The Heacock family is a difficult one to trace in the early town histories owing to the variety of ways the name was spelled. In revolutionary records it is Heacock, Haycock, Hecock, Heecock, Hickock, Hicock and Hiscock. The only authenticated genealogy of the family is of the Pennsylvania Heacocks, of whom Jonathan and Ann are the founders. They emigrated from England to America in 1711 and settled in Chester county, Pennsylvaia. Their name has always been spelled Heacock. They were members of the Society of Friends. The tradition is that a brother of Jonathan came with him to America and settled near Boston, Massachusetts. Many of this branch are Heacox. The family appears in New York in the person of Captain David Heacock, a soldier of the revolution, and in Fulton county, New York, with Job, eldest son of Captain David Heacock.
(I) Captain David Heacock (Hecock) was a resident of Connecticut previous to the revolution; during that war he was a resident of Dutchess county, New York, and fought in the revolutionary army, serving as an officer. He was captain of a company of the Third Regiment Dutchess County Militia, and also commanded a company in the Fifth Regiment. The revolutionary forces were encamped on his farm for some time and he furnished provender for the cavalry and officers' horses. He never received his pay therefor, and bills for same were before the state legislature as late as 1870. He married a Miss Bartoff. Children: Job, of whom further; Noah, John, Daniel, Lemuel, Gamaliel, Catherine, Sally.
(II) Job, eldest son of Captain David and ———— (Bartoff) Heacock, was the first of his family to settle in Fulton county, New York. He settled in Kingsboro, after the close of the revolution, where he was a farmer and tanner. He married (first) Abigail Mills. Children:
- Sally;
- Lemuel, of whom further;
- Abigail;
- Philander, born at Kingsboro, September 27, 1791, died June 22, 1837, married, April 22, 1819, Margaret Smith born April 22 1793, died April 6, 1837; children: Joseph S., Williard J., Mary L., Ann E., Mills D., Jesse, Edwin H., Margaret A. E., Lemuel.
Job Heacock married (second) Anna Cotton; children: Nancy, Betsy, and Isaac.
(III) Lemuel, eldest son of job and Abigail (Mills) Heacock, was born in Kingsboro, now Fulton county, New York, October 8, 1786. He was a farmer, located on the site of Kingsboro Mountain, and was also a tanner and began the manufacture of gloves and mittens. He was a successful, prosperous man and highly regarded. He married, May 28, 1816, Sophia Leavenworth, born December 3, 1790, died September 6, 1854. Children:
- Abigail L., married Daniel S. Tarr;
- Mariette, married J. Clinton Leonard;
- Philander C., of whom further;
- David G., born January 14, 1827, married Jane A. Van Wyck, February 2, 1853; children: Helena V. W. and Eugene D.;
- Catherine S., married Charles R. Bellows.
(IV) Philander C., son of Lemuel and Sophia (Leavenworth) Heacock, was born on the Kingsboro homestead, Fulton county, New York, December 11, 1823. In company with his brother, David G. Heacock, he continued the business started by his father and became a large manufacturer of gloves and mittens; David G. retired about 1875. Philander C., was an active, energetic man until his forty-fifth year, when his health failed so completely that he was obliged to lead a quiet, retired life, his business interests being managed by a son, Elbert Lemuel. He was a member of the Kingsboro Presbyterian church. He was one of the founders of The Fulton County National Bank, and a director of that institution until 1877, when he resigned in favor of his son, Elbert Lemuel Heacock. He married, March 12, 1850, Janet Thomas, born March 12, 1822, daughter of Isaac and Cynthia (Washburn) Thomas, who came to Fulton county from Hardwick, Massachusetts. Isaac Thomas was born July 28, 1778, married, November 27, 1805, Cynthia Washburn, born June 22, 1784. Their children:
- Anna B., born May 13, 1808;
- James W., April 25, 1811;
- Dwight, June 24, 1813;
- Mary B., May 18, 1816;
- Cynthia W., July 21, 1818;
- Janet A., May 12, 1822;
- Isaac Elliott, September 6, 1825.
Children of Philander C. and Janet Heacock:
- Elbert Lemuel, of whom further;
- William L., died at the age of two years;
- Janet Thomas, now living in Gloversville, New York.
(V) Elbert Lemuel, eldest son of Philander C. and Janet (Thomas) Heacock, was born March 27, 1854, at Kingsboro (now Gloversville). He was educated at Kingsboro Academy and at a private school in Schenectady. After completing his studies he was taken into business with his father, and after the failure of the father's health became responsible managing head. He assumed heavy responsibilities at an early age, but has always proved equal to any emergency. He continues in the glove making business in Gloversville, making a specialty of medium and heavyweight gloves. He is a Republian in politics, actively interested, but has refused all offers of political preferment for himself. He is a trustee of the Congregational church and an active member. He married, January 10, 1877, Miriam Hosmer Smith, born May 23, 1853. Children:
- Philander W., born September 29, 1878;
- Laura Estelle, March 30, 1882;
- James Arlo, June 22, 1886;
- Lucy Morris, February 13, 1888;
- Elbert L., Jr., March 1, 1895.
Mrs. Heacock is a daughter of James H. and Freelove (Case) Smith, who were parents of five children: Miriam H., Humphrey M., De Witt, Annette, Gertrude. She is granddaughter of Samuel Smith, born in New Jersey, December 10, 1784, married, February 9, 1807, Mary E. Baird, born June 5, 1786. James H., son of Samuel Smith, was born August 26, 1819, married, March 11, 1851, Freelove Case, born May 10, 1825, died December 2, 1904. Freelove Case was a daughter of Ira and Mary (Smith) Case, who were married October 5, 1809, and had ten children:
- Uriel, born July 23, 1810, died December 16, 1909;
- Margaret, March 12, 1813, died April 6, 1887;
- Zina, February 25, 1815, died November 25, 1883;
- Rufus D., March 23, 1817, died October 28, 1886;
- William, September 10, 1819, died January 28, 1894;
- Joseph S., September 29, 1822, died April 8, 1909;
- Freelove, married James H. Smith;
- Elihu, born March 27, 1827, died May 5, 1900;
- Henry, died April 13, 1830;
- Eliza, born September 27, 1833.
The earliest Connecticut settler of this name was Reuben Case, who settled in Windsor with early settlers from Dorchester, Massachusetts. He was a member of the general court of the colony in May, 1670, and in 1675. He married Sarah Spencer; lived at Windsor until 1668, then removed to Simsbury, where he died February 21, 1704. It is from this family of Case that the Fulton county family sprang; Deacon Reuben, and his sons: Reuben, Ashbel, Darius, Elihu and Allen, coming to Fulton county, about 1790.
Reuben Case, the founder, came to Kingsboro from Connecticut, with his son Darius. Reuben died at an advanced age. Among the nineteen signers of the "Covenant" in the Kingsboro church, December 30, 1793, are the names of Elihu, Stephen and Charles Case. The first board of trustees of the church, elected January 3, 1794, was in part composed of Elihu, Darius and Reuben Case, the latter being also chosen deacon. Elihu Case, son of Reuben, married Freelove Burr, a sister of Nathaniel Burr, who came from Connecticut about the same time the Cases did. They had children, Elihu (2), Ira and Chauncy. Ira was born June 7, 1787, married, October 5, 1809, Mary Smith, born June 21, 1789. Freelove Case married, March 11, 1851, James H. Smith. Miriam Hosmer Smith, their daughter, married Elbert Lemuel Heacock.