Stuart; U.S. Indian Agent
for Blackfeet Reservation; Ralph Wells; B.F. White)
1880
4 / 1
A-W (correspondents include John
Atchison; Alta Montana Company; J.R. Boyce Jr.; James Brisbin; E.G.
Brooke; George Clendenin; C.L. Dahler; Davis, Hauser and Company;
Gustavus C. Doane; Paris Gibson; Harding, Martin and Company; A.
Henden[?]; J.O. Hussey; N.P. Langford; George S. Lewis; Len Lewis;
N.T. McClintock; Northwestern Masonic Aid Association; A.I. Oliver;
J.K. Pardee; R.S. Price; W.N. Rank; J.C. Savery; Story and Willson;
Granville Stuart; U.S. Treasury Dept.; William Wallace; L.D. Wickes;
James Wild)
1881
4 / 2
A-L (correspondents include Alta
Montana Company; James Brisbin; Caldwell and Fiske; R.H. Clendenin;
Corbin Banking Company; T.A. Cummings; D.W. Curtiss; W.W. Dixon;
Downs and Allen; First National Bank of Butte; Charles Greenleaf;
William H. Guthrie; Charles Klaus; Lynde and Company)
1882
4 / 3
M-W (correspondents include N.T.
McClintock; John McCormick; Susan B. McNeil; Missoula National Bank;
Overfield and Churchill; W.D. Pickett; R.S. Price; K. Randall; J.C.
Savery; August Schluter; George Steell; Story and Willson; Sudduth
and Montgomery; U.S. Tresury Dept.; C.S. Voorhees; William Wallace;
W. Wingate; J.A. Woodson; Frank H. Woody)
1882
4 / 4
A-K (correspondents include Alta
Montana Company; B.W. Badger; James Brisbin; R.H. Clendenin; Conant
Brothers; Cook and Hussey; J.H. Emery; First National Bank of Butte;
First National Bank of Fort Benton; William Gaddis; Harding, Martin
and Caverly; George M. Hatch and Brother; H.L. Hutchinson; R.T.
Kennon; Peter Koch)
1883
4 / 5
L-Y (correspondents include John
Love; Lynde and Company; J.G. MacAdams; N.T. McClintock; Maverick
National Bank; Northern Transcontinental Survey; John A. Quirk; F.W.
Reed and Company; Herman Richter; Louis Rotwitt; Cole Saunders;
Arthur Sias; Stebbins, Post and Mund, Bankers; Swan Incandescent
Electric Light Company; U.S. Army Dept. of Dakota; William Wallace;
Thomas A. Wickes; S.P. Young)
1883
4 / 6
A-J (correspondents include N.
Armstrong and Company; P. Bader; B.N. Badger; Bank of Murray;
Belknap Town and Improvement Company; Fannie Bernard; J.R. Boyce;
James Brisbin; E.F. Brown; David G. Browne; Thomas H. Carter;
Clifford and Clary; J.E. Dougherty; Eagle City Bank, Idaho; J.H.
Fisk; George Heldt; Helena Mining and Reduction Company; J.O.
Hussey; Gavin Johnston; Francis Jones)
1884
4 / 7
L-W (correspondents include E.B.
Largent and Company; Lemuel Lincoln; J.G. MacAdam; Meagher County
Clerk Louis Rotwitt; Reginald Molesworth; Moreland Ranch Stock
Company; E.J. Monson; Northern Pacific Railroad Company;
Northwestern Masonic Aid Association; Nye and Company; R.S. Price;
Charles Rader; F.W. Reed; Thomas Rose; Theodore Shenkenberg; Arthur
W. Sias; S. Irving Stone; Granville Stuart; William Wallace; John T.
Ward; Thomas A. Wickes; John A. Woodson)
1884
4 / 8
A-J (correspondents include
Anglo-Californian Bank; B.N. Badger; Joseph A. Baker; Bozeman
National Bank; J.L. Buskett; John Schuyler Crosby; First National
Bank Albany, Oregon; First National Bank of Fort Benton; Henry C.
Foster; Addie Foy; Feorge M. Hatch; William V. Helfrich; W.C. Hill;
S.S. Hobson; E.J. Hodgson; H.H. Horton; J.O. Hussey)
1885
4 / 9
M-W (correspondents include Phil A.
Manix; Meagher County Clerk Louis Rotwitt; Molecular Telephone
Company of Utah; E.J. Morison; Philip I. Moule; R. Parkhurst; John
G. Pickering; M.E. Patterson; Benjamin F. Potts; R.S. Price; E.D.
Rhey; Ed Sayre and Brother; Severance and Company; Arthur Sias;
Singer Manufacturing Company; Spence and Company; John Strong; W.H.
Sutherlin; U.S. Treasury Dept.; H.A. Van Valkenburg; W.S. Wetzel;
C.H. Wood; John Woodson; A.M. Woolfolk)
1885
5 / 1
A-M (correspondents include Jesse
Armitage; S.H. Beatty; Berg Brothers; James Blake; James Brisbin;
Bullard and Barbour; Cable Company; A.D. Churchill; O.H. Churchill;
E.W. Davies; First National Bank of Butte; First National Bank,
Ketchum, Idaho; H.C. Foster; James Gibson; Russell B. Harrison;
George Heldt; Hodgson and Stem, Architects; H.H. Horton; James Jobb;
P. Knabe; Knapp, Burrell and Company; Meagher County Clerk Louis
Rotwitt; Mosler, Bahmann and Company)
1886
5 / 2
N-W (correspondents include J.J.
Palmer; M.H. Parker; Benjamin F. Potts; A.E. Pound; H.C. Pound; H.E.
Riddle; W.H. Sutherlin; Herbert Sheridan; J.H. Shober; Arthur Sias;
Rudolf Von Tobel; A.P. Weidman; I.G. Wickersham; C.H. Wood)
1886
5 / 3
A-J (correspondents include Charles
A. Albright; J.R. Boyce; H.W. Child; R.H. Clendenin; Eliza J.
Dougherty; Elkhorn Mining Company; First National Bank, Billings;
Goodchild and Company; James Gouch; Jeremiah Griggs; Hill and
Lawther; Hodgson and Stem, Architects; J.O. Hussey; W. Hussey and
Company; Gavin Johnston)
1887
5 / 4
M-W (correspondents include W.
McCormick; Meagher County Clerk Louis Rotwitt; Miles Mix; E.J.
Morison; John C. Pickering; F.H. Putnam; S.C. Robertson; Charles E.
Severance; Smith and Wyman; W.J. Smutz; Unexcelled Fireworks
Company; U.S. Secret Service; A.P. Weidman)
1887
5 / 5
A-H (correspondents include H.D.
Burghardt; Cable Company; W.E. Dean; A.M. Esler; D.C. Folsom; Samuel
A. Gaylord and Company; J.C. Gilson; Granite Mountain Mining
Company; James T. Hair Company; Will Hanks; Harry Hart; Helena Steam
Power and Lighting Company; David Hilger; J.O. Hussey)
1888
5 / 6
J-W (correspondents include James
Jobb; T.C. Kavanagh; Len Lewis; Phil A. Manix; H.M. Martin; Meagher
County Clerk Louis Rotwitt; Meagher County Sheriff William Rader;
National Park Bank; Northern Pacific Railroad Company; J.H. Rice; J.
& W. Seligman and Company; Robert Stratton; James Travis; U.S.
Treasury Dept.; Wernse and Dieckman)
1888
5 / 7
A-D (correspondents include A.S.
Abole; Bennett Brothers Company; James Brisbin; M.H. Brown; Buskett
Mercantile Company; E.B. Chapman; Charles L. Davis; W.E. Dean; John
Devine; E. Douglas)
1889
5 / 8
F-M (correspondents include D.E.
Folsom; H.P. Freeman; W. Gerlach; James T. Hair Company; Hall and
Bennett; F. Jay Haynes and Brother; Charles Hayward; George Heldt;
Anton Higler [in German]; J.O. Hudnutt; J.O. Hussey; T.C. Kavanagh;
A.B. Keith; Len Lewis; N.P. Loberg; Melville, Evans and Company;
Montana Granite Company; E.J. Morison)
1889
5 / 9
N-Z (correspondents include Fanny
Nash; National Park Bank; Cyrus Newby; Robert L. Paynter; Peckham
and Brown; Thomas Pleasants; J. & J. Severance; J.A. Snyder;
John B. Stone; Robert Stratton; Granville Stuart; John R. Thomas;
E.W. Toole; U.S. Treasury Dept.; Charles L. Webster and Company;
John R. White; Alex Williams Jr. and Company; A.M. Woodruff; L.
Wottrich [in German]; Wilhelm Zieman [in German])
1889
5 / 10
B-K (correspondents include A.S.
Blumenberg; Brush Electric Company; T.C. Burns; Cascade Bank; H.
Claussenius; George Danzer; Charles L. Davis; J.J. Donovan; J.E.
Dougherty; C.D. Ebert; First National Bank of Butte; Mathias Gales
[in German]; Williamm Graham; August Kern Barber Supply Company;
George F. Kunz)
1890
5 / 11
L-Y (correspondents include James M.
Largent; R.B. Lehman; A. McGregor; Maguire's Opera House; D.S.
Martin; Meagher County Treasurer J. Tipton; Melville, Fickus and
Company; Frank S. Milbury; A.E. Moberg; J.H. Newberry; Northwestern
Industrial Exposition; C. Lawrence Perkins; Isom Preuitt; Harry
Rodgers; Charles E. Severance; D.W. Small; A.P. Smith; J. Steinmetz
Jewelry Company; U.S. Treasury Dept.; Watertown National Bank;
Yellowstone National Park)
1890
6 / 1
A-L (correspondents include Arthur's
Home Magazine; I.G. Baker and Company; Fred Begeman [in German];
Alex C. Botkin; Thomas H. Carter; Curtis and Majors; Adam Emich;
Farson, Leach and Company; First National Bank of Butte; First
National Bank of Castle; Thomas Gahagan; William Harrison granite
quarries; Russell B. Harrison; Helena Consolidated Water Company;
John Heurth [in German]; M.D. Kelly; J.E. Landsman; W.R. Logan
1891
6 / 2
M-W (correspondents include Fletcher
Maddox; Phil Manix; Charles Mattison; E.A. Meyer; J.A. Mink [in
German]; E.J. Morrow; B.R. Noble; Northwestern Masonic Aid
Association; Realty Investment Company; Granville Stuart; Ralph
Wells; Williams and Coburn Wool Commission Merchants; Peter Winne;
George Wooldridge; L. Wottrich [in German])
1891
6 / 3
A-H (correspondents include Alden
Vinegar Company; M.F. Miller; Sister Amadeus; Arthur's Home
Magazine; James Basch; R. Beasley; Cascade Bank; John Chamberlin;
Commercial Adding Machine Company; J.H. Conrad and Company; Crosby
and Quinn; J.E. Daugherty; H.R. Dunlop; Mrs. J.L. Eastlake; Thomas
Everett; Felt and Tarrant Manufacturing Company; First National Bank
of Castle; A.R. Frame; Anetta S. Godman; Gold Dredging Company; A.M.
Grady; Oscar Grotthurt [? in German])
1892
6 / 4
K-T (correspondents include S.A. Kean
and Company; William Kirk [in German]; Knauth, Nachod and Kuhne;
Lamson Consolidated Store Service Company; N.P. Langford; Maryland
Pottery Company; E.P. May; Meagher County District Court; Merchants
and Miners Bank; B. Morse; J.R. Patterson; R.S. Price and Company;
S.C. Robertson; St. Louis Mining and Milling Company; St. Peter's
Mission; N. Scheyer [in German]; Scott and Nash; O.O. Simons; T.P.
Spiers; Louise Stiger; A.B. Taylor)
1892
6 / 5
B-F (correspondents include Baltimore
Business Agency; Fred Barrett; Walter M. Bickford; August Biebel;
J.W. Blair; John R. Brooke; Cascade Bank; Clark Brothers and
Company; W.A. Clark and Brother; H. Claussenius [in German]; J.H.
Conrad and Company; Walter Cooper; Ernest Crutcher; Charles D.
Curtis; Charles Davis; Annie Dunn; Dan Eisenberg; Edwin M. Ellis;
Henry Elling; Ensor Remedy Company; First National Bank of Dillon;
First National Bank of Missoula)
1893
6 / 6
First National Bank of Castle (re
liquidation)
1893
6 / 7
H-Y (correspondents include Helena
National Bank; M.W. Johnson; Kansas Loan and Trust Company; Knauth,
Nachod and Kuhne; Len Lewis; Petronella Linden [in German]; M.E.
Manix; Meagher County Court Clerk B.W. Badger; Melville, Fickus and
Company; Merchants and Miners Bank, Philipsburg; Montana Club;
Peckham and Brown; W.D. Pickett; R.R. Purcell; William C. Riddell;
W.C. Rommel; Rodney Smith; John B. Stone; George W. Tanner; Jennie
Thies; U.S. Army; U.S. Treasury Dept.)
1893
6 / 8
B-F (correspondents include F.S.
Bedell; August Biebel; William M. Blackford; Board of Lady Managers
of the World's Columbian Exposition; L.M. Boyce; Mark Bray; John
Edgerton for E.D. Edgerton and Company; Edgerton and Hefferlin;
First National Bank, Philipsburg)
1894
6 / 9
L-W (correspondents include Mary S.
McKay; E.W. McNeal; Meagher County Clerk of Court B.W. Badger;
Marysville Gazette; Felix B. Nardelli; National Postage Movement;
Charles H. Peck, Banker; Peckham and Brown; Governor John Rickards;
W.C. Tonkin; E.W. Toole; U.S. Army; U.S. Treasury Dept.; Utah
National Bank; J.G. Wittwer)
1894
7 / 1
B-T (correspondents include R.J.
Anderson; William M. Blackford; Butte and Boston Mining Company;
Charles Dahler; C.F. Ellis and Company; Langstroth Mechanical
Ledger; Charles R. Leonard; John McMahon; Montana Coal and Coke
Company; W.H. Nichols and Brother; Joseph Novak; W. Passavant;
Peckham and Brown; Martin Pedersen; William T. Pigott; A.D. Ryder;
E.W. Toole)
1895
7 / 2
B-S (correspondents include Barr Cash
and Package Carrier Company; William M. Blackford; M. Brundage;
Elmer Clark; Colorado and Cripple Creek Investment Company; E.D.
Edgerton and Company; F.P. Fremont; A.C. Gormley; C.W. Hackett
Hardware Company; R.E. Hamilton; Thomas S. Howell; Imperial Gold
Mining Company; P.C. Krigbaum; Charles R. Leonard; H.S. Magraw; A.J.
McMillan; H.A. Milot; A.H. Nelson; W.H. Nichols and Brother; Hubert
Nicholson; H.A. Niedenhofen; Osborne and Murphy Company; John
Pickering; Walter Richmond; Granville Stuart)
1896
7 / 3
C-N (correspondents include Clark,
Dodge and Company; C.W. Higley; J.O. Hudnutt and Company;
miscellaneous telegrams)
undated
Outgoing Correspondence
8 / 1-8
Letterpress copies
1866-1881
9 / 1-8
Letterpress copies
1882-1888
10 / 1-8
Letterpress copies
1889-1890
11 / 1-8
Letterpress copies
1890-1891
12 / 1-8
Letterpress copies
1891-1893
13 / 1-10
Letterpress copies (includes letters
of A.W. Lyman, Eugene T. Wilson, and T.H. Kleinschmidt, examiners)
1893-1895
14 / 1-3
Letterpress copies
1895-1896
14 / 4
Miscellaneous rough drafts of letters
undated
14 / 5-6
Letterpress books: mining
1875-1879
15 / 1
Letterpress book: E.W. Knight,
personal
1871-1884
15 / 2-3
Letterpress books: "bank special"
1877-1884, 1887-1894
16 / 1-2
Letterpress copies: "bullion letters"
1880-1887
16 / 3-9
Telegrams
1874-1884
17 / 1-7
Telegrams
1884-1889
18 / 1-2
Telegrams
1889, 1895-1896
18 / 3-5
Stenographers' notebooks in shorthand
1889-1892, 1895
Interoffice Correspondence
18 / 6-7
Letterpress copies and originals
1866-1895, undated
Court Papers
19 / 1
Legal docket
1894-1897
19 / 2-3
Miscellaneous cases involving First
National Bank
1866-1895
19 / 4
Miscellaneous
1869-1891
Financial Records
19 / 5
General and individual ledger
1866
1-17
General ledgers
1866-1896
18-37
Individual ledgers [alphabetical
within each year or group of years; some have index in volume, some
in separate volume labelled "a"]
1866-1896
38-50
General ledger balances
1866-1896
51-100
Individual daily balances
[alphabetical within each year or portion of year]
1867-1896
101- 138
Cash book [additional cash book
entries, 1866, in Averages book]
1866-1896
139- 156
Counter cash books [139 includes
ledger entries for 1866-1867]
1866-1896
157- 206
Deposits paid [alphabetical within
each year or group of years]
1866-1890
207- 214
Deposits received [U.S. notes]
1866-1881
215- 232
Deposits received [alphabetical
within each year or group of years]
1881-1890
233- 248
Exchange record
1871-1888
20 / 1
Advertisement expenses
1872-1891
20 / 2-3
Assay record
1867-1870
20 / 4
Assay reports: U.S. Assay Office,
Helena
1880-1884
20 / 5
Assay reports: miscellaneous
1876-1885
20 / 6
Assayer's day book
1870
20 / 7
Assayer's ledger
1874
20 / 8
Averages book [also includes cash
book entries, 1866]
1867-1874
21 / 1
Bank balances
1894 January
21 / 2
Bank books [samples]
1870-1896
249- 250
Bill registers
1866-1882
251- 252
Bill and discount journals
1866-1886
21 / 3
Bills for merchandise purchased for
bank
1866
21 / 4
Blank forms: U.S. Controller of
Currency
Circa 1870- 1899
21 / 5
Blotter used first two months of bank
in Helena
1866
21 / 6
Bond and warrant ledger
1890-1895
21 / 7
Bradstreet reports: C-W [re financial
rating]
1886-1895
21 / 8
Bullion book
1891-1896
21 / 9
Bullion memoranda: gold
1866-1879
21 / 10
Bullion memoranda: silver
1869-1879
21 / 11
Bullion purchases
1871-1878
22 / 1
Cash items account book
1884
22 / 2
Cashier's report
1869
22 / 3
Certificates of deposit payment
deferral agreements
1893
253- 254
Certificates of deposit, etc.
1888, undated
22 / 4
Checks, drafts, vouchers [samples]
1867-1895
22 / 5-7
Clearings
1889-1892
255
Clearings
1894-1895
22 / 8
Clearings: paying teller
1892
23 / 1-2
Clearings: paying teller
1892-1893
23 / 3
Clearings: receiving teller
1890
24 / 1-3
Clearings: receiving teller
1890-1892
25 / 1
Collection account books
1877-1880
25 / 2-3
Collection Department journals
1893-1896
25 / 4
Collection receipts
1893-1894
256- 264
Collection registers
1882-1896
25 / 5
Collection registers, country
accounts
1878-1886
265- 268
Collection registers, country
accounts
1886-1896
269
Credit book [only pages 200-214 used]
1866
26 / 1
Currency account book
1876-1877
270- 271
Deposit certificate register
1866-1882
272- 273
Deposit certificate register: demand
1882-1896
274- 277
Deposit certificate register: time
1881-1896
26 / 2
Deposits
1867-1868
278- 278A
Discount ledger and index
1885-1890
279- 285
Discount registers
1866-1892
286
Draft register: First National Bank,
New York
1891-1895
287
Draft register: New York, Billings,
Bozeman, and Fort Benton banks
1886-1889
288
Draft register: Omaha National Bank
1896
289
Draft register: St. Louis and San
Francisco banks
1889-1893
26 / 3
Express company receipts: Holladay
Overland Mail and Express Company
1866-1867
26 / 4-6
Express company receipts: Wells,
Fargo and Company
1867-1877
26 / 7
Express company receipts: Union
Pacific Railroad
1879-1882
26 / 8
Express company receipts: Wells,
Fargo and Company
1884-1889
290
Extension certificates
1894-1896
291
Gold and silver shipments
1878-1887
26 / 9
Gold deposits
1870-1874
26 / 10
Gold dust memorandum books
1867-1869
27 / 1
Gold sales
1870-1872
27 / 2
S.T. Hauser's "special" account books
1871-1872, 1882
27 / 3
Indebtedness of various people and
companies
undated
27 / 4
Index: collaterals [index to filing
system?]
undated
27 / 5
Insurance policies
1866-1894
292- 293
Journals
1866-1895
27 / 6
Ledger [S.T. Hauser personal?]
1870
27 / 7-8
Ledger: U.S. Officers
1890-1897
28 / 1
Loan account book
1889-1894
28 / 2-5
Loans due
1888-1889, 1894, 1896
294- 297
Mail balances
1887-1892
28 / 6
Notes dues
1873
28 / 7
Notes sent for collection
1890-1895
28 / 8
Ore book
1873-1874
28 / 9
Ore shipments
1871-1881
298
Ore shipments
1876
28 / 10
Ore shipments: insurance
1875-1877
28 / 11
Overdrafts
1877
29 / 1
"Polygraph": Montana National Bank,
Second National Bank, Cruse Savings Bank
1889
299- 302
Railroad remittance journals
1890-1893
29 / 2-3
Railroad remittance letters
[letterpress books: include lists of station agents, conductors,
etc.]
1883-1885
30 / 1-2
Railroad remittance letters
[letterpress books: include lists of station agents, conductors,
etc.]
1886-1888
31 / 1-2
Railroad remittance letters
[letterpress books: include lists of station agents, conductors,
etc.]
1888-1889
32 / 1-4
Railroad remittance letters
[letterpress books: include lists of station agents, conductors,
etc.]
1890, 1893, 1896
33 / 1-8
Receipts and bills
1866-1885, 1890-1893
303
Receipts and bills [scrapbook]
1888-1889
33 / 9
Record of college scrip and
miscellaneous warrants
1871-1880
33 / 10
Reference and information index
1893
304- 308
Remittance registers
1895-1896
33 / 11
Rent accounts
1874-1896
33 / 12-13
Rent books (includes E.M. Hoyt)
1877-1883, 1887-1893
34 / 1
Report of extensions
1894
34 / 2
Reports of dividends and earnings
1871-1896
34 / 3
Reports to U.S. Controller of
Currency (monthly)
1866-1869
34 / 4-8
Reports to U.S. Controller of
Currency (quarterly)
1866-1896
34 / 9-10
Report to U.S. Controller of Currency
(lists of assets and liabilities)
1893 September
34 / 11
Return of circulation subject to duty
(semi-annual)
1883-1896
34 / 12
Return to U.S. Commissioner of
Internal Revenue (monthly)
circa 1860 - 1869
34 / 13
Return to U.S. Treasurer
(semi-annual)
1867-1890
35 / 1
Safety deposit box rentals
1889-1897
35 / 2
Savings Department cash book
1895-1896
309
Savings Department daily balance book
1896
35 / 3
Savings Department daily balance book
1896
35 / 4-5
Statements of account (letterpress
books)
1867-1874, 1877-1879
35 / 6
Statement: First National Bank
1894
35 / 7
Tax assessment lists
1895-1896
35 / 8
Tax receipts [scattered]
1873-1895
310
Teller: paying
1885-1886
310 A
Teller: paying
1891
311
Teller: receiving
1885-1886
35 / 9
Teller's cash book
1894-1895
36 / 1-2
Teller's cash books
1895-1896
36 / 3
Teller's counter cash books
1894-1895
36 / 4
Tickler
1882
36 / 5
Miscellaneous
1877-1895
Legal Documents
37 / 1
Abstract of Title: Chris Kenck
Addition
1891
37 / 2-4
Agreements and contracts
1865-1877, 1881-1896
37 / 5
Bonds
1866-1889
37 / 6-7
Escrow agreements
1882-1895
37 / 8-12
Indentures: First National Bank
1866-1895
37 / 13
Indentures: Montana Company Ltd. to
Thomas Cruse
188-
37 / 14
Indentures: miscellaneous
1865-1903
38 / 1
Licenses: First National Bank
1866-1872
38 / 2
Licenses: First National Bank Assay
Office
1867-1870
38 / 3
Licenses: miscellaneous
1867-1870
38 / 4
Notary Public book of T.H.
Kleinschmidt and E.W. Knight
1868-1879
38 / 5
Ore contracts
1874-1876, undated
38 / 6
Powers of attorney
1866-1895
38 / 7
Miscellaneous: First National Bank
1866-1894
38 / 8
Miscellaneous
1859-1899
Organization
38 / 9
Articles of association
1865
38 / 10
Directors' stock ledger
1868-1895
38 / 11
Organization certificates
1865-1866
312
Record book (includes articles of
association, bylaws, minutes)
1966-1896
38 / 12
Stock certificates
circa 1860 - 1879
313
Stock certificate stub book
circa 1860 - 1879
314
Stock certificate book
circa 1880-1889
315
Stock record
1866-1894
38 / 13
Stock record
1895
38 / 14
Stock transfer receipts
1866-1879
38 / 15
Stockholder proxies
1867, 1869
38 / 16
Miscellaneous
1866, 1869
Subject Files
39 / 1
Bank statements and ads from other
banks
1867-1888
39 / 2
H.H. Barnes (First National Bank of
Castle)
1893-1894
39 / 3
Benjamin C. Brooke
1889-1893
39 / 4
Cataract Mining and Concentrating
Company (includes indentures, delinquent taxes)
1879-1894
39 / 5
Dawson County financial statement
1883
39 / 6
Elkhorn Mining Company (includes
assay reports, power of attorney, list of employees)
1883-1884
39 / 7-12
First National Bank of Fort Benton
(includes cypher book, loans, discounts, overdrafts, statements of
condition)
1880-1882
39 / 13
Ellen F. Hauser (includes
correspondence from John Theodore Klein, Ben Farrar, John W. Herder)
1872-1875
39 / 14
Gustave Helbigsgott (includes letter
in German)
1868-1878
39 / 15-18
Helena National Bank exchange of
stock
1894-1897
39 / 19
Inventory of livery stable
1891
39 / 20
Hugh Kirkendall bankruptcy
1871-1874
39 / 21
Albert Kleinschmidt (includes list of
deeds, legal documents)
1869-1886
39 / 22-25
T.H. Kleinschmidt (includes
correspondence, legal documents, certificates, stock certificates,
miscellany)
1866-1904
39 / 26
List of mining gulches
undated
39 / 27
Little Jennie Mine (includes
statements of work performed, financial records)
1884-1886
39 / 28
Military papers (includes discharge
for William Maxwell, pay statement for [?] Torrey)
1869, 1874
39 / 29
John H. Ming's collateral bond
collections
1887
39 / 30
The Montana Company (includes
payroll, minutes, statement of property)
1878, undated
40 / 1-2
New bank building (includes
specifications, payroll)
1886
40 / 3
Nez Perce Expedition certificates of
voluntary service
1877
40 / 4
North American Gold and Silver Mining
Company of Montana (includes surveying expenses)
1869
40 / 5
Report on the * * * Mine
1892
40 / 6
Rocky Mountain Gazette stock held as
collateral (includes agreements and stock certificates)
1872-1893
40 / 7-10
S.T. Hauser and Company, Butte
statements of condition
1878-1881
40 / 11
Sands Cattle and Land Company
1887
40 / 12
Charles Tacke Estate
1880-1890
40 / 13
Vawter and Company (includes legal
documents, trial balance sheets, inventory)
1881
40 / 14
James Vivion property
1867-1868
40 / 15
Rudolf Von Tobel (includes
correspondence from R.B. Gelatt, J.W. Skinner, N.B. White, L.W.
Chaney; licenses; receipts)
1883-1884
40 / 16
J.C. Walker and Brother assets
1876
40 / 17
Lorenz and Josephine Wesslick
1886-1888
40 / 18
Yellowstone Park Transportation
Company comparative statement
1895-1896
Miscellany
40 / 19
Bank exchange list
1883
40 / 20
Clipping (re banks swindled by man
named Whitney)
undated
316- 319
Signature books (arranged
alphabetically within each book)
1866-1896
40 / 21
Telegraphic cypher codes
1873-1891
40 / 22
Ephemera (includes invitations;
directions for laying parquet floors; Items of interest... by First
State Bank of Livingston; premium list of Montana Agricultural,
Mineral and Mechanical Association; information and statistics re
erection of State Capitol; Shriners brochure)
1871-1897
40 / 23
Miscellaneous
undated
First National Bank Receivership
Incoming Correspondence
41 / 1
Eugene T. Wilson, examiner-in-charge:
B-K (correspondents include Bank of Boulder; James Donovan; First
National Bank of Chicago; Knauth, Nachod and Kuhne;
1896 September
41 / 2
Erasmus D. Edgerton, receiver: B-V
(correspondents include Bank of Boulder; W.E. Cullen; James Ettien;
First National Bank of St. Paul; M. Grotthiuss; Knauth, Nachod and
Kuhne; Charles R. Leonard; Star, Thomas and Chamberlain; U.S.
Controller of the Currency)
1896 September- 1897 January
41 / 3
J. Sam Brown, receiver: B-W
(correspondents include L.M. Bailey; Bank of Boulder; A.H. Clark;
Ransom Cooper; George F. Cope; E.D. Edgerton; First National Bank of
St. Paul; Helena Business Men's Association; Hope Mining Company;
H.P. Kennett; E.W. Knight; Montana Attorney General C.B. Nolan;
National Bank of the Republic; W.W. Sterling; U.S. Controller of the
Currency; M.B. Whitney; A.R. Wilcox)
1897 January-October
41 / 4
Eugene T. Wilson, receiver: C-U
(correspondents include Thomas H. Carter; E.D. Edgerton; [---]
Flynn; Piatt and Heath; St. Paul National Bank; Gustave Seepang;
U.S. Surveyor General E.W. Beattie)
1897 October-December
41 / 5
Eugene T. Wilson, receiver: B-W
(correspondents include Thomas H. Carter; Crawford Brothers; Thomas
Cruse; O.C. Dallas; F.H. Donaldson: James Donovan; E.D. Edgerton;
First National Bank of Butte; Gilbert and Fell; A.C. Jardine; G.D.
Keeney; Joseph Kenck; E.W. Knight; Isom Preuitt; Pat Ryan; Thomas
Ryan; R.E. Samson; Lenox Smith; William R. Sweeney; C.B. Towers)
1898
41 / 6-7
Eugene T. Wilson, receiver: B-Y
(correspondents include Bank of Fergus County; August Biebel;
William M. Blackford; Edgar Boardman; Cooper and Cooper; E.D.
Edgerton; Gilbert and Fell; A.C. Jardine; Carrie M. Jones; William
I. Lippincott; E.M. Porter; Isom Preuitt; St. Paul National Bank;
Melvin Strain; E.W. Toole; N.M. Walker; William Wallace; Thomas E.
Wing; Yellowstone National Bank)
1899
41 / 8
Eugene T. Wilson, receiver: B-W
(correspondents include B.W. Badger; H.B. Baker; William M.
Blackford; Cooper and Cooper; E.D. Edgerton; William Foster; James
Hall; J.B. Hedges; C.E. Hess; Tillie Jacobson; A.C. Jardine; W.L.
Jenkins; James Jobb; Montana Historical Society Librarian Laura E.
Howey; Joseph Reid; Edward Scharnikow; N.M. Walker; John Wendel;
A.S. Wright and Company)
1900
41 / 9
Eugene T. Wilson, receiver: B-Y
(correspondents include August Biebel; William M. Blackford; Massena
Bullard; Deer Lodge County Clerk; George E. DeSteiguer; E.D.
Edgerton; Charles J. Geier; S.T. Hauser; Charles Heuer; F.W.
Lingquist; S.H. Powell; Rocky Fork Town and Electric Company; C.A.
Spofford; N.M. Walker; Charles K. Wells; P.C. Weydert; H. Yeager)
1901
41 / 10
Eugene T. Wilson, receiver: A-W
(correspondents include R.S. Alley; A.R. Beaton; Chicago Underground
Trolley Traction Company; E.D. Edgerton; William Foster; Rocky Fork
Town and Electric Company; Jake Ross; U.S. Land Office, Bozeman;
N.M. Walker)
1902
Outgoing Correspondence
41 / 11
Eugene T. Wilson, examiner in charge
1896 September-October
41 / 12
Erastus D. Edgerton, receiver
1896 September-
1897 January
41 / 13
J. Sam Brown, receiver
1897 January-September
41 / 14-17
Eugene T. Wilson, receiver
1897 November- 1899 December
42 / 1-3
Eugene T. Wilson, receiver
1899 December- 1903 April
42 / 4
Eugene T. Wilson, receiver: letters
to people receiving dividends
1899 August- 1903 April
Court Papers
42 / 5
Report of litigation
1890-1897- April 1903
42 / 6
Transcripts of judgements
1901
42 / 7
Miscellaneous
undated
Financial Records
42 / 8
Asset ledger
1896
42 / 9
C.W. Cannon trusteeship statement
1900-1901
320
Cash book
1896-1897
42 / 10
Claims proved and dividends paid
(index)
1897-1902
42 / 11
Collections account book
1897-1899
42 / 12
Depositors at time of suspension
(index)
1896
42 / 13
S.T. Hauser's liability to bank at
time of closure
1896-1897
43 / 1
Insurance policies
1896-1897
43 / 2
Insurance record
1897-1900
321- 321A
Ledger and index
1896-1897
43 / 3
Liabilities of First National Bank at
time of suspension
1896
43 / 4
Rent account book
1896-1898
43 / 5-6
Reports to Controller of the Currency
(schedules)
1897-1898
43 / 7
Salary account book
1898
43 / 8
Unclaimed receiver's dividends
1903
43 / 9
Miscellaneous
undated
Legal Documents
43 / 10
Agreements and contracts
1886-1900
43 / 11
Proofs of claims
1896-1897
Organization
43 / 12
Stockholder list
1896
Miscellany
43 / 13
Stenographers' notebooks
1897, 1899