The Eldredge Sewing Machine Company was originally located in Chicago, Ill, and manufactured machines from 1869 through 1890. Also located in Illinois, the June Manufacturing Company manufactured sewing machines from 1881 through 1890. The National Sewing Machine Company was formed in 1890 from their consolidation.

Machines in the company’s product line included both original designs and models copied from other manufacturers. However, unlike Singer or W&W, National only manufactured domestic use models. In 1924, the National sewing machine company bought all rights belonging to the Davis S.M. Company.

Most National sewing machines were “stenciled models’ manufactured for department stores, mail order companies, and retailers. By the mid-1920s, the majority of National-made sewing machines were sold in this way.

Like the other American sewing machine manufacturers, the National company suffered heavy losses with the introduction of European and Japanese sewing machines to the US market after the Second World War. National merged with The Free and the New Home companies in 1953. But the move was futile, and the resulting corporation could not keep up with the new competition and eventually went bankrupt in 1957.

--From The Encyclopedia of Antique Sewing Machines, 3rd Edition