Henry Deering (1639-1717)

He was born at Dartmouth, England, and by 1663 he had emigrated and become a shopkeeper in Boston. In 1678, he was fined £10 for refusing to serve as a Constable. By 1685, he was Clerk of the Market, Moderator of town meetings, and Auditor of the town treasurer's accounts. In 1703, he was appointed "Master of the Engine Company" and Clerk and Captain of the Artillery Company. In about 1700, on his land on the north side of a passage leading from Merchants' Row, he built and leased out a house that by 1711 had become the popular tavern known as the Golden Ball. In 1707, he proposed putting up a building in which to keep the town's records as well as constructing a wharf at the foot of what is now State Street. The latter was built and became known as "Boston Pier" or "Long Wharf." He also presented the town with a memorial for the "Preventing Disolation by Fire". He was married twice. In 1664, he married Ann, widow of Ralph Benning. After she died, in 1676 he married Elizabeth, widow of Theodore Atkinson.