Born: October 18th, 1927 in Northampton MA
Father: Ervin Earl Putnam (1893-1988) (P1)
Mother:Mary Gertrude Connelly(1895-1972)(C1)
Married: (Florence) Caroline Wright(1930-2016)(W0)
Children:
David Earl Putnam(1953- living)
Mary Caroline putnam(1958- Living)
Robert Edward Putnam (1963- Living)
Andrew Wright Putnam(1969- Living)
Died: March 27th, 1982011In Marietta Ohio
I've been struggling doing these as I knew I couldn't do my parents justice and there was a lot more about them that need to be documented
Robert Ervin Putnam Born on October 18th, 1927 seven in Northampton, MA to Ervin Earl Putnam and Mary Putnam. His younger brother Richard was born on October 17th 1928
The Family story is he lied about his age to join the military and that looks like it was true as he joined the military at age 16 in 1943 the other part of the story is he was accepted into the officers Training at for the Navy but got hand out because of his bad teeth he wanted to be a pilot he ended up joining the Navy Reserves always assigned to the Ship called the uss Bataan On November 17th 1943 I believe you want to join the war before it ended and that is why he lied about his age The city directory says I'm back in Massachusetts living in Massachusetts at 24 Upland Road in Northampton Mass his occupational student After the Navy he went to the University of Massachusetts and got a degree in chemistry and then went on to get his degree his PhD In organic chemistry from the university of Illinois urbana-champaign. The 1950 census shows him a living at the Upland Road address with his parents and brother he was 22 years old and his occupation was listed as other he was not employed at the time.
He married Caroline Wright Putnam on August 26th, 1952 in leads Massachusetts. they were married in the St Catherine church by Reverend Prince Shannon. their first child David Putnam was born in 1953. Robert got a job with Dupont and the family moved to Wilmington Delaware
Their second child was borrn there Mary Putnam in 1958 and their third child Robert Putnam was born in 1963 the family then moved to Marietta Ohio This is due the fact that Robert was transferred to the DuPont Plant in Parkesburg West Virginia he eventually became the head of research and development there and was involved in the creation of Teflon and other things like light wires and things like that it is my understanding he holds the number of patents through Dupont but I don't know what they are.
The move was between 1965 and 1969 their 4th child Andrew Putnam myself was born in Marietta in 1969. Early in the family's move to Marietta they join the Unitarian Church.
Later along with friends in Caroline they created the early music group the Valley Renaissance consort in which he played a soprano recorder. I remember the group coming by the house every Sunday night to practice and they played concerts all over the valley.
As one of the ones who started all this effort Robert was very into the family genealogy and eventually formed a group called The American friends of Puttenham to help and support the church and the community in the village of Puttenham England
Robert took many trips around the world for work including Japan and Europe
he also traveled for fun for canoeing And fly fishing in the Northwest territory of Canada included to the Arctic you can actually find his journals here for those trips he also fly fished in ice and there's one family story associated with the Iceland trip where the Russian Ambassador across from above him and he snagged his waiters and rip them open. There's also a family story where he and his friends in Canada helped out Gordon Lightfoot who had flipped his canoe and they gave him supplies and things like that as such Gordon thing to make the next concert.
Robert Learned to fly and became a Private Pilot later in his life and it took great joy in it really enjoyed taking airr photos and became a member of the Flying Club in town.
in his later years Robert was afflicted with Alzheimer's and died in Marietta on April 8th 2011 of a stroke he died at home quietly.
After retirement Robert taught chemistry at the local Community College and Marietta College.
Robert E. Putnam's obituary from the newspaper reads:
Dr. Robert E. Putnam, age 83, of Marietta, Ohio, died at his home on March 30, 2011.
He was born October 20, 1927 in Boston, MA, the son of Ervin and Mary Connell Putnam. From 1945-1946 he served in the U.S.N. and then received a B.S. in Chemistry from the U. of Massachusetts in 1950 and a PhD in Organic Chemistry from the U. of Illinois in 1953. Bob held various research positions for E.I. DuPont de Nemours in Wilmington, DE and Lockheed-GA. He took pre-retirement as a Research Manager in 1988. Additionally, Dr. Putnam served on multiple institutions, including on the National Research Council, the Dept. of Chemistry advisory board, and he contributed 20 articles to professional journals and 44 United States patents on new chemistry. Bob was an active member of the First Unitarian Universalist Church, Vets-of-Foreign-Wars (VFW) and the Mid-Ohio Valley Aviation Association at the Marietta-Ohio Airport. Bob was on the board of the American Friends of Pitcairn.
He was a loving husband, father and grandfather. He married Caroline Wright August 23, 1952 in Northampton, MA. He has four children, David Mary, Robert and Andrew, , Jr. His brother, Richard Putnam, and grandchildren, Arron, Ian, Christopher, Benjamin, Tessa, and Isabella Putnam; Elizabeth and Catherine Bennett, Grandchildren Emma and Adam Bowes; and a grandson, Tucker.
He is also survived by his brother Richard(Virginia) Putnam, and many nieces, nephews and friends.
Above all he was an adventurer with a zest for life, whether canoeing in Canada with a sixty-pound canoe, which was a canoe-building kit, or just canoeing on a creek, piloting his plane, or his hobby of sailing. He is remembered by Islanders (Friends on The American) and many for being a fan of the Icelandic birds in fowl poses. He was a life-long fowl.
Robert Putnam, age 2 weeks, 1927
Robert Putnam, 1927
Mary and Robert Putnam, 1927
Mary and Robert Putnam, 1927
Cora and grandson, Robert Putnam, 1927
Robert E Putnam, age 6 months, first zweibeck, May 13th, 1928
Robert Putnam, 1928
Robert Putnam and Stanley Greaves, 1928
Robert Putnam with toys, Howes St Florence, 1928
Robert Putnam Howes St Florence, 1928
Robert Putnam with dog, Howes St Florence, 1928
Richard and Robert Putnam, 1929
Robert "Bobby" Putnam, Colorized 1929
Robert Putnam in Florence MA, 1929
Robert Putnam in Florence MA, 1929
Left-Richard Putnam, Right-Robert Putnam, Florence around 1929
Robert and Richard Putnam, Christmas, 1930
Robert Putnam at Look Park, Florence, MA, 1930
Ervin Putnam, Robert Putnam, Unknown, Mary Putnam, Aunt Jean Connelly, Richard Putnam, 1931
Mary Putnam, Robert Putnam, Unknown Child and Richard Putnam at the Beach, 1931
Richard Putnam, Mary Putnam, Robert Putnam, and Unknown, 1931
Robert Putnam at the Beach, 1930 or 1931
Robert and Richard Putnam at the Beach, 1931
Robert Putnam, Unknown, Richard Putnam, and Unknown at the Beach, 1931
Robert Putnam, Unknown, and Richard Putnam at the Beach, 1930 or 1931
Robert, Mary, Richard Putnam at the Beach, 1931
Mary Putnam, Unknown, Robert Putnam, Unknown, Richard Putnam, Unknown, Unknown at the Beach, 1931
Robert Putnam, Unknown, Unknown, Unknown and Richard Putnam at the Beach, 1931
Robert, Ervin, Richard and Mary Putnam at the Beach, 1931
Mary Putnam, Ervin Putnam, Robert Putnam and Madge at the beach, 1931
Robert Putnam, Florence, MA, 1931
Richard, Mary and Robert Putnam at the camp, 1931
Mary, Robert and Richard Putnam on boat during trip to Plymouth, MA, 1932
Richard and Robert Putnam on boat during trip to Plymouth, MA, 1932
Robert and Richard Putnam, 1933
Mary, Robert and Ricard Putnam with their black lab, abt 1933
Robert and Richard Putnam, Leeds, MA, 1933
Robert and Richard Putnam, Christmas, 1933
Richard and Robert Putnam, 1934
Richard, Ervin, Dog and Robert Putnam, 1934
Robert Putnam playing baseball
Class Photo, Florence MA, 1933
Class Photo, Florence MA, 1934
Putnam Family at Camp, 1935: From left to right: Robert Putnam, possible neighbor at Drew's Lake, unknown dog, unknown woman, Amos Putnam, unknown woman, Mary Connelly Putnam, Richard Putnam, unknown, Frances Ann Cates, Jeanette Cates, Cora Carpenter Putnam
Class Photo, Florence MA, 1936
From left to right: Frances Ann Cates, Harriet Putnam Cates, Jeanette Cates, Richard Putnam Mary Connelly Putnam, Robert Putnam at the Camp, Drew's Lake, ME, 1932-1935
Richard, Vie Carpenter, Amos and Robert Putnam
Robert and Richard Putnam with two other boys.
Robert, Ervin and Richard Putnam, 1938
Ervin, Mary and family would have experienced the flood that took place in the Connecticut River Valley in the spring of 1936. Here are some pictures of that flood.
dog registration for Prince , March 20th, 1965
Generation 1(Grandparents): Ervin Earl Putnam and Mary Gertrude Connelly
Generation 0: Robert Ervin Putnam and (Florence) Caroline Wright
Mary Putnam, Robert Putnam, Jeanne Connelly and Richard Putnam, Plymouth, MA 1938
Robert and Richard Putnam, 1938
Robert, Mary and Richard Putnam, abt 1938
Robert and Richard Putnam, abt 1938
Robert Putnam
Robert Putnam
Robert Putnam
Ervin, Cora, Richard, Unknown and Robert at Camp
Stream, Poland Pond to Round Pond, June 21, 1946
Bob Putnam catching Togue, June 1946
Bob Putnam casting from shore at Camp, June 24th, 1946
Ervin, Unknown, Richard and Robert at Camp
Wedding Photo of Robert Putnam and Caroline Wright, August 23rd, 1952
Wedding Photo of Robert Putnam and Caroline Wright, August 23rd, 1952
From left to right: Robert Putnam, Caroline Wright Putnam, George Wright and Hope Gilson, August 26, 1966
From left to right: Unknown, Robert Putnam, Caroline Wright Putnam, George Wright and Hope Gilson, August 26, 1966
Robert Putnam is a member of the Marietta College Chemical Advisors
Robert Putnam holding a plane and Mary Putnam
1937-Putnam: Black Lab and Robert Putnam, around 1937
1937-Putnam: Robert Putnam, Frances Ann Cates and Richard Putnam at 24 Center Street, Leeds, MA, abt 1937
Game at Fenway Park, 1946
Stands at Fenway Park, 1946
Possibly Earl Johnson, 1946
Possibly Ted Williams, 1946
Cecil “Tex” Hughson, 1946
Mace Brown, #25, 1946
Possibly Lefty Pitcher Mickey Harris 1946
Unknown Boston Player, 1946
Boat, abt 1941
Mary, Ervin, Robert and Richard, abt 1941
Ervin and possibly Robert swimming, around 1941
Ervin and possibly Robert, around 1941
Ervin, unknown, Richard and Robert, around 1941
Richard and Robert in a tent, around 1941
Possibly Richard, around 1941
Richard, Robert and Ervin fishing, around 1941
Group of the cousins at Drew's Lake, abt 1938
Group of Cousins having dinner at Drew's Lake, abt 1938
Group of Cousins swimming at Drew's Lake, abt 1938
Raising the flag at the camp, Drew's Lake Maine, abt 1938
1943-Putnam: Ervin and Robert Fishing in Main, around 1943
Scenic Photo of Iceland from one of Robert Putnam's Trips