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.

On October 18, 1866, he married Abigail Fobes Mixer, with whom he had three children: Samuel H., Benjamin B., and Mary. He entered the employ of the Marietta Bucket Factory, at one time owned by his father, and was associated with it until 1884. Putnam also acquired and worked farmland in Ohio and several other states. He died at his home in Marietta on May 2, 1911.

From the guide to the Samuel Hildreth Putnam Collection, 1861-1879, 1861-1867, (Marietta College Library)