NTDMG015 Guide to First National Bank of Wallace records First National Bank of Wallace records Finding aid prepared by Judith Nielsen Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. University of Idaho Library, Special Collections and Archives 1989

libspec@uidaho.edu

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-03-16. English Finding aid based on DACS (Describing Archives: A Content Standard), 2nd Edition. University of Idaho Library, Special Collections and Archives First National Bank of Wallace records First National Bank of Wallace (Idaho) MG 015 26 cubic feet 1892-1949 Correspondence, 1901-1909, and financial ledgers. Also, deeds, agreements, correspondence, and other legal and financial papers filed in the building's vault prior to 1891. English .

Collection is open for research.

The Wallace branch of the Agency Bank of Murray, under the direction of Charles Hussey, opened in 1887, and shortly before it failed in 1890 it changed its name to the Bank of Wallace. Patrick Clark of the Poorman Mine, along with several others, purchased all the assets of the bank except the building, and opened the Coeur d'Alene Bank on January 10, 1891. In July 1892 Horace Davenport was the bank's cashier.

The First National Bank of Wallace was organized on August 8, 1892 by Frank F. Johnson, Henry White, Horace M. Davenport, Richard Wilson, and Charles E. Bender. Other directors, besides Johnson and White, were Charles W. O'Neil, R.R. Neill, Richard Wilson, and Albert Johnson. The bank, which took over the building formerly occupied by the Hussey bank,, was the first national bank organized in Shoshone County. Several banks had been started in Wallace, but by 1893 the First National Bank was the only bank operating. It remained without competition until Bernard O'Neil started the State Bank of Commerce in 1904. M.J. Flohr, who had been connected with the bank since 1895, succeeded Davenport as cashier in 1903 and later became president of the bank.

The First National Bank continued to operate as an independent bank until 1972 when it became a branch of the newly organized First National Bank of North Idaho.

The records of the First National Bank of Wallace span the years 1892 to 1949, with the bulk of the material covering the years 1892 to 1935.

The records include incoming correspondence, a variety of financial ledgers, and personal papers which were deposited in the vault of the Bank of Murray and not claimed by their owners when the bank folded.

Several sets of journals, most notably the Reconcilements of Accounts and Computation of Reserve, have gaps in dates caused by missing volumes. Also, there is no correspondence for 1907.

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.

The early records of the First National Bank of Wallace were donated to the University of Idaho library in 1962 by former bank president M.J. Flohr.

The only materials removed from the collection were an unused cash book and a September 1910 copy of Bradstreets.

Aldrich, Clara Elizabeth. History of Banking in Idaho. Thesis (MBA). Seattle, University of Washington, 1940

Barrett, Glen. Idaho Banking. Boise, Boise State University Press, 1976

Illustrated History of North Idaho. s.l., Western Historical Publishing, 1903

Wallace (Idaho) Banks and Banking Correspondence Correspondence Series I 1901-1909 1 item 1901 1 1 43 items 1902 1 2 69 items 1903 1 3 53 items 1904 1 4 68 items 1905 1 5 124 items 1906 1 6 2 items 1908-1909 1 7 Bound Volumes Series II 1892-1949 General Ledgers 18 items 1892-1938 OS 8-25 Cash Books 23 items 1892-1913 OS 26-48 Balance Books 10 items 1892-1939 OS 49-58 Collection Registers 8 items 1892-1917 OS 59-66 Draft Registers 21 items 1892-1907 OS 67-87 Warrants and Securities 1 item 1906-1949 OS 88 Warranty Registers 3 items 1906-1924 OS 89-91 Bills Receivable 14 items 1892-1945 OS 92105 Teller's Cash Books 18 items 1903-1934 OS 106-123 Reconcilement of Accounts 16 items 1904-1940 OS 124-139 Computation of Reserve to be carried with the Federal Reserve Bank by all member banks not located in reserve or central reserve cities 3 items 1920-1929 OS 140-142 Ledger: Account with Capitol State Bank, Boise, 1903-1906; List of new and closed accounts, 1910-1914 1 item 1903-1914 OS 143 Clearances 3 items 1907-1916 OS 144-146 Purchaser's Applications for Travelers Checks 500 items 1924-1926 OS 147 Bank of Murray Vault Items Series III 1882-1890 Baker, J.D. and P. Foley. Contract 1 item 1884 2 148 Baldwin, Bruce and Brundage. Promissory Notes 25 items 1886 2 149 Barroll, E.R. and J.R. Marks. Agreement 1 item 1888 2 150 Bartlow, Isadore H. Deeds 2 items 1885 2 151 Beeman, Nelson. Correspondence & Financial items 3 items 1884 2 152 Bennington, J. & Ed Zeiger. Agreement 1 item 1885 2 153 Boss, James E. Deed 1 item 1888 2 154 Brill, Alfred. Legal Notices 2 items 1886 2 155 Burke, John M. Promissory Note 1 item 1886 2 156 Byrnett, G. Stock Certificates 29 items 1884 2 157 Byrnet, George N. Legal & Financial Papers 4 items 1884 2 158 Calavan, James. Agreement 1 item 1885 2 159 Campbell, A.R. Deed 1 item 1884 2 160 Chase, J.F. Sargent Affidavit 1 item 1887 2 161 Clark, Charles. Receipt 1 item 1888 2 162 Cole, D.M. Deed & Power of Attorney 2 items 1884 2 163 Cooper, John vs. N.S. Kellogg. Deeds 4 items 1886 2 164 Cunningham, Samuel. Correspondence & Financial 3 items 1882 2 165 Davis, W.R. Agreement 2 items 1884 2 166 Denver, W. McK. & Sylvanius Collett. Deed 1 item 1884 2 167 Downs, John. Financial 1 item 1885 2 168 Doyle, W.E. Insurance Receipt 1 item 1887 2 169 Everson, Louis, Power of Attorney 1 item 1886 2 170 Finn, Dan. Financial Correspondence 1 item circa 1880s 2 171 Hanley, T.F. Bond of Clarence Cunningham 1 item 1888 2 172 Harris, W.E. Deed 1 item 1885 2 173 Hathaway, C.M. Promissory Note 1 item 1884 2 174 Herrman, John. Location Notices 5 items 1885-1886 2 175 Hogan, Thomas S. Deed 1 item 1886 2 176 Jackson, Charles. Deeds 7 items 1887-1890 2 177 Johnson, Robert J. Stock Certificate 1 item 1888 2 178 King, William. Receipt 1 item 1884 2 179 Klein, Eugene. Vernon Notes 7 items 1884-1885 2 180 Levi, Alexander B. Power of Attorney 1 item 1884 2 181 Linn, A. Agreements 2 items 1884 2 182 Lowe, R.R. Deed 2 items 1884 2 183 McDonald, Davis & Williamson. Financial 22 items 1884 2 184 McLelland, T.E. Bond 2 items 1885 2 185 Mead, Charles. Deeds 8 items 1889-1890 2 186 O'Brien, D. Deed 1 item 1890 2 187 Parker, William. Correspondence 21 items 1884-1885 2 188 Porter, W.J. Agreement 1 item 1885 2 189 Ryal, John C. Deeds 8 items 1884-1885 2 190 Scofield, A.L. Letter from George H. Knight 1 item 1890 2 191 Scowden, Leo A. Stock Certificate & Deed 1 item 1886-1887 2 192 Scrofford, A.D. Promissory Note 1 item 1884 2 193 Stevens, James & W.T. Dolman. Contract 1 item 1884 2 194 White, G.W. Deeds 9 items 1884 2 195 Miscellaneous Series IV 1932-1943 Checkbook 1932-1943 2 196