Capt. Daniel Henchman

“Here is a summary of what we know about Daniel from reliable documents.: He was born in England 28 April 1623. His father was Richard Henchman [and in some church records his last name is spelled alternatively as Hinkesman and Hinckeman, probably Latinized versions or misspellings]. He married Anna [or Hannah] Newberry on 29 June 1622 at St. Peter’s Church, Paul’s Wharf, London. They had five children — Daniel, b 28 Apr 1623; John, b 17 Apr 1626; Stephen, b 15 May, 1634; Hannah, b 16 Oct 1635; and Ann, b Nov 1640. All were baptized in St. Martin of the Fields, London, except for Ann who was baptized at St. James Garlickhthe, London. It is important to note that these church records, of which we have copies, do not show any records for Daniel’s grandparents or other ancestors. This is not unusual as very few church records [and no civil records] were maintained before the early 1600s except for citizens of some importance”.

The Henchman Family, published in England in 1868, provides information establishing the Henchman family in England and the Daniel Henchman family in Worcester, Massachusetts. Although the connection of Daniel Henchman to the Crosborough – Henchman family is not made, an eight generation chart lists Daniel’s descendants

According to The Worcester Historical Society’s article Daniel Henchman, The Founder of Worcester, Daniel’s roots could be traced to the Northamptonshire area in England. It is suggested that Daniel was the son of a brother of Joanna Henchman Hoar who settled in Plymouth Colony before 1653. Joanna had brothers – Thomas, Walter, William and Edward (Edmond). Daniel was probably a brother or cousin to Capt. Thomas Henchman of Chelmsford who was the son of Edmond who settled in Plymouth County in 1653 near Joanna Henchman Hoar. Daniel sold property in Boston to Capt. Thomas Henchman for his sister Margaret who married Charles Hopkins. This lot adjoined that of Daniel’s home.

The establishment of Worcester is detailed in Daniel Henchman, The Founder of Worcester. In 1668 the General Court approved the appointment of Daniel Henchman; Capt. Daniel Gookin; Capt. Thomas Prentice; and Lt. Richard Beers to “to lay out a town, etc.” in the area that became Worcester, Massachusetts. Daniel claimed twenty-five acres south of the present Lincoln St. which was known as the “Henchman Farm.” On 6-24-1675, Daniel was appointed by the General Court as “Captain of a Hundred men for the service of this Colony” especially in King Philip’s War. In 1683, after several disruptions (especially King Philip’s War) Daniel Henchman “sets out … with his pack Horses in order to settling a Plantation…”. A year later Gookin; Henchman; and Prentice applied to the Middlesex Court for an order requiring all inhabitants of Worcester “to meet together on the Lord’s Day to worship God.”

James Savage in A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England writes: “Daniel, Boston, sch.master 1666, freem. 1672, ar. co. 1675 perhaps, by w. Sarah had (beside Richard, Hezekiah, and Nathaniel) Susanna, b. 7 June 1667; and William, 28 July 1669, wh. d. young; and by w. Mary, d. of William Poole, m. 26 Apr. 1672, had William, again, 29 Mar. 1673; Jane, 25 May 1674; Daniel, 16 June 1677; and Mary, 1 June 1682; the last two prob. d. young. Having serv. on the Comtee. for survey of a new planta. now Worcester, a. 1665, he bec. a propr. and in Philip’s war, 1675 and 6, was a capt. of district. and d. at Worcester, 15 Oct. 1685. His wid. Mary, with the s. Richard and Hezekiah had admin. The est. by inv. of 29 Apr. 1686, was L1381.13.9.”

Daniel died 10-15-1685. Sewall wrote in his diary: “Very few at his funeral, his own servants, a white and a black put him in his grave. His wife and children following and no more or but one or two more.

Source: http://www.hinchman.org/capt-daniel-henchman-1623-1685

References

1. Roberts, Gary Boyd. The Royal Descents of 600 Immigrants. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., (2004). Section: Immigrant Descendants of High Medieval Kings. Page 385. < Ancestry.com >; (document attached.) "Descent from Alfonso IX, king of Leon and Galicia & Berenguela I la Grande, reina de Castilla." Hannah Hall, daughter of Sarah Henchman & Capt. Daniel Henchman, married Lieut. William Sumner, III, and was the ancestor (via American heiress, his mother) of Prime Minister Winston Churchill.