Joseph Bancroft & Sons Company began operation in 1831 as a cotton cloth manufacturer in Rockford, Delaware. After the Civil War the company concentrated on finishing cotton cloth. In later years it became famous for its Ban-lon artificial fiber but eventually withdrew from manufacturing in favor of licensing its processes and trademarks to other companies. This portion of the Bancroft records documents Bancroft's efforts to license and defend the Ban-lon, Everglaze and other trademarks in the United States, the British Commonwealth, Europe, Japan, and Latin America.