Rufus Putnam, 1738-1824, was born on April 9, 1738, in Sutton, Massachusetts. As a young man, he fought in the French and Indian War and later served in the Revolutionary War, rising to the rank of brigadier general. Following his military service, he became a surveyor and farmer. From his position as a surveyor he advocated for initiatives to grant tracts of land to veterans of the Revolutionary War. Consequently, together with Benjamin Tupper, Samuel Holden Parsons, and Manasseh Cutler, he founded the Ohio Company of Associates in 1786. In addition to his role in the Ohio Company of Associates, he also served as a judge of the Northwest Territory and was the first Surveyor General of the United States. David Putnam, 1769-1856, was the grandson of General Israel Putnam. After being educated at Yale and trained in law, he joined his relative Rufus Putnam, in Marietta, Ohio. Samuel Hildreth Putnam, Jr. was the great-grandson of David Putnam. The son of Samuel H. Putnam, Sr. and Abigail Fobes Mixer, he passed his youth in Marietta, Oh. before relocating to Chicago, Il. According to the records in this collection, he was involved in land transactions as early as 1871
From the description of Putnam family papers 1794-1904 [manuscript] (Historical Society of W Pennsylvania). WorldCat record id: 779539902
