Samuel Bancroft (1804 - 1891)

Born 25 Jul 1804 in Hardshaw, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Husband of Mary W (Hallowell) Bancroft — married 3 Jun 1828 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Died 15 Dec 1891 at age 87 in Media, Delaware, Pennsylvania, United States

Biography

Samuel Bancroft (1804-1874), an English immigrant who had worked in the Midlands textile industry, established Bancroft Mills in 1831. The mill was rebuilt following an 1839 flood and was expanded several times, including a large 1895 expansion. By 1880, the mill was already the largest cotton finishing mill in the United States.[1] Joseph Bancroft's son Samuel Bancroft, publisher of the Wilmington newspaper Every Evening and a major philanthropist, took control in the 1880s. His collection of pre-Raphaelite paintings formed the basis of the Delaware Art Museum.[1] His brother William Poole Bancroft donated nearby land to start Wilmington's extensive park system, and his donation for a public library is also considered the beginning of the Wilmington Public Library.[2] The mills were consolidated in 1895 by the Bancroft family partnership, which was soon reformed into a corporation. While other mills produced high-quality cloth, the Bancroft Mills were noted for their technological innovation and for finishing cloth that had been produced elsewhere. They were especially noted for producing fabric window shades. Bancroft introduced the mercerizing process into the United States, and pioneered the use of synthetic fabrics in weaving. They introduced the first permanent crease fabrics and Ban-Lon.[2] As textile producers left the northeastern United States for the southern states, the production buildings of Bancroft Mills closed in 1961 and the Bancroft Company was purchased by Indian Head Mills, Inc.

Sources

• "England, Lancashire Non-Conformist Church Records, 1647-1996", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Z78C-N1T2 : Wed Nov 08 22:27:57 UTC 2023), Entry for Samuel Bancroft and John Bancroft.

• "Pennsylvania, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Births and Baptisms, 1520-1999", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6CTB-9FJ9 : Fri Oct 06 19:59:00 UTC 2023), Entry for Elizabeth H Bancroft and Samuel Bancroft, 5 November 1829.

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/54049531/samuel-bancroft: accessed 24 November 2023), memorial page for Samuel Bancroft (25 Jul 1804–15 Dec 1891), Find a Grave Memorial ID 54049531, citing Providence Friends Meeting Cemetery, Media, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, USA; Maintained by Kelly Crane (contributor 49315568).