Stephen Putnam

Brief Life History of Stephen

When Stephen Putnam was born on 24 September 1741, in Wilton, Hillsborough, New Hampshire, British Colonial America, his father, Jacob Putnam, Sr, was 30 and his mother, Susannah Harriman, was 23. He married Olive Varnum on 18 October 1764, in Andover, Essex, Massachusetts, United States. They were the parents of at least 4 sons and 7 daughters. He died on 29 June 1812, in Rumford, Oxford, Maine, United States, at the age of 70.

Photos and Memories (6)

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Family Time Line

Stephen Putnam
1741–1812
Olive Varnum
1741–1831
Marriage: 18 October 1764
Stephen Putnam Jr
1765–1854
Olive Putnam
1766–1860
Samuel Putnam
1768–1850
Esther Putnam
1770–1773
Mary Putnam
1772–1811
Elizabeth Putnam
1774–1813
Israel Putnam
1776–1845
Abigail Putnam
1778–1862
Rachel Putnam
1780–1780
Jacob Herriman Putnam
1781–1781
Ruth Putnam
1783–

Sources (48)

  • Stephen Putnam, "New Hampshire Birth Records, Early to 1900"
  • Stephen Putnam, "Massachusetts Marriages, 1695-1910"
  • Stephen Putnam, "Find A Grave Index"

Spouse and Children

World Events (6)

1776

Thomas Jefferson's American Declaration of Independence endorsed by Congress. Colonies declare independence.

1776 · The Declaration to the King

"At the end of the Second Continental Congress the 13 colonies came together to petition independence from King George III. With no opposing votes, the Declaration of Independence was drafted and ready for all delegates to sign on the Fourth of July 1776. While many think the Declaration was to tell the King that they were becoming independent, its true purpose was to be a formal explanation of why the Congress voted together to declare their independence from Britain. The Declaration also is home to one of the best-known sentences in the English language, stating, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."""

1781 · The First Constitution

Serving the newly created United States of America as the first constitution, the Articles of Confederation were an agreement among the 13 original states preserving the independence and sovereignty of the states. But with a limited central government, the Constitutional Convention came together to replace the Articles of Confederation with a more established Constitution and central government on where the states can be represented and voice their concerns and comments to build up the nation.

Name Meaning

English (Middlesex and Buckinghamshire): habitational name from either of two places, in Hertfordshire and Surrey, called Puttenham, from the genitive case of the Old English byname Putta, meaning ‘kite’ (the bird) + Old English hām ‘homestead’.

History: John Putnam emigrated from England to Salem, MA, before 1641, and established a family that was still prominent in Massachusetts four generations later, including the revolutionary war soldier Israel Putnam (1718–90) and his cousin Rufus Putnam (1738–1824), also a soldier, one of the first settlers in OH.

Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.

Story Highlight

Stephen and Olive (Varnum) Putnam Family, by Eben Putnam (1891)

From the History of the Putnam Family in England and America: "Stephen Putnam (Jacob, Nathaniel, Benjamin, Nathaniel, John), born in Salem Village, 24 Sept. 1744; died in Rumsford, Me., 29 June 1812; …

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