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- Large land-owner in Milford, New Hampshire, and recorded deeds show thathe owned several lots in Wilton. He built a saw and grist-mill, thesecond mill in Wilton, where the Messrs. Whiting's grist-mill now stands. We find the first mention of the mill in the town records for April 27,1768; see page 69 [of Wilton History]. Nathan gave to his son, Samuel,the west part of lots numbered 12 and 13, first range in Wilton, and tohis son, Ebenezer, the east part of same lots, both deeds dated March 9,1788. (History of the Town of Wilton, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire,by Abiel Abbot Livermore and Sewell Putnam, Lowell, Massachusetts, Marden& Rowell, Printers, 1888, p. 416.)
In 1744, Benjamin Hopkins sold to Nathan Hutchinson of Billerica,Massachusetts, a section of the 'Charlestown school farm' of the width offifty rods. This farm is now owned by Edwin D. Searles. Mr. Hutchinsonestablished himself upon his farm in 1748, being, at the time, thirty-oneyears old, and a descendant of Richard Hurchinson who came to America in1634. Richard was the ancestor of most of his name who have lived intown...From the day of his settlement here, until the day of his deceasein 1795, Nathan Hutchinson was one of the most active and useful citizensof the town. Upon a map of New Hampshire published in 1784, his name,and that of John Shepherd, appear in connection with the locality inwhich they resided, indicating, perhaps, their prominence in publicestimation. His posterity have been and are numberous and influential intown affairs. (The History of Milford, by George A. Ramsdell, Concord,N. H.: The Rumford Press, 1901, pp. 31-2.)
SETTLEMENT AT SOUHEGAN WEST:
Two settlers were known to have reached Souhegan West, later calledAmherst, by 1735 (Walton and Lampson... see notes re Joseph (3). Forseveral years the meetings of the Society continued to be held in SalemVillage, as shown by the minutes of the Proprieters Records. It is notknown when the other grantees went to take up their land, but by 1743 or4 enough of them had moved that in the Proprieters Record we find thefollowing: 'At a meeting Feb 10, 1743-4 at James Phillips, Salem Village,voted that the meeting for ensuing year shall be at the meeting house atSouhegan West No. 3 on 30th of January next at 10 o'clock before noon.'
There is a very unique fact about this Meeting House. The first meetinghouse was built by the proprieters of Souhegan West. The frame wasprobably raised May 16, 1739 and the building completed in 1753. In 1757the town voted to build a new place of worship upon the training field.It remained the property of the town until 1832 when because ofdenominational strife it was sold at auction and purchased by theCongregational Society. The town reserved its right to its use for townpurposes and also reserved to the town the front of the church, thesteeple and bell. It 1836 it was moved to the present site and the townbuilt the basement.
Eleven men with their brave wives (among the list given are Nathan andAbner Hutchinson) were all settled before the year 1755 and were in thefront ranks of the founders of Milford, were indeed about the onlyinhabitants. The territory of Souhegan West included what is now Amherst,Milford and Mount Vernon. It was all incorporated under the name ofAmherst in 1760. At that time the territory had 800 people and less than100 houses. Milford was separated and incorporated in 1798. Mount Vernonwas incorporated in 1804.
EARLY HUTCHINSON SETTLERS:
The first Hutchinson who is recorded as being in Amherst is Nathan. Hisname appears on the tax list in 1753. However, the Hutchinson genealogyspeaks of his son Benjamin being born in Amherst in 1744. His descendentsto the sixth generation live in a house that was built in 1743 byBenjamin, the father of Nathan, but as the evidence in the Genealogypoints to a belief that Benjamin never came to Amherst, it is probablethat Nathan built it.
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Bef 1717 - 1795 (~ 77 years)