Notes for Samuel Putnam

Notes for Samuel Putnam

!NOTE:
Judge Samuel Putnam was the only one of the ten children of Gideon who lived to attain maturity. His delicate youth gave no promise of the long and useful life to come. As a boy he attended school at Beverly, Massachusetts, and later at Andover. Thence to Harvard being in the same class as John Quincy Adams, and from which institution he graduated in 1787. In 1794 he was admitted to the Essex Bar, having studied law with Judge Parsons at Newburyport, Massachusetts, in preference to adopting the profession of teacher selected by his father. He soon established himself at Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts, and obtained a lucrative practise, at the same time giving more or less attention to politics. In this later field he was successful, representing Salem in the General Court in 1812, and the county as senator in 1808, 1809, 1813, 1814. During his last term as senator Chief Justice Sewall died, and Governor Strong appointed Mr. Putnam to the vacant seat on the bench of the Supreme Court. In 1825 he received the degree of Doctor of Laws from the University of Cambridge, England. For twenty-eight years he remained on the bench, during which time no one could justly complain of his decisions which have been praised by the most learned judges of our own time.
He took great pride in his place at Danvers, and great interest in all that pertained to the history of the family. In his youth he saw the soldiers under Arnold march by on their way to Quebec, and had seen a British regiment parade under the command of General Gage, and the events in the life of Israel Putnam and others of the family were familiar gossip to his cars. In July, 1834, he wrote the following letter to Colonel Perley Putnam, of such general interest, that it is inserted here:
"The Register of Deeds shows that the family became proprietors of considerable tracts of land. The homestead of my farm I believe has always been owned by some of the descendants from the common ancestor. They have generally been plain common-sense, industrious men. They have not been very rich, but in comfortable circumstances.
I have known very many of this numerous family (probably as numerous as descended from any of the first settlers of Salem) and have traditionary accounts from many others. Of a few only I will speak. For I have not time to speak of many who are as deserving as those are of whom I shall make mention.
James Putnam of Worcester, was a distinguished Counselor at law, and the patron of John Adams, the late President of the United States. He adhered to the parent country, and removed to New Brunswick where he held a judicial office, with great reputation under the crown. His descendants have been very respectable, have merited and received the rewards due to their continued allegiance and fidelity. One of them returned to England and was particularly favored by Prince Edward now deceased.
We can now look to the period of the Revolution without the bitter feelings which then agitated the country. And it is clear (to my mind at least) that many of those who adhered to the old government were as true men as many of those were who shook off their allegiance.
For example, I think that James Putnam, Daniel Leonard and Jonathan Sewall loved their country as well as John Adams, John Hancock and Samuel Adams. Ebenezer Putnam, of Salem, the grandfather of the postmaster, was very distinguished in the medical department. If I am not mistaken he was the brother of James Putnam of Worcester. I remember his appearance and his civility to me when I was a boy. His person moved alertly. I have heard Aunt Clark say that his house was broken open in the night; that he went down alone in the darkness, seized and detained the burglar, who was a much larger man than himself. If he had been a soldier he would have been as fearless as he was skillful as a physician. Ebenezer Putnam, the father of the postmaster, was a gentleman of most excellent spirit as well as of great truth and honor. I knew him very well. In any case of morals it would have been safe to follow the dictates of his mind.
I remember your grandfather, Dr. Amos Putnam, of Danvers. He was in great practice as a physician and surgeon, and of a most courteous and gentlemanly deportment. He was the physician in my father's family. It used to be said that he acquired his skill in surgery in the war of 1756. Some of the family have distinguished themselves in war; General Israel Putnam, is known to the world certainly as a soldier of great bravery. I was once at his house in Brooklyn where he treated me with great hospitality. He showed me the place where he followed a wolf into a cave and shot it; and he gave me a great many anecdotes of the war in which he had been engaged, before the revolution, tracing the remarkable events upon a map. He was once taken by the Indians and tied to a tree to be put to death according to their fashion. They threw their tomahawk into the tree by the side of his head, and after amusing themselves in that way, for some time, they lighted up the fire and danced and yelled around him. When they were thus engaged, one of the tribe, a chief who had been once a prisoner of Putnam and treated kindly by him, arrived at the spot and recognized his friend in their intended victim, immediately released him from impending slaughter. General Putnam said that their gestures in the dance were so inexpressively ridiculous that he could not forbear laughing. I expressed some surprise that he could laugh under such circumstances, to which he mildly replied, that his composure had no merit - that it was constitutional, and then said that he had never felt any bodily fear.
I can as easily credit that assertion as the one which Governor Morris made of himself, viz: "that he never felt embarrassed by the presence of any person whomsoever in his life." And I am inclined to think that both of them spoke the truth, concerning their own sensations. In 1786 he rode on horseback from Brooklyn to Danvers and made his last visit to his friends there. On his home he stopped at the colleges at Cambridge where the government of the college paid him much attention. It was in junior year. He came to my room; his speech was then much affected with palsy.
I knew his son Daniel Putnam. He has visited me in Salem. His letter to General Dearborn, repelling the charge or insinuation of cowardice at Bunker Hill, was in matter and manner precisely what became him. I have several letters from him, which show that his mind was much cultivated. His manners were frank and gentlemanly.
I have had an opportunity in the examination of applicants for pensions to obtain affidavits of some who were engaged in the battle of Bunker Hill, proving that General Putnam was there encouraging the men and exposing himself with his accustomed fearlessness, in the fight at the Rail fence. Prescott was in the redoubt, at some distance higher up the hill, fighting like a lion. If the ammunition had not failed he would have maintained the ground which he so long and so gloriously defended. Col. Sweet has given a very interesting account of that battle.
Gen. Rufus Putnam of Marietta, served with great reputation in the Revolutionary war. He united great discretion to great bravery. I have often heard Governor Strong speak of him with very great respect, and he knew him intimately and was as good a judge of men as I have ever known. He was the father of the State of Ohio. He descendants there are said to be very numerous. I have often heard my father speak of one of the Putnams who was called "Lieutenant David" as one of the lion-hearted men of his time. I believe he belonged to a troop of horse, which was commanded by Captain Gardner, but of that I am not certain. I have seen some Indian trophies in the possession of Samuel P. Gardner of Boston which had been taken by his ancestor, Captain Gardner. Most of the family had been farmers, and among them I think William Putnam, of Sterling, was the most distinguished. The late General Bowdoin gave the charge of Elizabeth Islands to him.
Some of the family have been successful in commerce; of those I think the late Oliver Putnam, of Newburyport, was the most eminent for talents. He cultivated letters for the love of them. He was self taught, and, as is often the case with such men, he was well taught, in all that he attempted. He left a considerable sum in trust for a high school in Newburyport, and was there greatly esteemed.
I have often heard my father say that some of the family moved to Charleston, S.C., and were merchants. But of their fate I knew nothing. I think it was Benjamin who went to Carolina.
Some of the family are now distinguished scholars in Divinity. The Rev. Israel W. Putnam is nearly or quite at the head of the orthodox clergy in New Hampshire; the Rev. George Putnam, of Roxbury, is one of our most eminent Unitarian clergymen in this state. I have lately had occasion officially to be informed that the Rev. Rufus A. Putnam of Fitchburg is one of four clergymen who by a testator were named as trustees to dispose of a large estate for such religious objects as they should think proper. I do not know that gentleman, but the fact to which I allude shows that he is deemed both honest and discreet.
Some of the family have been good shipmasters. I recollect many, but will speak only of one. I recollect that Mr. Vidaurne, the chief justice of the court of Pennsylvania, called to see me, and when about to go away he desired me to direct him to the house of Capt. Hiram Putnam, who brought Mr. V. to this country from Peru. He was put aboard Captain Putnam's ship by the Peruvian government, against the will of Mr. V., and Mr. V. said "I never should forgive myself if I were to go from the country without taking leave of Captain Putnam, and thanking him for his great kindness to me while I was on board his ship."
Those of the family who have been mechanics, have been generally intelligent and laborious men. My father was a carpenter and a farmer. His share of his father's estate was only thirteen acres of land. By his industry and perseverance assisted by my mother, whose untiring assiduity was without bound, he was enabled to acquire and leave to me the farm which his ancestors had possessed from the first settlement of the country. He did that besides educating two sons in college and making a comfortable provision for his family at home, which from sickness and other causes was very chargeable.
A great many examples of such industry will occur to your recollection. But I know there have been some of the family who have not conducted themselves well. The instances however have been rare considering the great number of descendants from John Putnam. Generally the descendants of John Putnam have been distinguished more for industry, perseverance, honesty and firmness than for genius or brilliancy. I could illustrate this remark by a great many examples, but I have not time to do it. After all it is of no consequence that we record that Abraham begat Isaac, and Isaac begat Jacob, and so on, unless we imitate as far as we may the virtues of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
I hope not to have tired your patience. But you may retaliate, by a copy of your genealogical tree, when you shall have completed it."

!Putnam Investments traces its heritage to the nineteenth century and the days when the clipper ship captains hired trustees to manage their money while they were away at sea. In a landmark 1830 court decision involving one such trustee, Judge Samuel Putnam of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court established legal foundation for professional investment management. Those with responsibility to invest money for others, Judge Putnam said, should act with prudence, discretion, intelligence and regard for the safety of capital as well as for income. Through the years, his words have guided generations of fiduciaries, including the Judge's great-great grandson, who founded Putnam Investments in 1937.