National City Bank, Rome, GA (Charter 10302)
National City Bank, Rome, GA (Chartered 1912 - Closed (Merger) 1987)
Town History
Rome is the largest city in and the county seat of Floyd County, Georgia. Located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, it is the principal city of the Rome, Georgia, metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all of Floyd County. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 37,713 making it the largest city in Northwest Georgia and the 26th-largest city in the state. In 1900 the population was 7,291 growing to 21,843 by 1930.
Rome was founded in 1834, after Congress passed the Indian Removal Act, and the federal government committed to removing the Cherokee and other Native Americans from the Southeast. It developed on former indigenous territory at the confluence of the Etowah and the Oostanaula rivers, which together form the Coosa River.
The city has developed on seven hills with the rivers running between them, a feature that inspired the early European-American settlers to name it for Rome, the longtime capital of Italy that was also built on seven hills. The American Rome developed in the antebellum period as a market and trading city due to its advantageous location on the rivers. It shipped the rich regional cotton crop downriver to markets on the Gulf Coast and export overseas.
Rome had six National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and all six of those banks issued National Bank Notes.
Bank History
- Organized September 9, 1912
- Chartered December 26, 1912
- Absorbed 10303 July 11, 1925 (Exchange National Bank, Rome, GA)
- Bank was Open past 1935
- For Bank History after 1935 see FDIC Bank History website
- Merged into First Union NB of Georgia in Atlanta, GA, November 1, 1987
In August 1912, the Comptroller of the Currency approved the application to organize the National City Bank of Rome, Georgia; capital $100,000; John M. Graham, correspondent; E.P. Harvey, W. Willingham, J.T. Wilkerson, George C. Beysiegel, directors. On December 26, 1912, charters were issued to The National City Bank of Rome, Georgia, capital $100,000, John M. Graham, president, George C. Beysiegel, cashier; and the Exchange National Bank of Rome, Georgia, capital $150,000, J.A. Glover, president, W.W. Berry, cashier. The Exchange National succeeded the Exchange Bank of Rome.
On August 26, 1934, Police reported they had lost the trail of two bandits who robbed bank messengers yesterday of a $9,795 payroll being transported to the Tubize Chantillon rayon mill from the National City bank. Officers chased the car through the city and fired at it three times. A car answering the description of the robbers' automobile was reported to have stopped at a Cartersville filling station for gasoline. The filling station operator notified officers one of the men appeared to be suffering from a wound in the neck.
On June 25, 1925, John M. Graham announced that Walter B. Cothran, secretary-treasurer of Towers-Sullivan Company since 1909 was elected vice president of the National City Bank and would assume his duties immediately after the Exchange National Bank had been consolidated with the National City Bank in July. The addition of Mr. Cothran would cause no other change in the personnel, Louis N. Shahan, Jr., recently elected vice president to succeed C.P. Willingham who resigned, would continue in that position without being actively engaged in work at the bank. Mr. Cothran was added to the staff of the bank because of the enlarged business expected after the consolidation. Mr. Cothran was a native of Rome and was regarded as one of the most successful businessmen of the city.
In March 1935, Harvey and Smith, noted for their many escapes from Georgia's jails, were under bonds of $50,000 each awaiting trial on charges of robbing the City National Bank in Rome of a $9,000 pay roll. While serving sentences amounting to more than 100 years each last year, they were granted full pardons by Governor Talmadge. Both were arrested earlier this year in Richmond, Virginia, in possession of elaborate burglar tools and explosives.
Official Bank Title(s)
1: The National City Bank of Rome, GA
Bank Note Types Issued
A total of $3,147,790 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1912 and 1935. This consisted of a total of 398,249 notes (274,100 large size and 124,149 small size notes).
This bank issued the following Types and Denominations of bank notes:
Series/Type Sheet/Denoms Serial#s Sheet Comments 1902 Date Back 4x5 1 - 5500 1902 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 4200 1902 Plain Back 4x5 5501 - 40925 1902 Plain Back 3x10-20 4201 - 27600 1929 Type 1 6x5 1 - 10028 1929 Type 1 6x10 1 - 4650 1929 Type 1 6x20 1 - 1276 1929 Type 2 5 1 - 17378 1929 Type 2 10 1 - 9150 1929 Type 2 20 1 - 1897
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1912 - 1935):
Presidents:
Cashiers:
- George Christopher Beysiegel, 1913-1918
- George Beysiegel Stoffregen Sr., 1919-1921
- William W. Berry, 1922-1931
- Joseph Andrew Palmer, 1932-1935
Other Known Bank Note Signers
- No other known bank note signers for this bank
Bank Note History Links
Sources
- Rome, GA, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rome,_Georgia
- 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
- Capitoline Wolf, City Hall, Rome, Georgia.
- The Wall Street Journal, New York, NY, Sat., Aug. 24, 1912.
- The Wall Street Journal, New York, NY, Mon., Dec. 30, 1912.
- The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, GA, Fri., June 26, 1925.
- The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, GA, Sun., Aug. 26, 1934.
- The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, GA, Tue., Mar 5, 1935.