Notes:

According to researchers, Robert Prince had sisters Bethia who marriedJoseph Hutchinson and Rebecca who married John Putnam Jr. and they wereprobably the children of James Prince of Norwich, England and wife Mary.
In the Rate Books of Norfolk, Eng. Easter 1633/34: St. Peter'sPermontergate. John Gedney 1/2d. Lakenham: "poor" widow Prince andchildren allowed 3d. Mary, widow of Prince, married John Gedney.

Bethiah married Joseph HUTCHINSONSalem, Essex, Massachusetts. Joseph (son of Richard HUTCHINSON and Alice BOSWORTH) was born in 1633 in North Muskham, Nottinghamshire, England; died in 1716 in Salem, Essex, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Benjamin lived on that part of the homestead he rec'd from his father bydeed of gift, containing 30 acres, bearing date Oct. 2, 1691. Heafterwards acquired a considerable real estate by purchase, contiguous tothe homestead, and owned a tract of 10 acres on the W. side of Ipswichriver, which was given by his father to his bro. Robert, June 3, 1708, ofwhom he bought it on Aug. 6, 1713, and sold it the next year to WalterSmith, for Ð20. Before his decease he had settled a snug little estateupon each of his remaining children, disposing of most of the remainderof deed of sale. While an infant he was adopted into the family of Dea.Nathaniel Ingersoll, his only child, a daughter, having died at an earlyage.

But little more is known of his personal history, and that through themedium of the witchcraft papers, deposited in the office of the Essex Co.Court, being at the time quite a youth, about 21 or 22 years of age, witha young wife, both of whom acted their part in this most singular drama,with an apparent air of sincerity, astonishing to all who may read orhear of these performances, the result of which was almost certainconviction of the innocent defendants, and an ignominious death.

Benjamin married Jane PHILLIPS on 14 Nov 1689 in Salem, Essex, Massachusetts. Jane (daughter of Walter PHILLIPS and Margaret Elizabeth ELLY) was born about 1673 in Salem, Essex, Massachusetts; died on 7 Nov 1711 in Salem, Essex, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

He is one of the first of the numerous descendants of the patriarchRichard, who is known, as far as we have definite knowledge, to have leftthe land of his fathers for a home in a strange and untried country, allof whom for more than one hundred years, had lived, thrived and died uponthe original homestead; and strange to relate, not a stone has yet beendiscovered to mark the resting place of any who had fallen asleep, inthat most interesting locality. The first ancient stones that thecompiler has yet found, were erected to the memory of a portion ofBenjamin's family, in the burial ground at Bedford, Massachusetts,adjoining the church there.

He ceased to be taxed in Salem in 1734, and it is quite probable heremoved to Bedford some time during that year. He and his wife weremembers of the church, and Nov. 27, 1737, they received letters ofdismission to the ch. in Bedford. Benjamin had large possessions atSalem Village, and after the decease of his father, he bought of all hisheirs their rights in the estate left them by inheritance, except that ofhis brother Jonathan, who was then under age. All of this property heshortly after disposed of prior to his removal, selling his homestead toJoshua Goodale, for Ð300, Dec. 20, 1733, reserving, however, one-half ofhis part in the cider mill. In addition to his agricultural pursuits, heappears, from the Registry of Deeds, to have followed the employent of acooper.

His Will was proved 10 May 1780, being about 86 years of age at hisdecease.

Benjamin married Sarah TARBELL on 7 Feb 1716 in Salem, Essex, Massachusetts. Sarah (daughter of John TARBELL and Mary NURSE) was born on 2 Oct 1696 in Salem Village, Essex, Massachusetts; died on 12 Apr 1767 in Bedford, Middlesex, Massachusetts; was buried in Old Burial Ground, Spring Road, Bedford, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

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.

Nathan married Rachel STEARNS on 16 Apr 1741 in Billerica, Middlesex, Massachusetts. Rachel (daughter of Samuel STEARNS, Jr. and Rachel CROSBEY) was born on 6 Jun 1720 in Billerica, Middlesex, Massachusetts; died on 25 Jul 1795 in Milford, Hillsborough, Massachusetts; was buried in Jul 1795 in Elm St Cemetery, Milford, Hillsborough, New Hampshire. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]