The Jones family came to Seward from England via New York and Chicago looking for business opportunities. The Civil War had ended, Nebraska had just become the 37th State and Seward (named after William H. Seward, U.S. Secretary of State) had been platted above the Blue River in 1867.

In 1873 Claudius Jones opened a private banking company in a small wooden building on the south side of the square in Seward, Nebraska. It would have been next to where the Rivoli Theatre is today. The company was called the State Bank of Nebraska and was the only bank in Seward County at the time. Later that year Jones moved the Bank into a building built especially for it at the southeast corner of the square. The building, occupied now by Helmink Printing, was constructed with bricks hauled overland from Nebraska City. It was one of the first brick buildings in town, and the fact that it is still in active use today is a tribute to the quality of its construction.

Claudius Jones suffered a serious illness which forced him to sell the Bank to a man named Ocabock in 1876 and the Bank changed hands again in 1881 when John Cattle, Sr., and his two sons, John Cattle Jr. and Walter Cattle, bought out Ocabock. The Bank has been in the Cattle Family ever since. John Jr. died in 1902 and John Sr. in 1905. Walter Cattle became the president of the Bank at the time of his father’s death. The State Bank of Nebraska moved again in the early 1900’s to the northwest corner of 5th and Seward streets.

Walter’s son, Robert T. Cattle Sr., began to work in the Bank after he finished law school in 1911. Robert married Mercedes Brown in 1912, the granddaughter of Claudius Jones, the original founder of the Bank.

After a fire destroyed most of the structures on the north side of the square, the Cattles put up a building for their bank where Norval Brothers and Brauer & Mullally Law office are now located. The Bank moved to this building around 1920.

On March 1, 1930, the Bank received its national charter and became The Cattle National Bank.

Robert T. Cattle Sr. succeeded his father, Walter Cattle, as president in 1931 and served in that capacity until 1960 when his son, John W. Cattle Sr. took over the presidency. Robert T. Cattle Sr. passed away in October of 1968 leaving John W. Cattle Sr. to be the chairman of the board as well as being the president. John W. Cattle Sr. had been working full-time at the Bank since his discharge from the service in 1945. John is the great-grandson of both John Cattle and Claudius Jones.

In 1951 the Cattles bought the Sampson’s Grocery Store, located on the corner of the square where the Bank stands today.

The Bank acquired the Thomas building, and on December 10, 1965, the enlarged bank was finished. It was three times larger after expanding south to where Siedel’s Jewelry store and Hinky Dinky had been located.

April of 1976 saw inside remodeling of the Bank for efficiency purposes. In 1978 The Cattle National Motor Bank was built at 5th and Roberts with facilities to accommodate inside customers as well as three drive-through lanes.

In 1985 the Bank again remodeled and expanded into the rental space of the Main Office building as Dr. Frank Maixner, Dentist, Retired from practice.

John W. Cattle Sr. and his wife Virginia, had two children, John W. Cattle Jr., and Rebecca Vahle both of which work in the Bank. John W. (Jay) Cattle Jr. became president and CEO of the Bank in 1992 while John W. Cattle Sr. remained on as CFO and Chairman of the Board. Rebecca (Becky) Vahle is Vice President and is in charge of the human resources and marketing. Both John W. Cattle Jr. and Rebecca serve on the Board of Directors.

In 1995 the Bank purchased two more buildings occupied by Attorney Mike Mullally (Graben's, etc.), Heuman's (Thirst Parlor), and Rami's Photography (Sample's, Wilson's, etc.). These buildings were torn down plus the parking lot of the old Bank and a new Main Bank went up. This was moved into in August of 1997. Upon the completion and occupation of the new Main Bank the old facility was torn down and became the parking lot located on the north side of the Main Bank, today.

John Cattle Sr. passed away April 21, 1999 and his wife Virginia Cattle became the new Chairman of the Board.

In 2001 the Bank changed its name to The Cattle National Bank & Trust Co. reflecting the addition of trust department services.

In January of 2003 The Cattle National Bank & Trust Co. expanded with its Lincoln Branch located at Coddington Ave. and West A Street.

The Bank has expanded steadily since its founding in 1873. When Walter Cattle ran the Bank in the early years, he probably did it with the help of one other person, and the Bank probably was not even open when he couldn’t be present. The Bank currently has 45 employees.

The Bank, today, operates out of three locations, the full-service Main Bank located at 104 South 5th Street in Seward, a drive through Motor Bank located at 405 North 5th Street in Seward and a full service branch in Lincoln located at 1550 South Coddington Avenue. In addition, the Bank offers seven ATM locations and online banking for 24-hour banking convenience.

The Bank also offers a variety of financial products and services including a wide array of competitive loans, checking and savings products, check imaging, trust department services, and full-service investment center, to name a few. The Bank also recognizes those customers 55 years of age or older with its Community Builders Club. Customers age 0-12 years can participate in the Bank's Moo-lah's Kid's Club.

While the landscape has changed over the years, one thing remains a constant. . .

Our commitment to our community and to providing the highest quality financial products combined with friendly, reliable, and consistent service for our customers.