Amos Putnam(1794-1849)(P8)

Born: October 6th, 1794 in New Salem, MA

Father: Aaron Putnam(1773-1849)(P16)

Mother: Isabella Patrick(1773-1867)(P17)

Married: Christiana Jane Wormwood(1804-1894)(P9) on November 1st, 1818 in Houlton, ME

Children:

• Levi Houlton Putnam(1820-1890)(P4)

• Lydia Trask Putnam(1822-1904)

• Alonzo Granzelo Putnam(1824-1909)

• Julia Caroline Putnam(1825-1886)

• Sally Pearce Putnam(1828-1885)

• Alverez Gonsalvo Putnam(1829-1914)

• Agustus Amos Putnam(1831-1858)

• Lyman Orlando Putnam(1834-1872)

• Abraham Putnam(1836-1836)

• Polly Cook Putnam(1836-1920)

• Isa Angeline Putnam(1838-1916)

• Varney Wheeler Putnam(1839-1930)

• Henry Harrison Putnam(1842-1921)

• Charles Championette Putnam(1843-1863)

• Maria Burleigh Putnam(1845-1922)

• Samuel Wormwood Putnam(1847-1929)

• Frank Lewis Putnam(1850-1889)

Died: December 29th, 1849 in Houlton, ME

Amos Putnam was born on October 6th, 1794 in New Salem, MA to Aaron Putnam and Isabella Patrick.  He was the first of four sons.  He moved with the family to Woodstock, NB and then what would become Houlton, ME in 1809.

He married Christiana Jane Wormwood on November 1st, 1818 in Houlton, ME.  See was the daughter of Samuel Wormwood and Sally Patterson.  I dont have much information right now on his life in Houlton.  Given what we know, it was likely he was a farmer.  Here is the information I have on his children's births:

• Levi Houlton Putnam born in 1820 in Houlton, ME

• Lydia Trask Putnam born on June 16th, 1822 in Houlton, ME

• Alonzo Granzelo Putnam born on March 15th, 1824 in Houlton, ME

• Julia Caroline Putnam born on October 11th, 1825 in Houlton, ME

• Sally Pearce Putnam born on January 5th, 1828 in Houlton, ME

• Alvarez Gonzalvo Putnam born on October 23rd, 1829 in Houlton, ME

• Augustus Amos Putnam born on November 2nd, 1831 in Houlton, ME

• Lymon Orlando Putnam born on April 20th, 1834 in Houlton, ME

• Twins, Abraham and Polly Cook Putnam born on February 29th, 1836 in Houlton, ME.  Abraham died soon after birth.

• Isa Angeline Putnam born on March 3rd, 1838 in Houlton, ME

• Varney Wheeler Putnam born on October 10th, 1839 in Houlton, ME

• Henry Harrison Putnam born on February 10th, 1842 in Houlton, ME

• Charles Championette Putnam born on November 24th, 1843 in Houlton, ME

• Maria Burleigh Putnam born on September 8th, 1845 in Houlton, ME

• Samuel Wormwood Putnam born on July 12th, 1847 in Houlton, ME

Amos died on December 29th, 1849 in Houlton, Me.  It must of been a sudden illness as he had another child, Frank Lewis Putnam born on September 18th, 1850.  That was about 8 1/2 months after Amos's death.  In his will, he made sure his wife and underage children were taken care of but did not seem to know his wife was pregnant.  I still need to transcribe his probate records.  He is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Houlton, ME. 

Contributions and Activities in Houlton

    ◦ Amos Putnam was one of the men involved in the "Instructive Companies," a society organized in 1821 for moral and literary improvement. Other members included Samuel Kendall, Jr., Romaine L. Putnam, Joshua G. Kendall, Edwin Townsend, Edmund Coan, Stern Putnam, Jacob Harward, and Joseph Kendall [13, 14].

    ◦ In 1820, he bought the North half of Lot 34 from Dr. Rufus Cowles, which later became known as the Pearce homestead [15].

    ◦ Around 1827, he went down the road with a two-horse sled loaded with oats, indicating that the road was passable to the Baskahegan at that time [16].

    ◦ During the Garrison years, he was known for his skill with an ox team and took on the task of hauling stores from the Landing for the military supplies [17].

    ◦ In 1849, he drove one of the eight-horse teams for Cary & Co., hauling timber from July until the driving time of the next spring. His camp had 120 men and 32 horses [18].

    ◦ Aaron Putnam deeded a triangular piece of ground between Water street, the Square, and the stream to his son Amos in payment for supplies furnished to him and his family during the "cold years" [19, 20].

• Specific Incidents

    ◦ An incident related to rafting in November mentions Amos Putnam taking a young dark brown mare on a raft of shingles to haul them by the falls. The mare disappeared and was later found in February, alive but reduced to a skeleton, after months of exposure [21-26].

    ◦ He was among those who traveled to New Salem, their native place, with Moses White, Jacob Haskell, and Joseph Kendall in October 1824 [27].

• Other Mentions of "Amos Putnam" for Differentiation

    ◦ The sources mention Amos Putnam (Sr.), the husband of Lydia Trask, who died before 1800 [28].

    ◦ Their oldest son, also named Amos, died in the Revolutionary War [3, 28].

    ◦ Amos Pearce (son of Varney Pearce) also came to Houlton and was killed by a fall from his house [29]. This is a distinct individual, though the surname is similar.

In summary, Amos Putnam, son of Aaron Putnam, played a significant role in the early development of Houlton, particularly through his involvement in the community's social and economic life, including farming, lumbering, and transportation, and as a recipient of land from his family.

His Will

In the name of God, Amen.  I, Amos Putnam of Houlton in the county of Aroostook and State of Maine, being of sound and discerning mind and memory, and being desirous to make a different distribution of my property from what the law would make, and that while I have strength and capacity so to do, do hereby make and publish this my last will and testament as follows. Namely, First of all I commit my soul into the hands of my creator who gave it, and my body to the Earth from which it came. 

Secondly, I will that all my just debts should be paid as soon as may be conveniently done.

 Thirdly, I will and bequeath all my property both real and personal together with the exclusion of the widows dower, to my sons, Alvarez G and Amos A upon condition that they shall bring up, educate, and with the assistance of their reasonable labor my other minor children, namely Lyman, Poly C, Isa A, Varney W, H. H., Charles C, Maria and Samuel until they shall have become of such an age and possess sufficient physical ability, as fully to enable them to possess their own ________. The education of said children to be a decent English education, and such as is suited to their condition in life. And in the meantime previous to said Alvarez G and Amos A becoming of lawful age of twenty one years old, it is my will that my executor, hereafter appointed should have and take the general supervision of my said estate, and see that the use thereof be appropriate to the purpose of bringing up and educating the said minor children as above mentioned.  And if when said Alvarez G and Amos A shall have both become of age and shall both decide to forfeit my said estate in the terms herein specified then and in that case I will and bequeath all my estate personal and real to the other eight minor children above named to be equally shared between them, but if either of said first named designees shall elect to accept said estate on said terms then it is my will that he shall take the same and address the duties of educating, bringing up, and safeguarding said minor children in the same manner as the two might have done.

 Fourthly, My other beloved children, Levi H, Lydia T, Alonzo G, Julia C, and Sally P having in my opinion received in maintenance and education a fair and __ appropriate share of my property or nearly so I have therefore decided it proper to make the dispensation of my personal estate which is above written.

 Fifthly, I do hereby appoint Abraham Pearce and Lysander Putnam both of Houlton ______ to be my executors of this my last will and testament.

 Amos Putnam

Signed Sealed Published and declared by the said Amos Putnam as his last will and testament in the presence of us, who in his presence and at his request shall hereby set our names in presence of and other in witness this twenty ninth day of December one thousand and eight hundred and forty nine.

Moses White

Jay S Putnam

David L Allagash

Some things of note,  he signed the will with an X.  Given his wish that his children receive a decent English education, I believe he knew how to write.  Therefore, my suspension is that he was to weak to sign it. 

The Amos A. mentioned here is Augustus Amos born in 1831 for my records.  Also, Frank Putnam isn't mention here because he wasn't born yet.  I am wondering if Amos not leaving anything to his adult children was common practice, or did he do it to make sure the younger ones where taken care of. 

Branch

• Generation 4(3rd Great Grandparents): Amos Putnam and Christiana Jane Wormwood

  • Generation 3(2nd Great Grandparents): Levi Houlton Putnam and Sara Bradbury

    • Generation 2(Great Grandparents): Amos Putnam and Cora Margaret Carpenter

      • Generation 1(Grandparents): Ervin Earl Putnam and Mary Gertrude Connelly

        • Generation 0: Robert Ervin Putnam and (Florence) Caroline Wright