Florida National Bank Records

Collection

Identifier: Ms 069

Scope and Content

The collection includes annual reports, committee and council reports, meeting minutes, articles and by-laws and other bank records spanning from 1887 to 1989. Additionally there are photographs and material that was being compiled for a centennial scrapbook and history. The collection is arranged into four Series including General Files, Annual Reports, Minutes and Meetings, and Photographs. Of special note are the forms forgiving loans after the 1901 fire that devastated Jacksonville.

Dates

Creation: 1887 - 1989

Creator

Florida National Group of Banks of the State of Florida. (Organization)

Access

The collection is open for research.

Biographical/Historical Note

The Florida National Bank began in Jacksonville as the Jacksonville Savings Bank and functioned with this name between 1886 and 1888. It was founded by merchant turned banker, Samuel B. Hubbard. In October 1888, the bank received a city license with the name of Southern Savings and Trust Company, a name it held until about 1898. In February 1900, the bank became known as the Mercantile Exchange Bank. In January 1905 it became the Florida Bank and Trust Company, the largest bank in Florida. In August 1906 the company received a national charter as the Florida National Bank of Jacksonville. In the 1920s Alfred I. du Pont gained control of the bank, and following his death the bank was controlled by Ed Ball, manager of the du Pont Trust. Ball continued to control the bank either directly or indirectly until the 1970s. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s the bank faced acquisition and merger by various groups. In 1989-1990 the bank was acquired by the First Union Corporation.

Extent

8.25 Linear feet (8 Boxes, 3 Volumes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Annual reports, meeting minutes, by-laws, photographs, correspondence, and other institutional records of the Florida National Bank, also known at various times as the Mercantile Exchange Bank, the Jacksonville Savings Bank, the Southern Savings and Trust Company, and the Florida National Group of Banks of the State of Florida.

Physical Location

Please note that most of this collection is housed in the Auxiliary Library Facility off campus and will require advance notice for timely retrieval. Please contact the Special and Area Studies Collections department prior to your visit.