BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN FRIENDS OF PUTTENHAM

VOLUME XVII, NUMBER 1

FEBRUARY, 1999

PUTNAMS IN THE NEWS

On Dec. 31 Nancy Putnam Hollister, Lt. Governor of the state of Ohio, was sworn in as governor in Columbus in a ceremony attended by about 100 people from her hometown Marietta, former governor George Voinovich, the entire cabinet and many state legislators. Gov. Voinovich has resigned to begin his term in the U.S. Senate while Nancy will take over new duties as a state representative following eleven days as governor, the first woman to have held the position. Although she promised not to introduce any new legislation during her term she had no chance to rest since immediately after she took office Ohio was hit by some of the worst weather in recent years including heavy snowfall. She also had a chance to sign into law a bill she had worked hard to craft that protects farmland from unrestricted development. 

Congratulations to Andrew C. Putnam and Sheri Gaynor who were married in Glenwood Springs, Co., on Jan. 28, 1997. Andrew is the son of members H. Chase and Mary Putnam of Warren, Pa. 

Betty Jo Putnam Carpenter of Rutherford, N.C., has been selected by Converse College of Spartanburg, S.C. as recipient of its alumnae Career Achievement Award for 1999. Betty Jo graduated from Converse in 1949 with an A.B. degree in Voice and Music Education .. The Converse School of Music is nationally recognized and has been called "the Julliard of the South." 

THE GIDEON PUTNAM HOTEL

Over the years I have received numerous questions about the origin of this famous hotel in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Member Janet Kral of Syracuse, NY, has now provided the answer in the form of an article (source unknown) entitled "The Story of Saratoga and Gideon Putnam" as well as a book "Durkee's Reminiscences of Saratoga" compiled by Cornelius E. Durkee. The area is famous for Burgoyne's defeat in the Revolutionary War battle as well as for its mineral springs. The springs were well known to the Iroquois who had used them for many centuries before Sir William Johnson found them to be useful in restoring his strength in 1767. However, development had to wait for the arrival of Gideon Putnam 22 years later. 

Twenty-five year old Gideon and his bride, Doanda, came from Sutton, Ma., settled beside High Rock Spring, and soon became the owners of a sawmill, shipping staves and shingles down the Hudson River to New York City. Eventually, however, his thoughts turned to the springs and he purchased an acre of land beside Congress Spring where he built a guest house, naming it "PUTNAM'S TAVERN & BOARDING HOUSE" for the accommodation of 70 guests. By 1805 his mounting fortune enabled him to add an additional 130 acres to the site and he began to develop a proper village, setting aside land for the village to use as sites for a church, school and graveyard. Gideon's boarding house grew till it became nearly twice its original size. Another hotel was built and named the "Columbian". Looking to the future when even these accommodations would prove inadequate, Gideon determined to build a hotel grandly suited to the village's growing popularity as a spa. He would call it Congress Hall, in tribute to the growing fame of Congress Spring. 

In 1811, working along with his carpenters he was severely injured in a fall from a scaffold. Impatient to continue, he went back to work before he was fully recovered, fell ill, and died on Dec. 1, 1812, at the age of 48. Doanda and her five sons and four daughters continued his work to completion of the grand hotel. The Putnam family remained attached to the original boarding house, eventually renaming it "Union Hall". By 1909 the springs had so deteriorated from misuse and uncontrolled bottling that the state purchased two square miles of spring-bearing land adjacent to the city and for 'eight years let the springs rest. Then during the depression the State, to provide jobs, developed as a public facility a Reservation known locally as "The Spa" and "Spa Park." 

Gideon (Stephen, Elisha, Edward, Thomas, John) is described in more detail in Eben Putnam's "History of the Putnam Family in England and America" , #549, p. 280. He and Doanda (Risley) first moved from Sutton to Middlebury, Vt., and then to Rutland, Vt., and Saratoga Springs. 

Members who might be interested in staying at the beautiful "Gideon Putnam Hotel" can get further information from Janet Kral. Janet also sent me information about and photos of the hotel. 

A CHOCOLATE MEMORIAL

For many years Putnams traveling north of Boston on Rt. 1 at Danvers will have noticed the large sign advertising "Putnam Pantry Candies". Those who stopped would have learned that the store was built on land owned by the Putnam family since 1640 or so and is located adjacent to the "Putnam House", a home that had been owned by the Putnam family since it was built about 300 years earlier and that had been the birthplace of General Israel Putnam. So the name "Putnam Pantry Candies" can be viewed as a memorial to the General. Much more recently a young man named Shane Danford opened a chocolate candy manufacture and sale location on Putnam St. in Marietta, Ohio, and named its high quality products "Putnam Street Chocolates". Since this Putnam Street had been named to honor the same General in a town whose original settlers included several of his sons the chocolates also can be viewed as a memorial. Shane now has moved around the corner onto Front St. and has renamed his product "Putnam Chocolate" ... a divine, yet decadent experience. General Putnam can be characterized as the first folk hero of the American Republic. As a lover of chocolate I think no better memorial could be found for his life.

LUCK - THE KEY TO RESEARCH

My ancestor, Aaron Putnam, left New Salem, Mass., in 1805 to be one of the first settlers of Houlton, Me. For many years I have tried to locate his property in New Salem with no success. Now as the result of an incredible accident I think I know where it was. My son, David, in Presque Isle, Me., was given a copy of a history of Houlton published in 1958 by my grandmother, Cora Putnam. In it was a very old, yellowed piece of paper recording Aaron's sale of his "New Salem" land on April 3, 1805, to Constant Ruggles for $4400.00. The land consisted of 80 acres in New Salem, 20 acres in New Salem, 100 acres in Shutesbury and Wendell and 10 acres in Shutesbury. Since these three towns come together at a point it is likely that the land was quite close to this junction point. To complicate matters the record of the deed is in Greenfield, Ma., not New Salem or Shutesbury. 

Another example of this sort of thing was precipitated by receipt of an article from Bradford Bond, a friend in Marietta. This item, found in his grand-father's effects, is called a "Historical Address" presented by Louis I. Holway of New Port Richey, Florida, at the dedication of the new library building of the Charles B. Danforth Public Library of Barnard, Vermont in the Universalist Church at Barnard, July 14, 1927. In it are references to Jennie Gifford Putnam and Jessie Putnam Wheelock. When I searched my computer file under their names nothing turned up till I searched under Barnard, Vt. There I found that this was the birthplace of Harold Putnam, author of "The Putnams of Salem Village." In the genealogical section of his book I found that Jessie Putnam was the sister of Harold's grandfather, Willard Cushing Putnam. It's a small world! 

ANOTHER MAINE STORY 

Thanks to David Putnam again for the following story from the Bangor (Maine)Daily News: Fred L. Putnam of Houlton won't be returning his Selective Service registration card, despite the fact that not doing so is a violation of federal law (5 years in jail or $250,000). The card in fact should have been sent to his grandfather who would have been 118 rather than 18 on the date requiring his registration. The Post Office delivered the notice to the nearest Fred L. Putnam they could find even though he lived seven miles away in New Limerick. Fred thinks the  problem is an early example of the Y2K fiasco, the Selective Service blames the error on the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles an Motor Vehicle people blame it on Fred who didn't send them a copy of his death certificate. 

THE BOOK CORNER

David Puttnam of "Chariots of Fire" and "The Killing Fields" fame has turned his attention from directing world-class films and presidenting Columbia Pictures to authoring a book entitled "Movies and Money" (Alfred A. Knopf, 339 pp., $27.50). In the words of Elissa Adams in a review in the Dec. 17 issue of "The Christian Science Monitor", "the stars of Puttnam's cinema saga are not Chaplin or Spielberg, Goldwyn, Wasserman, Valenti, and Rank (but rather) the bankers, producers, distributors, agents, and political lobbyists behind the scenes". She adds "Puttnam's writing is clear and practical.. .. at the very least, when the next Schwarzenegger movie grosses millions overseas, you'll understand why."

Every person likes to see his name in print especially when it appears in an unlikely manner. This happened to me last year when I came upon a 1997 book entitled "Arctic Cairn Notes - Canoests' reflections on the Hanbury-Thelon and Kazan Rivers". On page 132 was a copy of a note left on Aug. 14, 1977 by a small party of canoeists of which I was a member. The cairn in which it had been left is located at Kazan Falls just south of Baker Lake in Canada's Northwest Territories and the note contains the names and homes of the six members of the party. This river was first visited by white men in 1894. It was first canoed for recreation in 1964 and even today is one of the least known rivers in arctic Canada. In 1977 only three parties traveled it and in the 320 miles of our trip (21 days) we met three white surveyors and one eskimo family.

 MISSING PERSONS

Greg Grant Putnam is searching for information about his great-grandfather, Ulysses Grant Putnam, born April 12, 1864, Dallas Cty., IA, married Nackey Earley, died Nov. 21, 1925. 

My wife, Caroline, is searching for information about the parents of Joseph Sanders (Saunders?, Sanderson?), b. 17 Aug 1764, d. Dec. 1829, bur. New Ipswich, N.H., and Charlotte Dawes, b. Boston, 18 mar 1786, d. Northampton, MA, 18 May 1846. 

NEW MEMBERS

New members welcomed to the American Friends of Puttenham since those listed in the previous issue of the Bulletin are: 

Nancy Hallberg

Port Matilda, Pa.

George Waldo Emerson

Newport, R.I. 

Judith L. Parker

Milford, N.H.

Barbara B. Turner

Pacific Grove, Ca.

Judy M. Dwyer

Longwood, Fl.

Rand M. Putnam

La Habra, Ca.

Allan Ray Putnam

Orleans, Ma.

Charles H. Browning

Palo Alto, Ca.

Arline L. Larson

Fort Lauderdale, Fl.

Robert E. Long

Tulsa, OK

Editor Robert E. Putnam

Link to Scanned Copy of the Bulletin