Main Family of California:Information about John Putnam
John Putnam (b. 27 May 1627, d. 07 Apr 1710)
Notes for John Putnam:1. John migrated to Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts with his father in 1640 or 1641. At a young age he was sent to Governor Endicott's farm in order to learn the science of agriculture. The Governor's farm was considered to be the most well-run and advanced model of agriculture in the colony, and John must not have been lost as to what he learned while working there. From 1652, the year, when he received his first land from his father to the time of his death, John was constantly increasing the size of his property. In 1658, he even deeded land to a Robert Prince (possibly his wife's brother), styling himself "Planter." John was not only a successful farmer, he also entered into speculative enterprises. For
instance, in 1674, along with Simon Bradstreet and Daniel Dennison, John established iron works in Rowley Village, Essex County, Massachusetts (later Boxford). John was also
responsible for commercial apple orchards,some of the earliest in the new world. It is very likely that John grew a particular specie of apple named the Putnam Russet Apple which originated from the North Shore of Massachusetts.
2. In addition to his agricultural and commercial enterprises, John was heavily involved in both church and public affairs. Although John was not connected with the church in any official capacity, his house was occasionally the meeting place for church meetings. John was, however, among the founders of the separate church of Salem Village on November 10, 1689. John also accepted the appointment of Samuel Paris as Reverend for the newly established church. In town affairs John rarely held public office, but was selectman in 1681, as well as being in charge of settling town bounds as late as 1706.
3. John was also involved in the military, "titled" corporal in 1672, lieutenant in 1678, and finally as captain in 1687. Part of his military career involved fighting in King Philip's War.
4. He was also embroiled, like much of the Putnam family, in the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. He was not, however, among the accusers, and even though personal enemies of John were among the accused, John never testified against anyone. On the other hand, John did sign a petition in defense of Rebecca Nurse, stating that he had known her for many years and had not detected any sign of witchcraft in her. On the other hand, John did not speak out against the Witch Trials as did his nephew Joseph Putnam.
5. Generally speaking, John Jr. led an extremely successful life. Until the time of his death, John was the among the highest tax payers in the Village. A measure of how wealthy he was is shown by the amount of land John deeded to his sons. Ninety acres were passed on to his son John in 1695, and one hundred acres were given to son Jonathan in 1690.
More About John Putnam:
Ancestral File Name: 2P4L-NT.
Burial: 07 Apr 1710, Salem Village, Essex, Massachusetts, USA.
Christening: 27 May 1627, Aston Tirroid, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom.
More About John Putnam and Rebecca Prence:
Marriage: 03 Sep 1652, Salem Village, Essex, Massachusetts, USA.
Children of John Putnam and Rebecca Prence are:
- +Jonathan Putnam, b. 17 Mar 1659, Salem Village, Essex, Massachusetts, USA, d. 02 Mar 1739, Salem Village, Essex, Massachusetts, USA.