BIO: William Heathcote, York County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Kathy Francis Copyright 2006. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/york/ _______________________________________________ History of York County, Pennsylvania. John Gibson, Historical Editor. Chicago: F. A. Battey Publishing Co., 1886. _______________________________________________ Part II, Biographical Sketches, Shrewsbury Township, Pg 175 WILLIAM HEATHCOTE was born in Cheshire, England, January 31, 1806, was the eighth in a family of ten children – seven sons and three daughters – of John and Alice (Neill) Heathcote; his brother John, who died in 1884, aged ninety-three years, resided in Knox County, Ohio. William is the only member of the family now living. He grew up in a cotton factory and received the rudiments of an education principally in the Sunday-schools; came to America in 1826, stopped in Chester, Penn., about a year; removed to Brandywine, Chester County, and with his brother John operated a woolen factory six years, when his brother moved West; in 1837 he went to Ohio with a view to settlement; returning on horseback his road led him to the hills where he first saw the site now occupied by Glen Rock, where Simon Koller had erected a dwelling and saw-mill. Mr. Heathcote bought the whole plan and, in 1840, when the Baltimore and Susquehanna Railroad was opened through, laid out Heathcote Station, which, in after years, when a postoffice was established, he named Glen Rock, a name suggested to him by reading Walter Scott’s works. He erected a woolen factory and operated it until 1855, then sold it to Phillip Shaeffer, who converted it into a grist-mill, now known as Glen Rock Mills, and owned by G. F. Seitz since 1881; then built another factory, higher up the Codorus, which has been operated by his sons since; in 1861 erected the building now occupied by the Centreville Rope & Cordage Company, and operated it as a mill seven or eight years; in 1881 he began the boot and shoe manufactory now managed by his sons; retired from active business about 1870; was a charter member and some years a director of the First National Bank of Glen Rock, and also of the Glen Rock Foundry and Machine Shops. He was married, in 1839, to Sarah Koller, a native of Glen Rock, and they had five children, only one of who, Lewin K, is now living, two died in childhood, one daughter died after marriage, and one son died at manhood. In 1848 he was married at Lancaster, Penn., to Catharine Allison, a native of Glen Rock, and they have four children: Lewis, Granville, Alice, wife of Rev. J. C. Koller, of Hanover, and Willie T.; all members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Mr. Heathcote was brought up in the Church of England.