1877 – The Bank of Jacksonville opened its doors on this date. Started by William Boyd Barnett in a small office with his son as the only employee, the bank soon grew to become one of the largest in Jacksonville, and later the entire state. William Barnett moved to Jacksonville from Kansas because his wife enjoyed improved health in the warm Florida climate. Renamed Barnett Bank, and inherited by his son Bion in 1903, it operated branches throughout the state until 1998 when NationsBank purchased Barnett Banks of Florida Inc., then the largest bank merger in U.S. history.