This nice article reminded me of something I had long forgotten: that I once lived on 'Melville Walk' a (short) street in Hingham, Ma. The house (long ago demolished and a McMansion now sites on that lot) had been built in the 1870s shortly after the creation of Melville Gardens (https://www.patriotledger.com/story/lifestyle/2022/08/22/20-acres-pleasaunce-look-hinghams-melville-garden/10201235002/), a Victorian amusement park nearby. Melville Walk itself seems to have disappeared, although maps.google.com will still show a pin where it originated at Downer Ave. Whether or not any of this is related to Herman Melville, I do not know, and I'm sure you are tired of tracking down the history of streets named 'Melville', but I thought you could add this to your side file of things that might bear investigating at a later time...
Turns out there is a connection to Herman! Samuel Downer, the proprietor of Melville Gardens, married Herman's first cousin Nancy Melville de Wolfe. She was the daughter of Captain John DeWolf, who Melville mentions in Moby-Dick in Chapter 45:
> Now, the Captain D’Wolf here alluded to as commanding the ship in question, is a New Englander, who, after a long life of unusual adventures as a sea-captain, this day resides in the village of Dorchester near Boston. I have the honor of being a nephew of his. I have particularly questioned him concerning this passage in Langsdorff. He substantiates every word.
Downer also named a hill after his father-in-law, "Mount de Wolfe," now called Crow Point. Interestingly, he made made his fortune in the oil and kerosene business, and in 1830 "founded Downer Oil Company, which manufactured sperm whale oil, candles, and lard."
This nice article reminded me of something I had long forgotten: that I once lived on 'Melville Walk' a (short) street in Hingham, Ma. The house (long ago demolished and a McMansion now sites on that lot) had been built in the 1870s shortly after the creation of Melville Gardens (https://www.patriotledger.com/story/lifestyle/2022/08/22/20-acres-pleasaunce-look-hinghams-melville-garden/10201235002/), a Victorian amusement park nearby. Melville Walk itself seems to have disappeared, although maps.google.com will still show a pin where it originated at Downer Ave. Whether or not any of this is related to Herman Melville, I do not know, and I'm sure you are tired of tracking down the history of streets named 'Melville', but I thought you could add this to your side file of things that might bear investigating at a later time...
Turns out there is a connection to Herman! Samuel Downer, the proprietor of Melville Gardens, married Herman's first cousin Nancy Melville de Wolfe. She was the daughter of Captain John DeWolf, who Melville mentions in Moby-Dick in Chapter 45:
> Now, the Captain D’Wolf here alluded to as commanding the ship in question, is a New Englander, who, after a long life of unusual adventures as a sea-captain, this day resides in the village of Dorchester near Boston. I have the honor of being a nephew of his. I have particularly questioned him concerning this passage in Langsdorff. He substantiates every word.
Downer also named a hill after his father-in-law, "Mount de Wolfe," now called Crow Point. Interestingly, he made made his fortune in the oil and kerosene business, and in 1830 "founded Downer Oil Company, which manufactured sperm whale oil, candles, and lard."
More on Downer here: https://web.archive.org/web/20160418230241/https://hinghampubliclibrary.omeka.net/exhibits/show/legendary-locals/arts-entertainment/samuel-downer