The papers of William Poole Bancroft, his wife Emma C. Bancroft, and their children include family genealogies, pedigrees, and biographies, including material on the family's antecedents in England, personal correspondence, the material on their charitable activities, particularly their interest in African American education and Quaker schools and colleges, and also Samuel Bancroft Jr.'s interest in collecting Pre-Raphaelite art, which he bequeathed to the Delaware Art Museum.

William Bancroft records is organized into eight subseries Genealogy and biographies; William P. and Emma C. Bancroft correspondence; William P. and Emma C. Bancroft philanthropy; Financial records; William P. Bancroft and Joseph Bancroft & Sons; William Bancroft and the Religious Society of Friends, Bancroft family residences, and Miscellanous records.

Subseries A. Genealogy and biographies is divided into two subseries: William Bancroft family genealogy and biographies and Extended Bancroft family genealogy and biographies.

Sub-series i. William Bancroft family genealogy and biographies subseries is comprised of fan charts and family trees of William Poole and Emma Cooper Bancroft, as well as the families of their daughters Sarah Bancroft Clark and Lucy Bancroft Gillette. William Bancroft’s Journals (1908-1924) and Daybooks (1892-1912) are included. Biographical sketches are provided through the 1930s, and information about Crosswicks, New Jersey (Emma’s childhood home) and the origin of Rockford. Obituaries of William and Emma are included, with both of their wills.

Sub-series ii. Extended Bancroft family genealogy and biographies includes detailed information about the early Bancroft’s and extended families beginning in the reign of Henry III (1216-1272) through 1876, compiled by Harvey Bounds in 1961. Twentieth-century genealogy is recorded in these records through the 1960s. There is mention of Thomas Garrett and his family, as well as other distant relatives of the Bancrofts. Several reminiscences are included by family members and friends about William and Emma Bancroft. Joseph Bancroft, William’s father, had written a paper entitled “A Persuasive Unity,” an attempt to unify the two factions of Quakerism.

Subseries B. William P. and Emma C. Bancroft correspondence: Transcriptions of the correspondence of WPB and ECB in letterbox format are included in this sub-series. In addition, there are handwritten notes to family, friends, and business acquaintances. Of particular interest is correspondence between Bancroft and Frederick Law Olmstead, who was hired by Bancroft to design parks in Wilmington, while the City of Wilmington preferred Menke & Menke. Letterboxes 1-22 are indexed and annotated. This sub-series also includes Emma Bancroft’s letter book transcriptions from 1925 through 1928, as well as notes to/from family and the U.S. Government offering her views on the futility of war and the need to reduce the building of warships. Also included are letters to Emma from her children and grandchildren, with a brief biography, a remembrance, and a copy of a photo of Emma. Subseries C. William P. and Emma C. Bancroft philanthropy: William Bancroft donated much of his time to the City of Wilmington as a gift to “his neighbors.” Because of his interest in the preservation of open space and orderly urban planning, he was called upon to chair a city committee to restructure the city’s charter in 1900. Other charitable gifts of time included: spearheading plans to purify and distribute water from the Brandywine to the city and serving on the city’s park commission. Financial contributions included: a building, maintenance, and utilities, for a branch library of the Wilmington Institute; gifts for four-year college students; loans to friends; support to colleges and universities; a Predestrian bridge gifted to Wilmington; and the creation of the William P. Bancroft Trust. Records of these gifts are included in this series. Emma’s contributions of time and money to various charities are well documented.

Subseries D. Financial records includes lists of investments, audit reports, gifts, bank credit statements, and powers of attorney for William and Emma Bancroft. Also included are William’s periodic reports about the status of his finances to his daughters and wife. A list of the contents of his safe deposit box following his death in 1928 is also included. Subseries E. William P. Bancroft and Joseph Bancroft & Sons, Co.: The files in this subseries are comprised of records pertaining to the company of which William Bancroft became a partner in 1855 and vice-president in 1908. While most of the files in the collection of the Woodlawn Trustees focus on the Trust and on William Bancroft’s achievements, there are records that describe the relationship Bancroft had with his workers at the cotton mills. Workers at the mills were treated with respect and benefited from the concept of “Welfare Work,” a management concept that tried to provide a less stressful working environment compared to other companies which manufactured consumer goods. William Bancroft, in turn, was well respected by his workers. Records indicate that in 1913, for Bancroft’s 78th birthday, many of the mill-workers sent him their best wishes in a birthday card that reached him during his trip to England. As a response, Bancroft decided to send each of them a copy of a letter of some length (12 pages) which is somewhat autobiographical. It recounts his memories of the mills prior to the current generation. In addition to the thank you letter, this series also includes a 93-page copy of “Welfare Work at Joseph Bancroft & Sons 1902-1912” by Stuart Campbell, June 1968. Additional information about Joseph Bancroft and Sons has been collected at the University of Delaware and the Delaware Historical Society.

Subseries F. William P. Bancroft and the Religious Society of Friends: It is clear that William and Emma Bancroft were devout Quakers, as reported by the records in this series. Emma was born in Crosswicks, New Jersey, which was founded by Quakers in 1677. Documents in this series indicate that Emma supported Swarthmore College, founded by Quakers in 1864, and Antioch College, which was founded in 1862 by the Christian Connection (now merged with the United Church of Christ). William supported and served on committees of the Wilmington Friends Meeting. Joseph Bancroft, William’s father, had written a book entitled A Persuasive Unity in 1874, attempting to unify two halves of Quakerism. William continued to distribute the book well after his father died in 1874. The Woodlawn Trustees collected works written about Quakers. Included here are “A Childhood Experience at a Quaker Meeting” by Betty Ann Gawthrop; “History of Early Friends in Wilmington” by Matilda Ferris; “Friends Society of Brandywine Park, By-Laws and Publicity 1963-1999," undated; “Wilmington Friends Meeting and Early Friends in New Castle County,” by Richard W. Badger, and “The Hicksite Separation” by Robert W. Doherty, 1967.

Subseries G. Bancroft family residences: These papers document the “Garthgynan,” “Cufeld,” the Poole House, and the Bancroft Mansion. Garthgynan was a family home in Ruthin, northwest Wales, the residence of John Bancroft for three years following the family’s original home in Manchester, England. It has been described as having pleasant gardens and seems to be in an isolated part of the Wales countryside. Cufeld, sometimes spelled Cufield, was the home of John Bancroft in Wilmington, Delaware. The records include a family picture at Cufeld on a Bancroft family wedding day. The records include a two-page description of the childhood home of Sarah Poole, the mother of William Bancroft. The Bancroft Mansion was built by Joseph Bancroft, William’s father, and was later occupied by William and his family. Its history is well documented, and the building is described in detail. Subseries H. Miscellaneous records: A variety of records are filed here, including letters, drawings, and a list of the derivatives of coal.