Carey: Family lore says that John P. Rankin, Jr. was an officer in the bank (which one?) in Higbee. (He was born in 1875, died in 1952.) Do you have any remembrance of John Rankin being a part of a bank in Higbee? I don't find any references to this story in any of my research. Thanks. Alice Nicholson <[email protected]> : Wednesday, March 22, 2006 2:10 PM

I am sure it would have been the Citizens Bank of Higbee that Mr. Rankin was active in. I'm most familiar with the Higbee Savings Bank since my parents operated it from l955-l982, and I literally grew up in it hearing local lore, becoming a teller while in high school, etc. But, at any rate, the Savings Bank was organized in l889 primarily by George R. Rennolds. Wm. Walton, a local mine leader, started out on its board but I'm thinking there was some sort of falling out, at any rate in l890 the Citzens Bank was organized with Mr. Walton as President. It was located at the northeast corner of Randolph & Division Sts in what was the Knights of Pythias building.....the Odd Fellows building was next door to the north. Just a few days ago I saw again a photo of the Post Office which at the time was at the rear of the Citizens Bank, and Mr. Rankin was Postmaster. The Citizens Bank is said to have failed due to purchasing some questionable loans from the Yates Savings Bank, which ultimately failed, as did the Citizens Bank in l930. There was quite a bit of hard feeling between Yates area people, the Savings Bank, etc., for several years. I believe Gordon Rankin was a banker, too, though maybe not in Higbee.