Barnett Banks Collection, 1817, 1850-1880, 1920-2011, undated, 1817, 1850-1880, 1920-2011, undated
Collection context
Summary
- Creator:
- Barnett Banks, Inc
- Extent:
- 39.93 Linear Feet 45 boxes, 2 hanging items
- Language:
- English
- Preferred citation:
For permission to publish from this collection, please contact lib-alcfh@unf.edu.
Barnett Banks Collection, MSS 2. Courtesy of Allen Lastinger Center for Florida History, Thomas G. Carpenter Library, University of North Florida.
Background
- Scope and content:
The Barnett Banks collection contains records by or about Barnett Banks. While the majority of the collection was created by Barnett Bank during the course of business, some of the materials are about or by people involved in the bank. Researchers should note that these records are not comprehensive. This collection has been divided into six series.
Series I. Administrative Records contains records created by or for the executive management team during the course of daily business. It has been divided into four subseries. Subseries A. Meetings and Meeting Minutes contains meeting notices and meeting minutes. Subseries B. Reports contains annual reports and one-off reports. Subseries C. Speeches and Presentations contains speeches and presentations made by various executives. Subseries D. Other contains chronologies of the bank, Barnett Credit Services, Inc. records, resolutions, correspondence, and plans.
Series II. Marketing and Publication Records contains material created by the marketing, publications, or related departments. This series has been divided into three subseries. Subseries A. Newsletters contains the Barnett Banks newsletters: Banaba; BFN Action; Action; Barnett Action; Barnett Action Advantage; Barnett Economic Health; Barnett Point of Interest; and Point of Interest. Subseries B. Advertisements contains items such as broadsides, and promotional and branded items given away with the bank advertised on them.
Series III. Photographs contains photographs of people and places. It should be noted that a number of the photographs are reproductions. This series has been divided into four subseries. Subseries A. Personal Name contains photographs that have been arranged by the name of the individual featured in them. These are arranged alphabetically by last name. Subseries B. Groups contains photographs of groups of people. Places contains interior and exterior photographs of the banks. Also included are images of window and lobby displays. The images in box five are reproductions that were glued to a board for an exhibit in the Thomas G. Carpenter Library at one point. The items were imaged in their frames before the frames were removed. Subseries D. Other contains a mounted reproduction of an annual report cover page.
Series IV. Awards and Honors contains awards, honors, and commendations given to Barnett Banks.
Series V. Other contains miscellaneous items such as examples of customer checks and account books; items from the bank's historic currency collection; notes from Allen Lastinger; and training tapes.
Series VI. Barnett Bank Historic Preservation Foundation contains items compiled by the foundation. It includes postcards of banks, genealogy of the Barnett family, paintings, and oral histories.
- Biographical / historical:
Barnett Bank was founded by William B. Barnett (1824-1903) on May 7, 1877, as the Bank of Jacksonville, in Jacksonville, Florida. It was a slow start, until 1881, when the state of Florida's depository accounts were moved to the Bank of Jacksonville. As a result, all state warrants were stamped "Payable at the Bank of Jacksonville", which was good for both advertising and business (Ginzl, William B, 36). In May 1888, the bank was renamed the National Bank of Jacksonville (Ginzl, William B, 37). In 1903, bank president and founder William B. Barnett died, and his son Bion took over as president, and other son, William D., became vice president. William D.'s son, Harlow, took his grandfather's spot on the board of directors (Ginzl, William B. 42-45).
In 1908, the bank became Barnett National Bank, after receiving a national bank charter (Ginzl, Images 7-8). In 1930, the Barnett National Securities Corporation was created as a subsidiary of the bank, as a way for Barnett to expand outside of Jacksonville, starting with DeLand, Cocoa, Avon Park, and St. Augustine (Ginzl, Images 32). In 1963, Guy W. Botts was elected bank preseident, and oversaw an "aggresssive acquisition program that by 1979 had transformed the company into a $3.6 billion multi-bank powerhouse with 120 offices in counties contaning more than 85% of Florida's population" (Ginzl, Images 8). This included purchasing 34 banks, and obtaining new banking charters to open 19 more within a decade. In 1969, the Barnett National Securities Corporation became Barnett Banks of Florida, Inc. (BBFI), and received an exclusive state-wide license to operate the BankAmericard (now Visa). By the end of the year, over 1,000,000 Floridians had the card (Ginzl, Images 67-68). On December 17, 1979, Barnett Bank was listed on the New York Stock Exchange (Ginzl, The Story, 377).
In 1979, Charlie Rice became bank president, a position he would hold for 18 years. During this time, the bank formed a lobbying committee, Barnett People for Better Government, to lobby state and national officials for the passage of beneficial banking industry legislation. In 1996, Barnett was able to successfully challenge a state ruling before the Supreme Court, that sought to prevent it from selling insurance (Ginzl, Images 113-114). In 1990, Allen Lastinger became president and chief operating officer of the bank (Ginzl, The Story, 300). In 1997, Barnett Bank was sold to NationsBank, with the merger finalized on January 9, 1998 (Ginzl, Images 114). At the time of the sale, Barnett's annual payroll was $225,000,000 for 6,800 employees (Foley). Later that same year, NationsBank merged with Bank America Corporation, becoming Bank of America (Wikipedia).
The Barnett Historic Preservation Foundation, Inc., was founded in December 1997, with the goal of preserving the historical legacy of Barnett Bank. The Foundation's mission was to "collect records, photographs, and memorabilia and give these materials to the Florida State Archives in Tallahassee where they will become a valuable resource for future historians and researchers" (Barnett Bank Alumni). It is unclear when the Foundation was disbanded.
- Acquisition information:
The material in boxes one to 23, and the two paintings on canvas were donated by David Ginzl on behalf of Barnett Historic Preservation Foundation, Inc., to the University of North Florida's Special Collections and University Archives on February 10, 1999 (Acc 1999.001). It was previously cataloged as M99-1 . Three binders of material, now in box 16 folders 4 to 13, and box 17 were donated by Gwen S. Broughton to the University of North Florida's Special Collections and University Archives on May 25, 2021 (Acc 2021.002). It is unclear if the photographic reproductions in box five are part of Acc 1999.001, or arrived at a later date. It is also unclear who donated the newspaper clippings dated 2000-2010. Four VHS tapes in box 37, were donated by Ilene A. Seide on July 1, 2024 (Acc 2024.001). The rest of the material was donated by Allen Lastinger on February 22, 2024 (Acc 2023.002).
Bound print materials were moved to the Allen Lastinger Center for Florida History's print collection and can be found by searching the online catalog.
- Processing information:
Items were removed from frames and three ring binders, and placed in acid free folders. Archival sleeves were used as needed. Items with customers' personal identifying information were removed from the collection and disposed of per state records guidelines, or were redacted.
- Arrangement:
- I. Administrative Records
- Meetings and Meeting Minutes
- Reports
- Speeches and Presentations
- Other
II. Marketing and Publications Records- Newsletters
- Advertisements
- Other
III. Photographs- Personal Names
- Groups
- Places
- Other
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
Access and use
- Restrictions:
The copies of oral histories in box 42 are restricted; permission from the State Archives of Florida must be received before access can be granted. The rest of the collection is open for use.
- Preferred citation:
For permission to publish from this collection, please contact lib-alcfh@unf.edu.
Barnett Banks Collection, MSS 2. Courtesy of Allen Lastinger Center for Florida History, Thomas G. Carpenter Library, University of North Florida.
- Location of this collection:
-
Thomas G. Carpenter Library1 UNF DriveJacksonvilleFL32224USA
