BABCOCK FAMILY HISTORY
The Babcock Families in America and Canada can trace their origins to England to the twelfth century and are probably of Saxon origin. The Babcock family in England spelled their name Badcock; probably pronounced "Badco". The name was changed in America after many misspellings by magistrates (Badcock, Badcooke, Badcocke and Badcook) to name a few. It finally became Babcock about 1680 when it was spelled that way in the Probate records of John Badcock's estate.
There is some evidence of the family presence in Wivenhoe, Essex County near the sea. Wright's History of Essex makes reference to the Badcock Mansion that was occupied by Sir Richard. There is come assertion that the Badcock family may have been founded A. D. 449 by a Saxon warrior in the ranks of Hengist and Horsa, who came with a Saxon army to help the English against the Picts and Scots.
"Family tradition" has it that a younger brother of Sir Richard Badcock lived at Wivenhoe, Essex, England-born about 1580-named James Badcock, a clergyman of the Church of England, of Puritanical persuasion, who became an exile in 1620 to Leyden, Holland, for the sake of religious liberty, and sailed from there, with others to New England. He has been said to have sailed on the Queen Ann arriving at Plymouth, MA in 1623. There is no documentation to support this contention. He more likely arrived at Portsmouth, R. I. about 1640. Records show that James Badcock was living in Portsmouth, R.I. in 1642.
The solid ground of fact, therefore, upon which at last we stand may be indicated in about two words: 1. Our branch of the Babcock folk came from old England to New England early in the seventeenth century-certainly prior to 1642. 2. We share with the English Badcocks a coat of arms which helps to show that, as a family, we have lived long enough in the world to know how to live wisely and, therefore well.*.
*Stephen Babcock, Babcock Genealogy, xv