636 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY 



Sj^lvester continued to work with him. 

 About 1878 S. H. Stonebach settled at 

 Quakertown, remaining there for a year, 

 wlien he remuVed to a farm of Mr. Fuhnar, 

 in the lower part of Richland township. In 

 1S80 he removed to the Aaron llarring 

 farm, in Richland township, which he con- 

 ducted for two years. For the next thirteen 

 years he was engaged in cultivating the 

 Martin farm in Richland township. He 

 purchased his father's farm in 1896, and 

 two years later removed to it, where he 

 continues to reside and which he conducts 

 as a general farm. Air. Stonebach"s politi- 

 cal belief accords with the doctrines of the 

 Democratic party, and he has always taken 

 a lively interest in the prosperity of that 

 organization. He. is a consistent member 

 of St. John's Lutheran church' at Quaker- 

 town. 



In 1878 Mr. Stonebach was united in 

 marriage to -Amanda, daughter of Jonas 

 and Mary (Gross) Graver, of Quakei- 

 town. She was born December 13, 1858, 

 in Milford township, where her father con- 

 ducted a farm and grist-mill near Trum- 

 bauersville. The following children were 

 born to Air. and Airs. Stonebach: i. Alabel, 

 died in infancy; 2. Harry, died April 17, 

 1878; 3. Sallie, born February 15, 1884, 

 is unmarried and lives at home; she at- 

 tended the district school of Richland 

 township and is employed at Quakertown. 

 4. Warren, born January 11, 1886, attended 

 the district school, and is at present en- 

 gaged with his father on the farm; 5. 

 Florence, born February 3, 1889, attends 

 the public school at Quakertown, and lives 

 with her aunt, Mrs. Quinton Jordan. 6. 

 Nellie, born November 9, 1890, attends the 

 district school and lives at home ; 7. Fred- 

 ■erick, born August 20, 1898, attends dis- 

 trict school. 



JOEL LEVI HEACOCK. Through sev- 

 eral centuries the Heacock family has been 

 represented in Bucks county. Jesse and 

 Tacy (Thompson) Heacock, his grand- 

 parents, were residents of West Rockhill 

 township, where the former owned and 

 operated a farm. It was upon that farm 

 that Joel Heacock, father of Joel L. 

 Heacock, was born in 1794. He at- 

 tended school in Milford township, Trum- 

 . "bauersville, and afterward engaged in farm- 

 ing and in the general milling and lumber 

 business. He was married in 1842 to Aliss 

 Abigail Roberts, the daughter of Levi and' 

 Phoebe (AlcCarthy) Roberts, the eldest of 

 a family of twenty-two children. After his 

 marriage Joel Heacock located on the old 

 family homestead farm and devoted his 

 attention to general agricultural pursuits 

 and milling. In his political views he was 

 a Whig, and his religious faith was indicated 

 by his membership in the Society of Friends. 

 The old homestead is one of the oldest 

 farming properties of Bucks county, it hav- 

 ing been acquired by ancestors of Joel Levi 

 Heacock from Thomas and Richard Penn 



through a charter grant. This farm was 

 situated in West Rockhill township, and 

 long remained in possession of the family. 

 .Joel Levi Heacock attended the public 

 schools in his home district through sev- 

 eral winter seasons, and in the summer 

 months worked on the farm assisting in the 

 labors of the fields. His father died Alarch 

 17. 1853, while on a business trip to German- 

 town, and the family continued on the home 

 farm until 1858, when Airs. Heacock, the 

 widow, rented the place, for she realized 

 that her son required better educational 

 advantages, and removed to Quakertown 

 in order that he might enjoy educational 

 opportunities that were in advance of those 

 afforded by the community schools. There 

 he continued his studies in the Friends' 

 school, and later became a student at what 

 was known as the Bucks County Normal 

 Classical School, conducted by A. R. Home, 



■ a native of Springfield township, Bucks 

 county, and a graduate of Pennsylvania col- 

 lege, located at Gettysburg, this state. 



Following the 'completion of his normal 

 and classical course, Air. Heacock assisted 

 as a teacher for one year in that institution, 

 after which he joined James Brunners in the 

 conduct of a school for the training of 

 teachers that they might be prepared for the 

 work of the public schools in the townships. 

 Later Air. Heacock became principal^ jn the 

 Friends' school, occupying that position for 

 a year. He next entered into partnership 

 with Rev. George AT. Lazarus, pastor of St. 

 John's Lutheran church, and for a time 

 conducted -a school in the basement of that 

 church. Alany of the boys and young men 

 who pursued their studies under his direc- 

 tion afterward became active, prominent and 

 influential in various departments of busi- 

 ness life. Air. Heacock has ever been deeply 

 interested in the welfare and progress of 

 his home locality, and has done everything 

 in his power to promote its- upbuilding, but 

 has never aspired to office outside of Quak- 

 ertown. He served as chief burgess for six 

 years, and as a member of the town council 

 labored effectively and honorably for the 

 improvement of the borough along substan- 

 tial lines of progress. Interested in the 

 advancements that would make Quaker- 

 town an attractive place of residence and 

 also a good business center, he did every- 

 thing possible to secure the lighting of the 

 town by electricity. With this end in view 

 he visited different places in Pennsylvania, 

 New York, Ohio and Indiana, to investi- 

 gate conditions and plans of lighting those 

 towns. Few men have labored so untiringly 

 and along such practical lines for the benefit 

 of the borough as has Air. Heacock. His 

 efforts have ever been of the most practical 

 character, and his fellow-townsmen recog- 

 nizing the value of his services, in 1869 he 

 was appointed notary public, and later be- 



■ came interested in the real-estate business, 

 which he conducted in connection with the 

 performance of his duties as justice of the 

 peace. In the last mentioned office he has 

 ever been desirous of bringing to a friendly 



