Bank of Carthage Ledgers
Board of Directors Minute Books
Bank of Carthage Stockholder Books/Certificates
Held in the collection are 30 ledgers and journals beginning with the initial transactions at the bank's opening May 4, 1868. The Bank of Carthage was founded by Gustave A Cassil along with R W Hall, E W Harper, Malcom G McGregor, D S Thomas and John T Ruffin. Cassil, McGregor and George Rader (who was the first person to re-inhabit Carthage after the Civil War) were the first three depositors.
After starting business on the east side of the square in the Variety Store, the bank built a frame structure on lot #18 (300 S Main today). The bank conducted business at that corner location, although in other structures (built 1884, remodeled 1890 & 1949), until 1960 when a new bank building was built across the street at 231 S Main. Today the structure, owned by the Jasper County Commission, is leased to Bank of America while the upper floor and basement are used for additional county offices.
Among other early board members: Jonas A Mitchell (President 1880-85), Henry C Cowgill, Frank Hill (President 1885-1908), and E S Cassil. Other major shareholders were added as board members, but these four persons retained voting majority and ran the bank until Mitchell's retirement in 1906. In 1908 Joseph P Leggett acquired an interest in the bank and became President until 1921. H S Cowgill took over at Leggett's death and was the bank's chief executive until 1929. (Additional biographical information on all bank directors can be found in the Carthage Vertical Files as well as in all the standard Jasper County histories at the Powers Museum Reference Library.)
Among the banks purchased or assumed by the Bank of Carthage during its first seventy five years were:
Carthage National Bank, 1920
Union Bank & Trust Company of Carthage, 1933
Bank of Avilla
Upon merging with the Carthage National Bank additional directors came on board including W E Carter who became President in 1929 and served until 1959. Other Presidents were Mills Anderson, Walter Gonce, James Bracht.
A complete list of contemporary Presidents and the various bank affiliations should be compiled as this collection is completed and entered into Past Perfect software.
Listing of Collection Holdings:
Bank of Carthage Board of Directors Meetings
1896 — 1913 Volume **
1907 — 1917 Volume **
1917 — 1935 Volume **
Bank of Carthage Journal Ledgers covering dates:
May 4, 1868 — July 1, 1870 (Click here
for names in ledger's index)
July 2, 1870 — April 21, 1871
April 22, 1871 — January 9, 1872
January 10, 1872 — November 21, 1872
November 22, 1872 — November 7, 1873
August 25, 1875 — April 11, 1876
April 12, 1876 — December 5, 1876
December 6, 1876 — August 16, 1877
August 17, 1877 — April 27, 1878
April 29, 1878 — December 18, 1878
September 6, 1881 — September 22, 1882
May 1, 1905 — December 28, 1906
February 24, 1923 — July 20, 1924
July 15, 1924 — October 31, 1925
July 18, 1931 — August 10, 1932
Bank of Carthage Stockholder Books/Certificates for dates:
Stockholder Book, 1890 — 1895
Certificate Book, February 15, 1934 — May 4, 1951
Certificate Book, February 25, 1972 — March 11, 1985
Bank of Carthage Miscellaneous Accounting/Business Books
covering dates:
Ledger, July 6, 1870 — July 1873 (account holders, certificate accounts,
bills receivable and collection account)
Ledger, 1901 — 1905 (account holders, loans, letters of credit, mortgage
funds, et al)
Record of Drafts Drawn, 1923 — 1967 (also includes "old Cashiers Checks"
outstanding & drawn, certificates of deposits, et al)
Record of Exchange, February 15, 1873 — June 13, 1877
Record of Exchange, December 10, 1880 — February 10, 1883
Individual Balances, March 1875 — March 1880
General Balance Book, March 16, 1875 — August 28, 1888
Collection Register, August 5, 1911 — June 15, 1916
Collection Register, December 6, 1924 — June 2, 1926
Microfilmed: Yes, selected holdings marked**
Western Historical Manuscript Collection - Rolla, 2000 & 2001
For WHMC's description of items microfilmed, consult the following online descriptions: http://web.umr.edu/~whmcinfo/shelf28/r693/info.html
http://web.umr.edu/~whmcinfo/shelf30/r736/info.html
Subjects (all Carthage unless noted otherwise):
Carthage, MO
Byron A Ash
Avilla Bank
J W Aylor
Bank of Carthage
Charles A Blair
Banks & Banking
S C Boggess
A F Carmean
Walter E Carter
Carthage Loan & Investment Company
Carthage National Bank
Gustave Cassil
E P Cassil
Central Illinois National Bank & Trust; Chicago, IL
Central National Bank
City National Bank & Trust; Kansas City, MO
Henry C Cowgill
H S Cowgill
Walter S Crane
Federal Reserve Bank; Kansas City, MO
First National Bank
First National Bank; Joplin, MO
First National Bank; Kansas City, MO
First National Charter Corporation
R W Hall
E W Harper
Frank Hill
Issac C Hodson
Jasper County Banker's Association
Joseph P Leggett
Leggett & Platt Spring Bed Manufacturing Company
Alfred S Lewis
James Luke
Wilbur Maring
Malcolm G McGregor
Allen McReynolds
Mercantile — Commerce Bank; St Louis, MO
Jonas A Mitchell
Robert Moore
National City Bank; New York City, NY
John O'Keefe
Joseph D Perkins
George E Phelps
C B Platt
George Rader
John T Ruffin
Silas A Stuckey
W H Thompson
D S Thomas
Union Bank & Trust Company
Union National Bank; Springfield, MO
Emma S Williams
Frank B Williams
Note: Only first journal volume (1868) has index listing in Past Perfect software for all names/businesses listed in the volume. Some of the individual journals and other books have index listings, some do not. A future volunteer project might be to index those books as time/personnel permits as they do represent a period in Carthage history that is not represented by many other business records.
For 1868 journal index listing, please click here.
Prior appointment necessary for use of all archival collections. This material is not available for walk-in, on-demand use. Consultation by phone or email prior to your visit, will result in a more successful research visit and allow museum staff to prepare materials and also a work space for your use on site.