Samuel Bancroft and Joseph Bancroft and Sons records

The Samuel Bancroft and Joseph Bancroft and Sons Company Records, spanning the dates 1869-1913, provide a glimpse of financial records of the family-owned textile companies. The collection consists of five volumes of transactions. There are two of Samuel Bancroft's cash books (1873-1884), a payable/receivable book (1869-1891), one ledger of goods purchased (1877-1883), and a letterpress book of internal company memorandums (1912-1913). Only the two cash books can be associated with the Bancroft's company at the Todmorden Mills (around Media, Pennsylvania) in Nether Providence Township, Pennsylvania.

Samuel Bancroft's set of leather-bound cash books are chronological and have the following spine titles: Cash Book (I), Cash Book (II) and each has the initials S.B. set in gold letters. The first volume is dated 1873-1881, and lists receivables and payables including deposits to Girard Bank, cash received from the Todmorden Mills, interest received, rent received, real estate expenses, receivables from farm, payments to Joseph Bancroft & Sons, and payments to Mrs. Bancroft. Laid into the book are a receipt from the Philadelphia, Wilmington, & Baltimore Railroad Company to Samuel Bancroft, which is dated 1887; small flowers; and two cigar wrappers.

The second cash book is dated 1881-1884. The verso of the flyleaf reads "Sam'l Bancroft, Media, Pa, will call." Also laid into the book are an envelope to Mr. Sam'l (Samuel) Bancroft, Media, Pa from A. Klipstein, Aniline Colors, Dyestuffs, & c., New York; and two completed application cards for employment dating from 1920. A blotter was laid in between pages 119 and 120. The content of volume two is similar to volume one.

The payable/receivable book is a reversible volume. On one side are the payables (1869-1881), and when the volume is turned to the back cover, the receivables (1878-1895) begin. The payable side of the book consists of columns across the pages with the following information: no., to whom given, when given, drawn by, order of, where payable, date, time, when due (lists months), folio, amount (in dollars and cents), remarks. Many of the entries are "given" by Samuel Bancroft and "drawn by" Jos. Bancroft & Sons. Laid inside the receivable side of the book is a blotter advertising the Every Evening, a daily newspaper in Delaware (Samuel Bancroft, Jr. was president of the Every Evening Printing Company, located at Parkway near Rockford Road, Wilmington, Delaware).

The pages list the following on the receivable side of the volume: no., from who received, when received, drawer, to whom payable, place receivable, date, time when due, (lists months), folio, amount (in dollars and cents), and remarks. Many of the "drawers" are Samuel Bancroft, and many "to whom payable" are J. B. & Sons. Tipped into the receivable side is a note due to Joseph Bancroft & Sons from C. Carville (?) for $145, dated April 24, 1878 from New York.

The next volume, goods purchased from 1877-1883, is a record of material purchased for the manufacture and dyeing of textiles. Many of the transactions were made in Philadelphia, Chester, Media, Cleveland, and New York.

Goods purchased included bags of raw wool, bags of carded stock, and products for dyeing material such as soda ash. Each entry included the city, date, company, description of the product purchased, amount and size of the order as well as cost. Some penciled notations are made on the inside cover of the front and the back of the book.

The final volume is a letterpress book bearing the spine title of "Letter Book. Memorandum Orders #2 (1912- 1913)." It has 153 memorandums in a book with 748 pages. Generally, there are two short memorandums per leaf. Blotters used with the letterpress remain with the book. The memoranda, all from I.C. Philips, are addressed to H.C Hess, D.F. Many, W.H. Bannard, Jr., E. Mills, and Abner Overdeer. The memoranda provide instructions for orders and deliveries of textile products, inspection orders to be filled, and directives for inventory and quality control.