THE EARLY PUTNAM LINEAGE (PDF)

The following section gives a very rough outline of the early English ancestral line of Puttenham. This line descends from the keepers or tenants of the estate of Puttenham in the 900s. Prior to about 1400 there were no last names unless you were of royal bloodlines. People simply had given names attached to where they were from.

As surnames came into existence, these people took the name Puttenham and as time went on, the name was spelled as pronounced, Putnam. The name is still found in England today, and where it is found it is now spelled Putman as well as Putnam. The Puttenham variation is now extremely rare.

Please keep in mind that early records, if found at all, are tenuous at best. Certain lines are accepted by genealogists, but may or may not be exact. Early ancestors are listed as they are the only known folks holding titles to certain lands, but we must assume that they were not the only folks living on the lands. Just like many American blacks took the surnames of their masters, many tenants were associated with the names of their lords. A great many relationships prior to about 1300 are circumspect.

For what it is worth, the following section on the early Putnam history is included in this genealogical history. This is an important part of my Putman history and to all others descending from the two English immigrants, John Putnam and Thomas Putnam. Accepted or not, do not hang your hat on much before about the middle 1300s or so.

THE PUTTENHAM FAMILY

The following information on the Puttenham and Putnam/Putman early history is taken primarily from the works and research of Eben Putnam of Boston, Norman Graham of Kent, England, Vere Woodman, Read Putnam, Gloria Washburn and others. I have had current day assistance from Norman Graham in England, Read Putnam in Wyoming and Jack Puttenham of Hamilton, Ontario whose family still retains the early spelling of the name.

Like a great many old names, the name Putnam takes its origins from the town or area where the first people of that name lived. In the case of the Putnam family, the name came from Puttenham.

The name Puttenham comes from the Flemish PUTTE (PUTTEN plural) for well and HAM for hamlet or village. In other words the lands were a village by a well.

The current day parish of Puttenham lies some 40 miles north of London near the ancient town of Tring. The original lands lay in Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire to the north and west of London. Aston Abbots, where John Putnam came from, is north of London and Chesham, where Thomas Putnam came from, is somewhat northwest of London.

As far back into the Middle Ages as we can trace, the lands were held by Edwin of Caddington and his son Leofwin. It later came to Earl Lewin or Leuium, the brother of King Harold. After the Norman conquest in 1066, the lands were granted to Odo, the bishop of Bayeux. Odo was a half brother of William the Conqueror and the lands were held by a tenant, Roger.

In 1085-1086, William took a census of all lands to determine ownership and taxability. This huge undertaking resulted in the Doomsday Book of 1088. The description of the lands in this book read:

The manor (of Puttenham) answers for four hides, Roger holds it for the Bishop. There is land to four ploughs. There is one in the demesne and another may be made. Four villanes with two borders there have two ploughs. There are four cottages and two bondmen, and two mills of ten shillings and eight pence. Meadow for four ploughs, and four shillings. Pasture for the cattle. It is worth sixty shillings, when the Bishop received it forty shillings. In King Edward's time four pounds.

Puttenham was later given to the Earls of Leicester in the 1200s and to the Honor of Wallingford under King Edward I in the 1300s. In the 1300s, the lands were held by the Wale-Fitz Wale family. By the 1400s, the holders of Puttenham were granted their own Coat of Arms and were knights in their own rights. The Puttenham Manor remained in possession of the Puttenham family through the middle of the sixteenth century.

The manor was sold in 1690 by Thomas Saunders, a descendant in the female line. It was subsequently sold to Francis Duncombe, whose descendants sold it in 1800 to John William Edgerton, 7th Earl of Bridgewater. From him it passed to Earl Brownlow who conveyed the estate to Baron Lional Nathan de Rothschild in exchange for lands in the Parish of Northaw.

Eben Putnam in his several works indicated that the Chesham branch split out from Henry Puttnam in the middle 1500s. Norman Graham and later researchers have shown it to be a separate branch established there prior to 1400. In the following lineage descent, I will show the common lines, and then show the two separate descents leading to both Thomas Putnam of Virginia and John Putnam of Massachusetts.

The following is an attempt to show the main lines of male descent of the Puttenham-Putnam family from as far back as records exist up through the middle 1600s, at which time our ancestors first came to America.

ANACHITIL

Anachitil was born in Normandy and in 1066 was a companion of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings.

ROGER

Roger was the son of Anachitil, a tenant recorded as holder of the lands of Puttenham in 1088. He was an overlord and holder of the lands for Odo the Bishop of Bayeaux.

GEOFREY de TOURVILLE

Geofrey was the holder of the lands after the death of the Bishop Odo in 1099.

WILLIAM de PUTTENHAM

William was mentioned in the 1154 to 1184 period. His daughter, Matilda married Richard Fitz-Wale of Puttenham.

JOHN & RICHARD FITZ-WALE

John and his brother Richard, held the lands during the 1200s with various knights.

SIMON de PUTTENHAM

Simon and his son Roger, were knights mentioned on the rolls at Herts in 1199.

RALPH de PUTTENHAM

Ralph de Puttenham, held the manor in Knight's fee of the Honor of Leicester in 1210-1212.

RALPH de PUTTENHAM II

Another Ralph, probably a son, held the manor 1250-1270.

JOHN de PUTTENHAM

John de Puttenham was named on the patent rolls of 1252 and 1281. His wife was named Agnes.

JOHN de PUTTENHAM

John de Puttenham, son of John de `Pottenham' held the manor and is styled as Lord of Puttenham in a deed dated 1288. His wife, Alice, is listed as Lady of Puttenham in 1303. He is also referred to as John Filius Wale.

John and Alice had at least four sons: Roger, John, James and William. The eldest son Roger, seems to be the direct line and he is listed later. John was a priest in 1346 in London. James was a bailiff of Southwark in 1323. He apparently was killed by a man named Robert de Middleton, who was pardoned for the offense in 1327. William was also mentioned as living in Southwark with his brother James.

THOMAS de PUTTENHAM

Thomas was named as Knight Templer to King Edward I, 1272 to 1307. He was more than likely the brother of John de Puttenham mentioned above.

ROGER de PUTTENHAM

Roger was the eldest son of John and Alice. He was granted the manor in 1304/5 from Sir Thomas Wale to be held in knight's fee. He was the High Sheriff of Hertfordshire, a very important position, in 1322. Roger was the first to acquire lands in Penn, Bucks in 1315. He died sometime around 1330.

Their children were Roger, Thomas, John and William. William and John lived in London.

Upon Roger's death, his wife, Alina, married Thomas de Hay and they jointly ruled the manor from 1340 for her lifetime.

ROGER de PUTTENHAM II

Roger was Roger and Alina's son and was born about 1320 and died before 1380. He served as Knight of the Shire for Bucks from 1355 to 1374. The Arms of the Puttenham Family were first used by him.

His wife, Margaret or Margery, then remarried to Thomas de Berkley. She held the manor until Roger's son, Robert, was of age.

The sons of Roger and Margaret were Roger, Robert, William, Richard and Thomas. Roger was a priest and in 1400 was appointed to the Church in Danbury, Essex. Robert was married to Margaret de Warbleton. The direct line is covered next through William. William was in Hertford in the 1370s and 1380s. Richard was in Eddlesborough, Bucks. Thomas was the Vicar of Bisham, Berks.

After about this period, there were several separate Puttenham lines that led to several different families. Sir Roger de Puttenham II, by most re- searcher's opinion, was the last common ancestor of John Putnam of Massachusetts and Thomas Putnam of Virginia. The following sections trace these two branches separately.

As the Puttenham families grew and new lands were acquired, several distinct branches began to form in the late 1300s. The main branches were located in Puttenham (Hertfordshire County), Penn (Buckinghamshire County), Edlesborough (Buckinghamshire) and the Chesham, Hawridge and Cholesbury branch (Buckinghamshire.)

The New England line that descended from John Putnam came from Penn and the Virginia line that descended from Thomas Putnam came from Chesham, Hawridge and Cholesbury.

There were many other branches and more detail can be gleaned from the writings of Eben Putnam, Vere Woodman, G. Andrews Moriarty and Norman Graham in their various studies.

THE PUTNAMS OF CHOLESBURY

The Branch of Thomas Putnam of Virginia

This branch of the family moved into County Buckinghamshire in the 1300s and remained there for several hundred years. They settled in the towns or parishes of Hawridge, Chesham and Cholesbury. It was here that the Thomas Putnam who immigrated to America was born and married.

WILLIAM PUTTENHAM

William Puttenham held the combined lands of Penn, Puttenham, Warbleton, etc. William is more than likely the son of Roger Puttenham. William's wife was named Idonea. William Puttenham was mentioned in 1367 and 1371 and wife Indonea was mentioned as late as 1401. William's son William was mentioned as not tithing in 1367, so was an adult by then. This should place William, the father, as being born about 1325 or so. This would place him as a brother of the younger Roger.

WILLIAM PUTTENHAM II

William junior was born probably around 1350. He followed his grand father's profession in the law. He was listed as the constable of Chesham in 1376, 1382, 1385 and 1400. His wife was named Edith (possibly Smyth). She died in 1423. They had at least two sons. John Puttenham, wife Agnes, died about 1423 and Thomas Puttenham, our ancestor.

THOMAS PUTTENHAM

Thomas Puttenham was the Constable of Chesham in 1422 and died shortly thereafter. His wife was Sara or Sarra. Thomas was born in Chesham Parish in 1380 and died in 1423. Sara died later. They had at least one child, Thomas.

THOMAS PUTTENHAM II

Thomas was born in about 1410 in Chesham and died there in 1474. Thomas Puttenham was listed as a tanner in the 1445 to 1455 time period. His death was presented in 1474. Mention was made of a daughter, Joan, who married John Southend. The next generation was from a son, John Puttenham.

JOHN PUTTENHAM

John Puttenham of Hawridge was born about 1450 and may have been a grandson of the above Thomas. Not much is known about him except he had two sons; John and William. William is our line, and his life is covered next.

WILLIAM PUTNAM

William Putnam of Cholesbury, Bucks was either the eldest son of John Putnam or more than likely the younger brother of John. The brother relationship is endorsed by both G. Andrew Moriarty and Norman H. Graham. His will was made April 14, 1575 and proved on August 5, 1579. His eldest living son, Thomas Putnam, was executor and inherited the home and lands in Cholesbury. Another son, Henry, received lands in Wilstone. His wife was named Jayne, but her last name is not recorded.

His children were:

JOHN PUTNAM

ROBERT PUTNAM

HENRY PUTNAM This is our line and covered in the next section.

ANNES PUTNAM married to Thomas Cocke.

ELLEN PUTNAM who first married William Gregory and then married Robert Duncombe.

AMYE PUTNAM married to John Harding.

JANE PUTNAM married to Richard Birch.

JANE PUTNAM (another one) married to Richard Feyld.

THOMAS PUTNAM who had two sons Mark and Mathew (Will 1598).

The children mentioned in the will were: Thomas of Cholesbury, John of Tring, Henry of Cholesbury, and daughters Annis Cocke, Amye Harding, Ellen Duncombe, Jane Byrche and Jane Feyld. It is the son, Henry of Cholesbury, who is our ancestor.

HENRY PUTNAM

Henry Putnam of Cholesbury was probably born in the 1550s in Cholesbury in Bucks, and was the youngest son of William Putnam. He married Agnes Duncombe of Tring on November 26, 1570.

They had the following children:

WILLIAM PUTNAM of Cholesbury. This is our line.

ROBERT PUTNAM

HENRY PUTNAM of Hawridge.

JANE PUTNAM who married Richard Daucer on June 18, 1599.

ELLEN PUTNAM

AGNES PUTNAM

His will was made on April 1, 1589 and was proved on May 22, 1598. He made his wife Agnes and son William executors. He left his lands in Cholesbury to his eldest son, William. Robert was under twenty-one at the time and the youngest was Henry. Both received lands as well.

He left twenty pounds to his eldest daughter, Jane, on the condition that she 'does not marry Daumser.' Other bequests were also included.

Jane Putnam must have been willing to forego the twenty pounds, as on June 18, 1599 she married a Richard Daucer whom I assume was the Daumser that Henry didn't particularly like.

It was the eldest son, William Putnam, who was our predecessor.

WILLIAM PUTNAM

William Putnam of Hawridge and Cholesbury, yeoman, was the eldest son of Henry. He was born in 1579, as he was listed as being twenty years old in 1599, in Cholesbury.

On October 28, 1605, he married Jane Salter at Cholesbury. They had the following children:

HENRY PUTNAM of Chesham and Bellingdon. He married Mary Whitney in 1646. His will was proved in 1679. Their children were: William Putnam Henry Putnam Francis Putnam Joyce Putnam Mary Putnam Sarah Putnam Jane Putnam

FRANCES PUTNAM of Barkhampstead Herts. His will was recorded in 1673.

THOMAS PUTNAM baptized December 3, 1623, of Chesham who is our line. His life is told in my main history.

MARY PUTNAM

JANE PUTNAM baptized on September 20, 1618. She married John Wright.

JOYCE PUTNAM baptized July 5, 1621.

His will was dated May 11, 1647 and was proved by his relict Jane Putnam on July 4, 1648 in the Archdeaconry of Bucks. I have a copy of the Will. It mentions he is to be buried in the churchyard at Hawridge. He lists bequests to his sons Frances, Henry and Thomas and daughters Mary, Joyce and Jane and his brother Henry Putnam.

THOMAS PUTNAM

Thomas Putnam of Chesham, Bucks, his eldest son, was baptized in Cholesbury on December 3, 1623. He is the Thomas Putnam who went to Virginia in 1647 aboard the sailing ship Increase and who fathered the Putnams and Putmans of Virginia. His wife was named Dorothy. They had one young child, Thomas Putnam Junior.

He died in Virginia in the late 1640s. His will was written aboard ship on December 29, 1647.

It is with this Thomas Putnam that I began my Putman Family History.

THE PUTNAMS OF PENN

The Branch of John Putnam of Salem

The branch of the Puttenham family that led to John Putnam who came to Massachusetts was centered in Penn of County Buckinghamshire. It was here in Aston Abbots that this John was born. This is a genealogy leading up to the Putnams of New England.

The most recent common ancestor of both John Putnam of Massachusetts and Thomas Putnam of Virginia was Sir Roger de Puttenham. This section continues forward from that family up to the parents of John Putnam, Nicholas Putnam and Margaret Goodspeed. The descent forward from John Putman is contained in another section in this work.

ROBERT PUTTENHAM

Robert, when he came of age, inherited his father's estates. He held them from about 1414. Robert married Margaret de Warblington. This marriage added the Warblington estates to those of the Puttenhams. Robert died before 1444, as in that year the Warblington estate was passed to his son and heir, Henry Puttenham.

Roger and Margaret had two children:

JOHN PUTNAM who was a priest in Herts.

HENRY PUTNAM who carried the line forward.

HENRY PUTTENHAM

Henry Puttenham, the son of Robert de Puttenham and Margaret de Warblington, was born about 1408 and died July 6, 1473. He married Elizabeth Wylands, the widow of Geoffrey Goodluck. Her will was dated December 25, 1485 and proved October 9, 1486 and is on record in Somerset House, London. This was probably the second marriage for Henry.

They had the following children:

WILLIAM PUTTENHAM subject of the next section.

NICHOLAS PUTTENHAM of Penn, County Buckinghamshire, was born about 1445 to 1450. He married Margaret and possessed Putnam Place in Penn, Buckinghamshire, now a farmhouse which was probably first held by the family in 1315 and remained in Putnam hands until about 1600. He was living in Penn in 1480. In 1513 he was in Eddlesborough, in the County of Buckinghamshire. He had two sons, John of Penn the eldest and heir and Henry of Eddlesborough and Woughton.

WILLIAM PUTTENHAM

William Puttenham, the eldest son of Henry, was born in the late 1420s or early 1430s and died in 1492. William married Anne Hampton. Anne's family was related to the English and German Crowns on her father's side and to the French kings all the way back to Charlemagne on her mother's side.

They had three sons, George, Edmond and Nicholas.

Sir GEORGE PUTNAM was the eldest and son in heir. He was 1460 and made Knight of the Bath in 1501. He married first Alice Wyndesore and then Rose Gainsford. He died in Sherfield and his will was dated January 26, 1534/5. His heir was: Robert Putnam Other children were: Edward Putnam who had only one child, a daughter, Elizabeth who married John Saunders. Frideswide Putnam Elizabeth Putnam Alienore Putnam Brigade Putnam Agnes Putnam

The last five girls were all unmarried daughters and were mentioned in their father's will. They may have married later, I don't know.

At this point the `chain' becomes rather confusing. Read Putnam is the most current authority on the line and he questions the William Puttenham/Anne Hampton `link' in the chain. Read feels the descent was directly from SIR ROGER and MARGARET de PUTTENHAM to a son RICHARD PUTTENHAM of Edlesborough.

As Read has the benefit of all earlier studies plus new information I am taking his descent for the time being.

RICHARD PUTTENHAM

I know virtually nothing about Richard. This is what makes this line a little tenuous. Based on Read Putnam's work, Richard did have one son, John.

All I find on Richard is that he was convicted on slaying William Agas in self defense in 1387/8.

JOHN PUTTENHAM

John Puttenham of Edlesborough was born about 1450 to 1460. He is listed as a tenant at Edlesborough in 1477. He was named as `the late John Puttenham' in 1522 in Eddlesborough.

He had three sons:

JOHN PUTTENAM

NICHOLAS PUTTENAM

RICHARD PUTTENAM the one who carries on the line.

RICHARD PUTNAM

Richard was born about 1490. He was in Slapton, Bucks in 1538. His wife was named Joan. He wrote his will on December 12, 1556 and it was proved on February 25, 1556/7. He is buried in the Churchyard in Woughton.

Richard and Joan Putnam had three children that I have records of.

JOHN PUTNAM the subject of the next section.

HENRY or HARRY PUTNAM of Woughton born about 1518.

JOAN PUTNAM born about 1520 and married before 1556. She and her children were mentioned in her father's will.

JOHN PUTNAM

John was born about 1515 and lived in Wingrave, Bucks. His wife was Margery.

John's will was dated in 1573 and proved on November 14, 1573. He was buried on October 2, 1573 at Wingrave. Margery died in about 1567/8.

They had seven children:

NICHOLAS PUTNAM of Wingrave who is covered in the next section.

RICHARD PUTNAM of Rowsham, born in 1542. He died in 1576.

THOMAS PUTNAM of Rowsham, born in 1544. He married Agnes Britnell on November 16, 1574 and died in June of 1576 as did his brother, Richard.

MARGARET PUTNAM born in about 1546. She married Godfrey Johnson on June 14, 1573.

JOHN PUTNAM of Slapton. His will is dated March 5, 1594.

JOAN PUTNAM who married a Meecham.

DAUGHTER PUTNAM who married a Duncombe.

NICHOLAS PUTNAM

Nicholas was born in Wingrave about 1540. On July 30, 1577, he married Margaret Goodspeed. His will is dated January 1, 1597 and was proved on September 27, 1598. After his death, Margaret remarried on December 8, 1614 to William Huxley at Aston Abbots. She died January 8, 1618/19.

The children of Nicholas and Margaret Putnam were:

ANNE PUTNAM who was christened on October 12, 1578. She married William Arnold on January 26, 1604/05.

JOHN PUTNAM who was christened on January 17, 1579/80 and died December 30, 1662. John married Priscilla Gould. This is the John Putnam of Aston Abbots who came to America and settled in Salem Village (now Danvers) Massachusetts. His life is contained in a separate chapter later on in this work.

ELIZABETH PUTNAM who was christened on February 1, 1581. She married Edward Betham on October 22, 1612.

THOMAS PUTNAM who was christened on September 20, 1584.

RICHARD PUTNAM who was christened on July 16, 1590.

WILLIAM PUTNAM who was christened on November 12, 1592.

If you have questions about this history, please feel free to send them to putnam@genealogy.org. I will post them to William Putnam and see if we can find an answer.

Sources