First National Bank, Citronelle, AL (Charter 6835)

Needed: a contemporary postcard or photo of the bank.

First National Bank, Citronelle, AL (Chartered 1903 - Receivership 1916)

Town History

Citronelle is a city on the northern border of Mobile County, Alabama, about 34 miles north of Mobile. At the 2020 census, the population was 3,946. In 1900 the population was 696, growing to 1,082 by 1930.

The first known European explorers of this area were French in the 18th century. They learned that the land had healing herbs and mineral springs. The area was settled in 1811 and established as a jurisdiction (incorporated) in 1892. The name "Citronelle" is French and is derived from the citronella plant. In the late 19th century, the town became a popular resort destination because of the climate, herbs, and healing waters. Many hotels were built to accommodate the surge of visitors.

On May 4, 1865, one of the last significant Confederate armies was surrendered by Lieutenant General Richard Taylor under the "Surrender Oak". This was the third in the series of five major surrenders of armies that ended the war. The two previous surrenders occurred at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, between Confederate General Robert E. Lee and US General Ulysses S. Grant; and the second and largest at Bennett Place near Durham, North Carolina between US General William T. Sherman and Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston. A living history/reenactment of the surrender occurs each year in Citronelle. The historic "Surrender Oak" no longer stands, as it was destroyed by a hurricane in 1902.

In 1955, oil was discovered in the area, thus Citronelle became known as the oil capital of Alabama. Citronelle had one National Bank chartered during the Bank Note Era, and it issued National Bank Notes.

Bank History

Organized April 29, 1903
Chartered June 13, 1903
Receivership March 25, 1916

In April 1903, the Comptroller of the Currency approved the application of the First National Bank of Citronelle to organize with capital of $25,000. The organizers were E.F. Ballard, Waynesboro, Mississippi; H.O. McMain, J.H. Wheeler, and H.M. Healy, Citronelle. On June 13, 1903, the bank was authorized to begin business. E.F. Ballard was president and H.O. McMain, cashier.

Official Bank Title(s)

1: The First National Bank of Citronelle, AL

Bank Note Types Issued

1902 Red Seal $10-$20 from a proof sheet approved July 8, 1903. Courtesy of The Smithsonian Institution

This bank issued the following Types and Denominations of bank notes:

Series/Type	Sheet/Denoms	Serial#s	Sheet Comments
1902 Red Seal	3x10-20	1 - 1350
1902 Date Back	3x10-20	1 - 1873

Bank Presidents and Cashiers

Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1903 - 1916):

Presidents:

Cashiers:

Hypolite Oladowski McMain, 1903-1904
Lloyd Otto Stuber, 1905-1905
James Sylvester Lynch, 1906-1907
Rufus Lee Prine, 1908-1913
Russell Adrian Delong, 1914-1914
James Sylvester Lynch, 1915-1915

Other Bank Note Signers

There are currently no known Vice President or Assistant Cashier bank note signers for this bank.

Wiki Links

Sources

Citronelle, AL, on Wikipedia
Don C. Kelly, National Bank Notes, A Guide with Prices. 6th Edition (Oxford, OH: The Paper Money Institute, 2008).
Dean Oakes and John Hickman, Standard Catalog of National Bank Notes. 2nd Edition (Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 1990).
Banks & Bankers Historical Database (1782-1935), https://spmc.org/bank-note-history-project
The Birmingham News, Birmingham, AL, Mon., Apr. 6, 1903.
The Chattanooga News, Chattanooga, TN, Wed., June 17, 1903.