The first bank opened in Fort Worth was the banking house of Tidball &
Wilson. Tidball came to the city early in January, 1873, from St.
Charles, Missouri. Associated with him was John F. Wilson, of Virginia.
Wilson furnished the money and Tidball the experience. George B.
Hendricks was the sole employe of the bank. Tidball and he constituted
the entire force. In August, 1874, Maj. K. M. VanZandt, J. P. Smith and
J. J. Jarvis bought the interest of Wilson and put in some more money
and the firm became Tidball, VanZandt & Co. and so remained until 1877,
when it was merged into the Fort Worth National Bank. The second bank
was that of Loyd, Marklee & Co., consisting of M. B. Loyd, Jer. Marklee
and John Nichols. This continued but a few months when Loyd sold his
interest to W. J. Boaz and the bank became Boaz, Marklee & Co., which
was in turn succeeded by the City National Bank. In the summer of 1873,
the bank of G. VanWinkle & Co. was opened. It was composed of G.
VanWinkle and A. P. Wroten. It was short lived. The panic of 1873 closed
its doors. After disposing of his interest in the bank of Loyd, Marklee
& Co. Capt. Loyd proceeded to the organization of the First National
Bank, of which he was made President and so continued until his death in
April, 1912. D. C. Bennett was the First Vice-President and C. H.
Higbee, Cashier. Of the directors Zane-Cetti and S. B. Burnett remain at
this writing.
The situation remained unchanged until the year 1882, when Capt. H. C.
Edrington came to Fort Worth from Bryan and established the Traders
National Bank, of which he was President and W. J. Boaz, Vices-President
and George Mulkey, Cashier.
In October, 1876, McCrary & Barlow opened a private bank. The firm
consisted of John E. Barlow and Nelson McCrary. Barlow has been dead
many years but McCrary still live a worthy citizen of this city.