Farmers & Merchants State Bank, Chattanooga, Ohio

A few weeks ago I showed some photos of the old Chattanooga Bank building, as seen on Google Earth.

Chatt Bank/Grocery & Chatt Bar. Google Earth, October 2008 photo.

Former Farmers & Merchants State Bank of Chattanooga, Ohio. Google Earth, October 2008 photo.

Yes, among other businesses typical to a thriving small town in the early 20th Century, Chattanooga also had a bank. The Farmers & Merchants State Bank of Chattanooga, Ohio, was located in a brick building, the second building south of the current Chatt Bar. In the 1920s Semon Egger’s Grocery and mortuary was immediately north of the bank, between the bank and the bar.

Part of Chatt Plat Map, c1920s, showing Chatt Bank.

Chattanooga Plat Map, c1920s, showing Chatt Bank.

The old bank  building later housed Heffner’s Grocery, but I remember when it was Bollenbacher’s Grocery in the 1960s. The brick structure was torn down sometime between 2009 and 2010.

I have some old documents from the Farmers & Merchants State Bank of Chattanooga, documents that my grandfather Carl Miller and his family had. Somehow the papers managed to survive all these years and they indicate that Chatt’s bank was in operation in 1917.

My grandfather owned stock in the bank at Chatt, as shown in the certificate below.

Five shares of Capital Stock of the Farmers & Merchants State Bank of Chattanooga, Ohio, issued to Carl Miller, dated 7 May 1917.

Five shares of Capital Stock of the Farmers & Merchants State Bank of Chattanooga, Ohio, issued to Carl Miller, dated 7 May 1917.

Stock certificate No. 23 indicates that Carl Miller was the owner of five shares of Capital Stock of the Farmers & Merchants Sate Bank of Chattanooga, Ohio, dated 7 May 1917. Shares were $100 each.

Carl Miller stock certificate, five shares of Farmers & Merchants State Bank of Chattanooga, Ohio, dated 7 May 1917.

Carl Miller stock certificate, five shares of the Farmers & Merchants State Bank of Chattanooga, Ohio, dated 7 May 1917.

Below is a five month promissory note for $50, dated 1 March 1917, due 1 August 1917, at 6% interest. The note was signed by Clara Miller, Christina Miller, and Jakob Müller, R.R. 1, Willshire, Ohio. Jakob and Christina were Carl’s parents and Clara was Carl’s sister.

The stamp indicates the loan was paid off the end of July.

Promissory note dated 1 March 1917, from the Chattanooga Bank.

Promissory note dated 1 March 1917, from the Chattanooga Bank.

The bank at Chatt closed about 1930.

1 comment

    • Mary Goodwin Haddad on June 15, 2014 at 11:01 pm
    • Reply

    One of my classmates of the Willshire class of 1959 was (Sharon) Rose Baumgartner and she lived in Chatt. I don’t think we ever called it Chattanooga. Do you think it was named for Chattanooga, Tennessee? Anyway, I went home with her from time to time and stayed overnight. Her parents were Ralph and Helen and sisters were Phyllis (class of ’56) and Becky (class of ’60). I’m thinking Ralph worked at the sawmill in Chatt?
    I really enjoy your articles. Thanks so much for all the work you do on this blog.

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