My Descent from John Putnam

Page down to read the history of the Putnam line,
or select one of the following names to go directly to that person.

John Putnam-Priscilla Gould
John Putnam, Jr.-Rebecca Prince
Rebecca (Putnam) Fuller-John Shepherd
John Shepherd, Jr.-Hannah Ayer
Elizabeth Shepherd-Joseph Johnson
Joseph Johnson, Jr.-Anna Lane
Levi Johnson-Mercy Longfellow
Levi Johnson, Jr.-Elizabeth Lincoln
Elizabeth L. Johnson-Horatio N. Keene
Anna Evelyn Keene-Francis Woods Darling
Laura Keene Darling-Edward Payson True
Edward Keene True-Mildred Louise Richenburg
James Duncan True
Next Page Index of surnames The Putnam Bibliography Other sites of interest Home Page

John Putnam

Husband:
John Putnam		Baptized: in Wingrave, Buckinghamshire, England, 17 January 1579/80.
Died: in Salem Village, MA, 30 December 1662.
Parents: Nicholas and Margaret (Goodspeed) Putnam.
Wife:
Priscilla Gould		Born: Place and date unknown.
Died: Place and date unknown.
Parents: Unknown.
Married: in England, 1612.

It is not known when this family came to America, probably sometime between 1627, the birthdate of their last child, and 1650. The following is from The Putnam Family, by Eben Putnam: "John Putnam was a farmer and exceedingly well off for those times. He wrote a fair hand as deeds on record show. In these deeds, he styles himself yeoman, and once, in 1655, husbandman."

John and his wife Priscilla (Gould) Putnam had seven children, all baptized at Aston Abbots, England:

  • Elizabth, bpt. 20 Dec. 1612; admitted to the church in Salem in 1643.
  • Thomas, bpt. 7 March 1614/5; m. (1) Ann Holyoke, daughter of Edward Holyoke; m. (2) Mrs. Mary Veren, widow of Nathaniel Veren.
  • John, bpt. 24 July 1617; died in infancy.
  • Nathaniel, bpt. 11 Oct. 1619; m. Elizabeth Hutchinson, daughter of Richard Hutchinson.
  • Sarah, bpt. 2 March 1622/3.
  • Phoebe, bpt. 28 July 1624.
  • John, Jr., bpt. 27 May 1627; m. Rebecca Prince.
Next Page Line of Descent Pedigree Chart Index of surnames The Putnam Bibliography Other sites of interest Home Page

John Putnam, Jr.

Husband:
John Putnam, Jr.		Baptized: in Aston Abbotts, England, 27 May 1627.
Died: in Danvers, MA, 7 April 1710.
Father: John Putnam.
Mother: Priscilla Gould.
Wife:
Rebecca Prince		Born: Place and date unknown.
Died: Place and date unknown.
Parents: Unknown. See text below.
Married: in Salem, MA, 3 July 1652.

In his History of Salem, p. 31, Sidney Perley wrote, "Robert Prince appears as a servant, with Bethiah and Lydia, probably his sisters, in a tavern of John Gedney in 1651. Rebecca Prince, perhaps another sister, married John Putnam and was called 'stepdaughter' by Mr. Gedney."

John Putnam, Jr., came to America with his parents and siblings. They lived in Danvers, then called Salem Village, Massachusetts. In 1665, John was made freeman and was one of the largest taxpayers in Salem Village. He was influential in all matters relating to town or church government and, in 1668-1670, signed a petition requesting that a minister be allowed to conduct services at the "farms." In 1672, he was styled corporal; in 1678, commissioned lieutenant of a troop of horse; and after 1687, was called captain. He was a deputy to the General Court in 1677, 1680, 1686, and 1691.

Captain John. Jr., and his wife Rebecca (Prince) Putnam had ten children, all born in Salem Village, MA:

  • Rebecca, b. 28 May 1653; m. (1) John Fuller, son of Thomas Fuller; m. (2) John Shepherd, son of William Shepherd.
  • Sarah, b. 4 Sept. 1654; m. John Richardson, son of Richard Richardson.
  • Priscilla, b. 4 March 1657; m. Joseph Bailey, son of John Bailey.
  • Jonathan, b. 17 March 1659; m. (1)Elizabeth Whipple, daughter of Thomas Whipple; m. (2) Lydia Potter, daughter of Anthony Potter.
  • James, b. 4 Sept. 1661; m. (1) Sarah -----; m. (2) Mrs. Mary Rea.
  • Hannah, b. 2 Feb. 1663; m. Henry Brown, son of Henry Brown.
  • Eleazer, b. 1665; m. (1) Hannah Boardman, daughter of Daniel Boardman; m. (2)Elizabeth Rolfe, daughter of Benjamin Rolfe.
  • John, b. 14 July 1667; m. Hannah -----.
  • Susanna, b. 4 Sept. 1670; m. Edward Bishop, son of Edward Bishop.
  • Ruth, b. Aug. 1673.
Next Page Prior Page Line of Descent Pedigree Chart Index of surnames The Putnam Bibliography Other sites of interest Home Page

Rebecca Putnam

Wife:
Rebecca Putnam		Born: in Salem Village, MA, 28 May 1653.
Died: in Salem, MA, 21 September 1689.
Father: Captain John Putnam, Jr..
Mother: Rebecca Prince.
First Husband:
John Fuller		Father: Thomas Fuller.
Second Husband:
John Shepherd		Born: Place and date unknown.
Died: in Salem, MA, 19 June 1726.
Father: William Shepherd.
Mother: unknown.
Married: in Salem, MA, 6 December 1677.
John Shepherd married second Hannah (Green) Acie, daughter of Henry Green, widow of John Acie.
John Shepherd married third Rebecca Priar (intentions of marriage published 28 August 1718).

Please see the entry on John Shepherd for details of this family.

John Shepherd Prior Page Line of Descent Pedigree Chart Index of surnames The Putnam Bibliography Other sites of interest Home Page

The Putnam Family Bibliography

Perley, Sidney, History of Salem.

Putnam, Eben, The Putnam Family, published in 1891.

Sherman, Jeanette Johnson, Johnson-Mitchell Ancestry with Allied Families, 1967, pp. 156-157. Book located in the Free Library, Belfast, ME and The Appleton Public Library, Appleton, ME.

Links to Sites of Interest

The New England Historic Genealogical Society
Home page for the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS).

This page is maintained by
James D. True
jimsancestry@hotmail.com
© Edward K. & Mildred True, and James D. True
Last Update March 21, 2000.

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