Hutchins Family

The Hutchins family arrived in late spring of 1782 and was possibly the first permanent pioneer family.  Olive R. Hutchins and her four children, aided by a native American guide, followed the Kennebec River from the Woolwich – Wiscasset area.  Mrs. Hutchins was married to Capt. Samuel Hutchins who was, at the time, away in the army. 

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The couple were originally from the Temple, NH/Chelmsford, MA area.  He marched with a squad of patriots and had command of a company at Bunker Hill.  After three months’ service he returned to Chelmsford and before long they moved away to the mouth of the Kennebec. It is believed that Capt. Hutchins made one or more trips up the Kennebec River and had camped at an intervale along the Seven Mile Brook, now known as the Carrabassett River.  

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Ongoing conflict between settlers and native Americans near Damariscotta, where the Hutchins family had been living for about two years, combined with Capt. Hutchins’ absence on another tour of military duty and an alarm of a British invasion impelled Mrs. Hutchins to flee.  When her husband returned from his service he followed her northward to where they had pitched their camp.  They settled there and began the foundations for one of Embden’s finest farms. 

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Capt. Hutchins’ headstone says that he was 42 years old at the time of his death on Christmas day of 1791.  His widow maintained herself and children on their settler’s lot until their children Asamuel, Asahel and Sally were grown up and married.  Two other children died at an early age.

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The second son, Asahel, eventually came into possession of the homestead.  The grandchildren of Capt. Samuel and Olive married into other pioneer families in the area, and these families produced several individuals who served in the military, were civic leaders, practiced medicine and law, became inventors, as well as an acclaimed artist.

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Olive Hutchins lived on the family homestead and much later in life, at nearly the age of 70, she remarried Rev. Edward Locke.  She died at age 90 and is buried in the Hutchins' cemetery between her two husbands.