Putnam, Samuel Hildreth, 1835-1911

Samuel Hildreth Putnam was born in the Harmar neighborhood of Marietta, Ohio, June 19, 1835, a son of Douglas and Mary (Hildreth) Putnam. His ancestry is traced back through David Putnam, Col. Israel Putnam, Gen. Israel Putnam (of Revolutionary War fame), Capt. Joseph Putnam and Thomas Putnam to John Putnam, The Worthy, who immigrated to America from Buckinghamshire, England, in 1634. The Putnams settled originally near Salem, Massachusetts, coming to Ohio following the Revolutionary War.

Samuel H. Putnam entered Marietta College with the Class of 1857. Enlisting in the Ohio militia at the outset of the Civil War, his unit was assigned to guard the Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad from feared Confederate sabotage. Within the year, he had enlisted in the Ohio Volunteer Cavalry and was made a quartermaster sergeant, later rising to the rank of first lieutenant. Putnam served in the western theater, including battles at Shiloh, Perryville, Murfreesboro, and Chickamauga.

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