Looking down Henchman Street in Boston’s North End, toward Commercial Street, in 1893. Photo courtesy of Boston Public Library.
The street in 2014:
The brick building at the corner of Henchman and Commercial Streets hasn’t changed much, aside from the bricked-up storefront at the corner and a newly-added fifth floor. The rest of the area is very different, though. In the intervening years, the older wooden homes were replaced with early 20th century tenement buildings, and on Commercial Street the Atlantic Avenue Elevated Railway came and went. The North End is very different today than it was 120 years ago, although much of the area retains its old street network, including the curiously-named Henchman Street, which today is a narrow one-way street connecting Charter Street with Commercial Street. As an etymological aside, when this street was named, the word “henchman” did not carry the same negative connotations that it does today about people who carry out the bidding of an evil person. Instead, a henchman was simply a member of a royal court – the negative usage didn’t come until the 19th century.
I believe that this street actually may be named for the Henchman family of Boston. Daniel Henchman was a well-to-do 18th-century merchant whose daughter, Lydia, married Thomas Hancock, who would become the wealthiest man in New England. Thomas and Lydia Henchman Hancock are best known for adopting their nephew, John Hancock, and making him their heir.
Thanks for the tip! From what I could find, it was named for a different Daniel Henchman (1612-1685) who laid out the street in the 1670s. It appears that he was the grandfather of the merchant Daniel Henchman, making him the adopted great grandfather of Hancock, I suppose.
That is correct. I am a descendant…. thank you for your comment. There was a Henchman Lane and Henchman Street originally.
-Marie S. Henchman
Not adopted – keep reading. “Terri” is correct. And there used to actually be two streets, Henchman Lane, and Henchman Street. I’d love to see more about the Henchmans on this sight.
Thanks,
-Marie S. Henchman
The 1722 map of Boston shows a mostly-finished ship’s hull standing near Henchman Street or Henchman Lane (?) while nearby was the ancient Greenough shipyard, begun I believe by my ancestor the Englishman Capt. William Greenough who died in 1693, and who was then buried at nearby Copp’s Hill Cemetery. It would be great fun to maybe have a plaque on modern Henchman Street that reproduces the image from the 1722 map–and that also discusses both the Henchmans and the early Boston and North End shipyards (there were many).
The street now call Henchman Street was called Henchman Lane. The street was laid out by Daniel Henchman and was called Declination Highway. Mr. Henchman purchased the land from Charter Street to Lynn Street and to low water.
Mr. Henchman started to sell of house lot from the very beginning. At the foot of Declination and Lynn Street he constructed a brewery. And on the opposite side built a 41′ by 60′ row house. Behind the house he constructed a wharf and malt house.
Declination Passage was originally 12′ wide. It was widened on the norther side around 1863. Lynn Street became Commercial Street and was widen in 1885. I will have to examine my old notes.
Daniel Henchman Died in Worcester Mass. October 15, 1685. Hist family returned to Boston and lived in the old house on Lynn Street.
On the site of the old homestead, I discover a tunnel made of brick, Dec. 2, 1972. It was said this tunnel was used by Captain Thomas James Gruchy for smuggling purposes.
The tunnel and the land were never owned by Capt. Gruchy.
I believe Lydia was the granddaughter of Daniel Henchman.