General Notes

REFN: 123AN
REFN: P123
Notes for JOHN PUTNAM:
John Putnam, the founder of the Salem famil y.  His father, Nicholas, had
inherited from his youngest brother, Richard, a n estate in lands in
Wingrave bequeathed him by their father.  No record of t he transfer of
this property by Nicholas has been found, yet at the latter's death, he
then being of Stewkley, there is no mention of the Wingrave propert y.
Nicholas, however, gave to his son John his house and lands in Aston
Abb otts, of which we have found no record as to how he became possessed.
The Put nam farm was probably in Burstone, a locality adjoining Rowsham in
Wingrave. John probably lived in Stewkley with his parents until his
father's death, a nd then being of age capable to conduct a farm, seems to
have taken possessio n of the property given him by his father and to have
continued in possession , occupying himself with its care, until his
migration to New England.  In 16 14, when his name appears on his mother's
marriage license as one of the sure ties, he is described as husbandman.
No further mention is found of him in En gland, except upon the occasions
of the baptism of his children, who were bap tized at Aston Abbotts.  Who
his wife was can only be conjectured, but there is good reason to believe
she was Priscilla Deacon, of the family of that nam e of Corner Hall, in
Hemel Hempstead.
John was perhaps married in 1611 or 16 12.  The marriage records for this
period are missing from the Wingrave regis ter, and the register for Hemel
Hempstead is lost.
On November 25, 1658, Zac cheus Gould of Topsfield deputed "John Putnam of
Salem, the younger, his cous in" to be his attorney. (Essex Court Records,
IV, 100).  In an account book o f John Gould, grandson of Zaccheus, born
1662, died 1724, is found an entry b y him as follows, "Grandfather Gould
lived in Buckinghamshire, and Grandfathe r Deacon in Hertfordshire, in
Hempstead town in Corner Hall."  In this same b ook are references to John
Putnam, a contemporary, alluded to as "cousin." Je remy Gould, a brother
of Zaccheus, had a wife (Priscilla Grover) and was livi ng in Aston
Abbotts in 1631, but was in RhoDe Island in 1638. Another brother of
Zaccheus was John Gould, who lived in Bovington, and had a daughter
Pri scilla (who married a Grover and had in turn a daughter named after
her) and also a neice Priscilla Ware.  Neither of those were of suitable
age to have m arried with John Putnam. (see Water's Gleanings, pg 1019)
Both John Putnam an d Zaccheus Gould named daughters "Phoebe." Cousin was
a term in use in the ea rly part of the 17th century to indicate nephew,
and as there appears no oppo rtunity for a Putnam-Gould marriage either
way, the only alternative is to ad opt the suggestion that John Putnam and
Zacchues Gould had married sisters. ( see pg 46, Genealogical Bulletin for
1903)
John Putnam was well equipped for the work of founding a home in a
country, both in ability and financial reso urces.
There is a entry in Lechford's Note Book under date of December 27, 163 9,
(22Feb., 1640, our reckoning), "For drawing Articles for Mr. Cradocke &
Gould and Putnam (6s.)."  Just what these articles related to is not
revealed , but the reference is either to John Putnam or his eldest son
Thomas.  It wa s in 1640 that John Putnam settled in Salem.  There is no
record of his havin g been in any other part of New England prior to his
appearence in Salem.  Hi s son Thomas first settled in Lynn, and his
coming thought to have preceded h is father's.  In 1685/6, Nathaniel
Putnam deposed that he was aged sixty-five years and had lived in Salem
for forty-six years, and his brother John made a like statement, giving
his age as fifty-eight years and his residence in Sa lem as about
forty-five years (Ipswich records, Deeds, vol. 5,213), both of w hich
statements agree with the date 1640 as that of the coming of their
fat her.  As it is not likely that the removal was e