RICHLAND TOWNSHIP

Page 35

The township of Richland, home of these second generation Heacocks was known as the "Great Swamp" in the first years of the eighteenth century. It was flat country, and before being cleared was probably covered with water part of the year. Those not familiar with the country supposed it to be a swamp, but shortly after 1720 its true character became known, and it was called "Rich lands" because of its fertile soil. It was heavily timbered, with a luxurious growth of grass, rather than bushes, under the trees. There were small clearings or "oak openings", which the early settlers called "Indian fields". Richland abounded in wild animals when the settlers arrived--bears, wolves, panthers, etc., and rattlesnakes were so numerous that early mowers wrapped their legs to their knees for protection. There were Indian wigwams along the swamp, along Tohickon creek and other creeks, the streams swarmed with shad, and there were deer licks along the streams where these animals resorted. An Indian path, the line of communication between distant tribes, ran north and south through Richland. Many Indians remained after the arrival of the early settlers, and lived on good terms with them.

The first settler was probably Peter Lester, who came before 1710. He had been a member of the Gwynedd Monthly Meeting in Montgomery County. Between 1710 and 1716 several more families arrived. In 1716 Edward Roberts and his wife Mary came to Richland, bringing all their worldly goods on horseback from Byberry. Mary was a daughter of Everard and Elizabeth Bolton, and traced her ancestry to the Lord of Bolton, lineal representative of the Saxon Earls of Murcia. Soon after arrival, she took small pox, and Roberts had to return to Gwynedd, the nearest settlement where she could be nursed. When they came back to Richland they erected a temporary shelter of bark against some large trees. The Indian wigwams were nearby. Their daughter, Ann, married William Heacock.

Richland township is bounded on the south by Rockhill, where William Heacock built his mill, and by Haycock township on the east. Haycock township takes its name from Haycock mountain which is said to resemble a haycock.

Richland township is about five miles wide, and seven miles long. Quakertown is located near its center, and the Heacock and related families lived near the southern line, within walking distance of one another. In 1784, forty years after the arrival of the Heacocks, the township had 860 inhabitants, 147 dwellings, 166 out houses, 11,341 acres.