Genealogical and family history of the state of Maine, Volume I, Part 16

Author: Little, George Thomas, 1857-1915, ed; Burrage, Henry Sweetser, 1837-1926; Stubbs, Albert Roscoe
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: New York, Lewis historical publishing company
Number of Pages: 802

USA > Maine > Genealogical and family history of the state of Maine, Volume I > Part 16

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

(For early generations see preceding sketch.)

(II) Nathaniel, third son of PUTNAM John and Priscilla Putnam, was baptized at Aston Abbotts, October II, 1619, and died at Salem Village, July 23, 1700. He was a man of considerable landed property ; his wife brought him seventy- five acres additional, and on this tract he built his house and established himself. Part of his property has remained uninterruptedly in the family. It is now better known as the "old Judge Putnam place." He was constable in 1656, and afterwards deputy to the general

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court, 1690-91, selectman, and always at the front on all local questions, whether pertain- ing to politics, religious affairs, or other town matters. "He had great business activity and ability, and was a person of extraordinary powers of mind, of great energy and skill in the management of affairs, and of singular sagacity, acumen and quickness of perception. He left a large estate." Nathaniel Putnam was one of the principals in the great lawsuit con- cerning the ownership of the Bishop farm. His action in this matter was merely to pre- vent the attempt of Zerubabel Endicott to push the bounds of the Bishop grant over his land. The case was a long and complicated affair, and was at last settled to the satisfac- tion of Allen and Putnam in 1683. December IO, 1688, Lieutenant Nathaniel Putnam was one of the four messengers sent to Rev. Sam- uel Parris to obtain his reply to the call of the parish. Parris was afterwards installed as the minister of the parish, and four years later completely deceived Mr. Putnam in re- gard to the witchcraft delusion. That he hon- estly believed in witchcraft and in the state- ments of the afflicted girls there seems to be no doubt; that he was not inclined to be severe is evident, and his goodness of charac- ter shows forth in marked contrast with the almost bitter feeling shown by many of those concerned. He lived to see the mistake he had made. That he should have believed in the delusion is not strange, for belief in witchcraft was then all but universal. The physicians and ministers called upon to examine the girls, who pretended to be bewitched, agreed that such was the fact. Upham states that ninety- nine out of every one hundred in Salem be- lieved that such was the case. There can be no doubt that the expressed opinion of a man like Nathaniel Putnam must have influenced scores of his neighbors. His eldest brother had been dead seven years, and he had suc- ceeded to the position as head of the great Putnam family with its connections. He was known as "Landlord Putnam," a term given for many years to the oldest living member of the family. He saw the family of his brother Thomas Putnam afflicted, and being an upright and honest man himself, believed in the dis- ordered imaginings of his grandniece, Ann. These are powerful reasons to account for his belief and actions. The following extract from Upham brings out the better side of his character : "Entire confidence was felt by all in his judgment, and deservedly. But he was a strong religionist, a lifelong member of the church, and extremely strenuous and zealous

in his ecclesiastical relations. He was getting to be an old man, and Mr. Parris had whoily succeeded in obtaining, for the time, posses- sion of his feelings, sympathy and zeal in the management of the church, and secured his full co-operation in the witchcraft prosecu- tions. He had been led by Parris to take the very front in the proceedings. But even Na- thaniel Putnam could not stand by in silence and see Rebecca Nurse sacrificed. A curious paper written by him is among those which have been preserved: "Nathaniel Putnam, senior, being desired by Francis Nurse, Sr., to give information of what I could say con- cerning his wife's lite and conversation. 1, the above said, have known this said afore- said woman forty years, and what I have ob- served of her, human frailties excepted, her life and conversation have been to her pro- fession, and she hath brought up a great family of children and educated them well, so that there is in some of them apparent savor of godliness. I have known her differ with her neighbors, but I never knew or heard of any that did accuse her of what she is now charged with."

In 1694 Nathaniel and John Putnam testified to having lived in the village since 1641. He married, in Salem, Elizabeth, daughter of Richard and Alice ( Bosworth) Hutchinson, of Salem Village. She was born August 20, and baptized at Arnold, England, August 30, 1629, and died June 24, 1688. In 1648 both Nathan- iel and his wife Elizabeth were admitted to the church in Salem. Their children, all born in Salem, were: Samuel, Nathaniel, John, Jo- seph, Elizabeth, Benjamin and Mary.

(III) Captain Benjamin, youngest son of Nathaniel and Elizabeth (Hutchinson) Put- nam, was born December 24, 1664, at Salem Village, and died at the same place about 1715. He was a prominent man in Salem and held many town offices, being tythingman at the village in 1695-96, and constable and col- lector in 1700, and was selectman in 1707- 1713, and was often on the grand and petit juries. He was chosen to perambulate the bounds between the towns of Salem and Tops- field, which was his last appearance on the records, in 1712. He held the position of lieutenant and captain, was in the Indian war, and received the titles in 1706-1711. It ap- pears that he was imprisoned at one time, but for what cause does not appear. Among the signatures to the certificate of character of Rebecca Nurse, the names of Benjamin and his wife Sarah appears. Rev. Joseph Green, in his diary, mentions calling on "Landlord

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Putnam" and that lie was very sick and out of his head. December 30, 1709, he was chosen deacon of the church of the village. His will, dated October 28, 1706, was proved April 25, 1715. He gives to his son (minis- ter at Reading) "one hundred and fifty pounds for his learning," "Overseers, Uncle John Putnam and Captain Jonathan Putnam." All his children but Josiah are mentioned. He was married August 25, 1686, to Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Putnam (according to Colonel Perley Putnam), but on the Salem records the births are recorded as by wife Hannah. His first wife died December 21, 1705, and he married ( second) July 1, 1706, Sarah Holton. His children were: Josiah, Nathaniel, Tarrant, Elizabeth, Benjamin, Stephen, Daniel, Israel and Cornelius. ( Men- tion of Tarrant and Daniel and descendants appears in this article.)

(IV) Deacon Nathaniel, second son of Cap- tain Benjamin Putnam, was born August 25, 1686, in Salem Village, and died October 21, 1754. He was a yeoman, and lived in Dan- vers, and probably part of the time in North Reading, Massachusetts. He was elected dea- con of the First Church at Danvers, Novem- ber 15, 1731. He was married June 4, 1709, to Hannah Roberts, who died about 1763. Their children were: Nathaniel, died young, Jacob, Nathaniel, died young, Sarah, Archel- aus, Ephraim, Hannah, Nathaniel, Mehitable and Kezia.

(V) Jacob, second son of Deacon Nathan- iel and Hannah (Roberts) Putnam, was born April 20, 1712, and died in Wilton, New Hampshire, February 10, 1801. He was a pioneer of Wilton, New Hampshire, and prob- ably located there in 1738, for in June, 1739, Ephraim and Jacob Putnam and John Dole, all of Danvers, made the first permanent settle- ment in Wilton. For three years his wife was the only white woman living in the town, and during one winter the snow was so deep and neighbors so far away that she saw no one out- side her family for six months. The brothers Jacob, Ephraim and Nathaniel were all early settlers at Wilton, but finding the Indians troublesome they returned to Danvers, and a second time settled at Wilton and Lyndebor- ough. He was a man of great energy, and at one time operated a sawmill beside working on his farm, and in his later years made cans. He married (first) in July, 1735, Susanna Harriman, of Danvers, (second) Susanna Styles, who died January 27, 1776, and (third) Patience, mentioned in his will, which was proved February 28, 1791. His children were :

Sarah, Nathaniel, Philip, died young, Stephen, Philip, Joseph, Mehitable, Jacob, Archelaus, Caleb, Elizabeth and Peter.

(VI) Stephen, third son of Jacob and Su- sanna (Harriman) Putnam, was born Sep- tember 24, 1744, in Wilton, and died in Rum- ford, Maine, June 29, 1812. He bought a farm in Temple, New Hampshire, and built a grist mill. He signed the association test in 1776. Soon after he removed to Rumford, Maine, where his son Stephen had settled, and built a grist mill. He was a very influential and useful citizen, very ingenious and "Jack at all trades." He married Olive Varnum, who was born in Dracut, Massachusetts, March 7, 1742. Their children were : Stephen, Olive, Samuel, Esther, Mary, Elizabeth, Israel, Abigail, Rachel, Jacob Harriman and Ruth.

(VII) Samuel, second son of Stephen and Olive (Varnum) Putnam, was born May 29, 1768, probably in Temple, New Hampshire. He married first, Lucy Styles, who died Feb- ruary 2, 1804, and married second, September 16, 1806, Betsey or Elizabeth, daughter of Ebenezer Cobb, of Norway, Maine. His chil- dren by his first wife were: Lucy, Samuel, Jesse, Fanny, died young, and Jeremiah. By second wife: Hiram, Lois, Ira, Cyrus, Fanny, Betsey, Lydia, Ivy Atwood, Martha and Mary.

(VIII) Samuel (2), eldest son of Samuel (I) and Lucy (Styles) Putnam, was born January 7, 1795, in Rumford. He was a black- smith by trade, and lived in Rumford, Mexico and Greenwood, and died in the latter place in 1854. He married first Susan Poor, daugh- ter of Nathan Adams, and second Sylvia, widow of Daniel Bisbee, whose maiden name was Stevens, of Sumner, Maine. His chil- dren were: Eliza Ann B., Charlotte Adams, Charles A. V., Mahalon Chaplin, Laura Aman- da, Harrison Whitman, died young, Samuel Harrison and Augustus.

(IX) Charles Adams Varnum, eldest son of Samuel (2) and Susan Poor ( Adams) Put- nam, was born May 28, 1824, in Rumford, Maine. He learned the printers' trade, and in connection with Ossian Dodge published a literary paper in Boston, called the Boston Museum, of which Mr. Putnam was editor. He married Ellen T. Harrington, of Shrews- bury, Massachusetts, a daughter of Adam Har- rington, of that town. She was the author of several books, and also contributed to period- icals under the pseudonym of "Thrace Tal- mon."

(IX) Harrington, only child of Charles A. V. and Ellen T. (Harrington) Putnam, was born June 29, 1851, at Shrewsbury, Massa-

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chusetts. After studies at the Grafton ( Mass.) high school and the Worcester Academy, he entered Colby College and graduated in the class of 1870. He read law with E. B. Stod- dard, of Worcester, and completed his prepar- ation for the legal profession (after studies at Heidelberg) at the Columbia Law School, where he received the LL.B. degree in 1876. He has since practiced in New York, firm of Wing, Putnam & Burlingham, being chiefly engaged in the branch of admiralty and shipping. Colby College conferred the de- gree of LL. D. in 1906. In 1904 he married Mildred Smythe, daughter of William G. Smythe, of Providence, Rhode Island. A son, Harrington, Junior, was born October 31, 1906.

(For ancestry see preceding sketch.)

(IV) Tarrant, third son of

PUTNAM Benjamin and Hannah (or Elizabeth) Putnam, was born April 12, 1688, in Danvers, Massachusetts, and died in 1733, at Salem Village. He in- herited the homestead from his father under his will dated October 28, 1706. Administra- tion of his estate was granted on his estate to his widow Elizabeth, who was then with child, March 10, 1732. Elizabeth Putnam gave bonds with Nathaniel and Jonathan Put- nam. The will was probated April 9, 1733. He married, June 8, 1715, Elizabeth, daugh- ter of Jonathan and Elizabeth (Giles) Bacon, born November 26, 1695, died August 23, 1761. Their children, all born in Salem Vil- lage, were: Tarrant, Elizabeth, Solomon, Mary, Gideon, Israel and Sarah.

(V) Deacon Tarrant (2), eldest son of Tarrant (I) and Elizabeth (Bacon) Putnam, was born April 3, 1716, in Salem Village, and died August 27, 1794, in Sutton, Massachu- setts. He removed from Danvers to Sutton, and was admitted to the church there by letter from the Danvers church in 1747. He owned a large tract of land in Sutton. He left all his real estate to his son Israel. In 1775 General Israel Putnam rode through Sutton on his way to Bunker Hill, and stopped at the deacon's and had dinner. The flagstone from which he mounted his horse is still shown. He mar- ried, December 9, 1742, Priscilla Baker, of Topsfield, Massachusetts, who died March 16, 1812, aged eighty-nine. Their children were: Tarrant, Molly (died young), Elizabeth, Pris- cilla, Sarah, Martha, Rebecca, Lydia, Molly and Israel.

(VI) Captain Israel, youngest son of Tar- rant (2) and Priscilla ( Baker) Putnam, was

born May 22, 1767, in Sutton, and died Feb- ruary 23, 18-, in Sutton. He was a cousin and close friend of General Israel Putnam. He kept a general store in Sutton for many years. He married (first) January 29, 1795, Hannah, daughter of Jonathan and Hannah (Dudley) Woodbury, who died September 20, 1795, and (second) April 21, 1796, Hannah, daughter of Lazarus and Hannah (Chase) Le Barron, who was born January 22, 1776.

(VII) Dr. Israel (2), son of Captain Israel (I) and Hannah (Le Barron) Putnam, was born December 25, 1805, in Sutton. He grad- uated from Brown University, also Bowdoin Medical School. He began practice at Wales, Maine, and in 1835 he removed to Bath, Maine, where he acquired a large practice, and also took a prominent place in municipal affairs, being mayor of Bath from 1859 to 1865, and again in 1867. His administration was very able, especially during the trying times of war. He was bluff and frank in manner, liberal to the poor, not accepting fees when his patient could ill afford to pay. He was much respected as physician, magistrate and citizen. He married, January 10, 1834, Sarah Emery, daughter of William and Annie (Emery) Frost, of Topsham, Maine, who was born June 25, 1817.

(VIII) William Le Barron Putnam, LL. D., son of Dr. Israel (2) and Sarah Emery (Frost) Putnam, was born May 26, 1835, in Bath, Maine. He graduated from Bowdoin College in 1855. He practiced law in Port- land, Maine, until he was appointed judge of the United States circuit court, having twice refused appointment to the supreme court of Maine. He was mayor of Portland in 1869 and 1870. He was Democratic candidate for governor in 1888. He was plenipotentiary to negotiate with Great Britain a settlement of rights of American fishermen in Canadian waters, in 1887. He was a member of the Behring Sea Commission in 1896-98. He mar- ried, May 29, 1862, Octavia B., daughter of Nathaniel and Sally (Roberts) Robinson, of Augusta, Maine, who was born November 18, 1836, in Augusta.

(For ancestry see preceding sketches.)

(IV) Rev. Daniel, sixth son

PUTNAM of Benjamin and Hannah Put- nam, was born November 12, 1696, in Salem Village, and died June 20, 1759, at Reading, Massachusetts. His father left him in his will one hundred and fifty pounds, for his learning. In 1718 the North Precinct of Reading voted to give him twenty

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acres of land if he would be their minister, also "to build Mr. Putnam an house 28 feet long, 19 feet wide and 15 feet stud, a lenter on the back side 10 feet stud, three chimneys from the ground, and chamber chimney, and convenient parlor, and convenient well, in lieu of the 100 pounds, if Mr. Putnam finds nails and glass for the house." He was not or- dained until 1820, at which time the church had thirty-nine members. He was their min- ister thirty-nine years, and added one hundred and ninety-four persons to the church, bap- tized four hundred and ninety-one, and mar- ried one hundred and eleven couples. He mar- ried, February 25, 1718, Rebecca Putnam, born August 16, 1691. Their children were: Re- becea, Daniel, Aaron (died young), Sarah, Hannah, Elizabeth, Mary, Joshua, Aaron, Bethia and Susanna.

(V) Deacon Daniel (2), eldest son of Rev. Daniel (1) and Rebecca Putnam, was born November 8, 1721, in Reading, and died No- vember 5, 1774, in same town. He was elected deacon of the church in North Read- ing in 1754, was selectman of Reading in 1763- 68-71, and in 1773 represented his town in the general court. June 4, 1774, Hannah Putnam, spinster, was appointed administratrix on his estate. He married Hannah, daughter of Henry and Hannah (Martin) Ingalls, of North Andover, Massachusetts, who was born September 12, 1723, and died May 11, 1761, in Reading. Their children were: Henry, Dan- iel, Joshua, Rebecca, Aaron and Sarah.

(VI) Henry, eldest son of Deacon Daniel (2) and Hannah (Ingalls) Putnam, was born May 7, 1755, at North Reading, and died No- vember 27, 1806, at the same place. He was a man of influence in the community, and was chosen deacon of the church in 1778. He re- sponded to the alarm of April 19, 1775, and served nine days in Captain John Flint's com- pany. He married, November 9, 1775, Mary Hawkes, of Lynnfield, Massachusetts, who died January 21, 1794, and (second) Luey, daughter of Peter and Ann ( Adams) Tufts, of Charlestown, who married (second) in June, 1811, Jacob Osgood. She cared for James Otis, the patriot, for many years, and he was killed by lightning in her house.

(VII) Henry (2), son of Henry (I) and Mary (Hawkes) Putnam, was born June 28, 1778, and died in January, 1827, in Bruns- wiek, Maine. He graduated from Harvard College in 1802, served in many town offices in Brunswick, and in 1808 was named as chair- man of a committee to petition the president to withdraw the Embargo Act. He was repre-

sentative from Brunswick in 1813. He mar- ried, September 13, 1807, Catherine Hunt, daughter of Joseph Pease Palmer, of Roxbury, Massachusetts, who was born in 1793, and died December 12, 1889. She taught school in Brunswick from 1807 to 1825, when she re- moved to New York. Children: Henry, born 1808, died 1815; Catherine, 1810, died 1827 ; George Palmer, mentioned below; Elizabeth, 1816, died 1875; Anne, 1819, died 1869.

(VIII) George Palmer, son of Henry (2) and Catherine Hunt (Palmer) Putnam, was born February 7, 1814, in Brunswick, and died December 20, 1872, in New York. He received his early training, with his sisters, in his mother's school, a well-known and popu- lar institution of Brunswick. He enjoyed the sports of the times and region, skating on the Androscoggin river winter and boating up and down the same in summer. When he was eleven years of age he was offered an appren- ticeship in Boston to the mercantile business by the husband of his mother's sister, John Gulliver. The latter's son, John Putnam Gul- liver, was of the same age as young Putnam, and they became companions in the business training and work of the store. This establish- ment was devoted chiefly to carpets, and its owner was a man of striet puritanical views. The boys slept together in the rear of the store, and were chiefly occupied in keeping the place in order. There were few holidays, and the business day was a long one. The Sabbath was observed with full New England striet- ness, including morning and evening prayers at home, Sunday school, and two long church services. No reading was permitted on the Sabbath except in works of devotional char- acter, and there were very few books then available to the young men. Young Putnam had a strong taste for reading, and in later years he often referred to the "literary starva- tion" which he suffered in Boston, and also referred to the compunetions of conscience he experienced when surreptitiously reading a volume of Miss Edgeworth's tales. This be- longed to the forbidden class of fiction, and its reading was looked upon as a frivolity. He remained with his uncle in Boston about four years, and decided in 1829 to try his chances of securing a livelihood in New York City. From Brunswick he journeyed to Boston by sea, and again took ship thence to New York. Here he very soon became engaged in literary work, and during the first year after his ar- rival, when he was fifteen years old, he be- gan a historical manual which was completed in three years' time. In 1833 he completed

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and published through West and Trow a weekly chronicle entitled the Publishers' Ad- vertiser. He undertook to review the current publications, which in that year included the first volume of Bancroft's "United States," Abbotts' "Young Christian," Mrs. Sigourney's "Sketches," and Cooper's "Letters to My Countrymen." His first introduction to the book trade was made very shortly after his arrival. He speaks of his first studies as con- ning paragraphs in the papers beginning "Boy Wanted." His second application was made at a little book and stationery store on Broad- way, near Maiden Lane, where he engaged himself to do errands, sweep, etc., for which he was to receive a wage of $25 per year, and board in the family of his employer, Mr. George W. Bleecker, who lived over his store. For a short time he was engaged as a can- vasser in the interest of a quarto monthly published by Mr. Bleecker, which took him on a cruise up the. Hudson river. He was sub- sequently employed as first clerk in the Park Place House, an emporium of literature and art, and still later was general clerk and mes- senger for Mr. Jonathan Leavitt, in a two- story building at the corner of John street and Broadway, Mr. Leavitt being the leading pub- lisher of theological and religious books. About this time Mr. Daniel Appleton, founder of the great house of D. Appleton & Company, became connected with Mr. Leavitt. In that era an edition of one thousand copies of a new book was the average, and those of five hundred copies were as usual as any exceeding two thousand. After Mr. Appleton had es- tablished his own business, he and Mr. Leavitt published jointly an edition of one thousand copies, including some four hundred pages, prepared by young Putnam, entitled "Chronol- ogy, an Introduction and Index to Universal History." It had been prepared originally for his own benefit as a reference. It was his custom in these times to repair to the Mer- cantile Library, then recently opened, after the closing of the store where he was em- ployed, which was usually after nine o'clock. He read almost exclusively works of history. In the shop of Mr. Leavitt he was advanced to two dollars per week, and after a few months to four dollars. With this large in- come he felt able to buy a seat in church. In 1833 he entered the employ of Wiley & Long, publishers and booksellers. In 1840 he be- came a partner, and the firm was styled Wiley & Putnam, Mr. Wiley being about one year the senior of Mr. Putnam. At that time the

Appletons and J. & J. Harper were the lead- ing publishers in New York, and the princi- pal retail booksellers were Stanford & Swords. A very large proportion of the books then sold in New York were imported from England. In the firm of Wiley & Putnam the publish- ing division was in charge of the junior part- ner, while the senior gave his attention chiefly to the selling. Mr. Putnam held to the view that contemporary authors should have their proper share in the publication of their works, and he became intimately associated with Bry- ant, Matthews, Halleck, Cooper & Fay. In 1840 he made his first business journey to England, in the effort to establish a closer re- lation between the book trades of the two countries, and in 1841 he made a second jour- ney to London and established a branch house in that city in Paternoster Row, the old-time center of the London book trade. The busi- ness of this agency was the sale of American books and the purchase of English publications for sale in the United States. Thus began the great publishing house, now having a world-wide reputation, and known as G. P. Putnam's Sons, and which still maintains a London publication office. The firm of George P. Putnam was established in 1848, and in 1853 began the publication of Putnam's Monthly, which is now in the fifty-sixth year of its existence.

In 1862 Mr. Putnam was appointed by President Lincoln collector of internal revenue of New York, and this position he acceptably filled for three years. His activities in con- nection with the spread of literature and art were numerous, and he was a founder, and at the time of his death honorary superintendent, of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 1872 he was chairman of the American committee on art at the Vienna Exposition. His literary work was early recognized by Bowdoin Col- lege, which conferred upon him in 1853 the honorary degree of A. M. The career of Mr. Putnam furnishes an excellent example of the fact that a liberal education is not indispen- sable in the development of one's best powers if he be an earnest and painstaking student. He was accustomed to refer humorously to the granting of this degree as a reward for his services in spreading the alarm on one occa- sion, when a fire broke out in the college build- ings at Brunswick, while he was a small boy. He married, in May, 1841, in New York, Vic- torine Haven, born in 1824, daughter of Jo- seph Haven and of his second wife, Mary Parsons Tuttle. Joseph Haven was a son of

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Genealogical and family history of the state of Maine, Volume I, Part 16

Author: Little, George Thomas, 1857-1915, ed; Burrage, Henry Sweetser, 1837-1926; Stubbs, Albert Roscoe Publication date: 1909 Publisher: New York, Lewis historical publishing company Number of Pages: 802

Author: Little, George Thomas, 1857-1915, ed; Burrage, Henry Sweetser, 1837-1926; Stubbs, Albert Roscoe
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: New York, Lewis historical publishing company
Number of Pages: 802