Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial ...

wife of James Bardwell Ryan, as above
noted.
The Putnam family has been traced in
England for sixteen generations previous
to its transportation to New England. It
is an ancient English name, formerly Put-
tenham. It is the name of a parish in
Hertfordshire, England, and borders near
Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire. John
Putnam, son of Nicholas Putnam, was
baptized January 17, 1579, at Windgrave,
County Bucks, England, and inherited
the Putnam estate, at Aston Abbotts. It
is supposed that his wife was Priscilla
Deacon. He was among the early resi-
dents of Salem, Massachusetts, where he
located about 1634, and received a grant
of land in 1641, in which year his wife
was admitted to the church. He died
in Salem Village, now Danvers, Decem-
ber 30, 1662. His third son, Nathaniel
Putnam, baptized October 11, 1619, lived
in Salem Village, where he died July 23,
1700. He married, in Salem, Elizabeth
Hutchinson, of Salem Village, born Au-
gust 20, 1629, in England, died June 24,
1688, daughter of Richard and Alice (Bos-
worth) Hutchinson. Their third son,
John Putnam, born March 26, 1657, died
in September, 1722, in what is now Dan-
vers. He married, December 2, 1678,
Hannah Cutler, of Salem, born in Decem-
ber, 1655, daughter of Samuel and Eliza
Cutler. Their youngest son, Moses Putnam,
born January 27, 1697, was a yeoman,
living with his wife, Hannah, in
Danvers, where he died in 1774. Their
third son, Uzziel Putnam, born in 1735,
settled in New Salem, Massachusetts,
where he was a deacon of the Congrega-
tional church. The family name of his
wife was Garson. Their son, Samuel Putnam,
born about 1772, in New Salem, was
the father of Captain William Putnam,
born July 7, 1792, in New Salem, died
1877; was for many years a teacher in
EX YCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
^22
that town and settled near Wendell
Depot, in the town of Wendell, where he
was captain of the militia. He represented
the town in the Legislature, and
operated a store and flour and grist mills.
He married Julia Whiting Holden, of New
Salem, and they were the parents of Mary
Hepsibeth Putnam, who became the wife
of Stanford Holbrook Rand, and the
mother of Mrs. James Bardwell Ryan.
CHURCHILL, George Edward,
Agriculturist, Public Servant.
Although New England is not consid-
ered a leading agricultural section, yet
many portions, and especially along the
Connecticut river, have been brought to
a high state of cultivation and are producing
valued crops. Among those who
have contributed to this condition may
be mentioned George Edward Churchill.
He is a descendant of one of the oldest
New England families of English stock.
The Churchill coat-of-arms is: Sable, a lior
rampant, argent, debruised with a bendlet
gules.
The family was founded in Connecti-
cut by Josiah Churchill, who had lands
in Wethersfield on the Connecticut river,
April 28, 1641, including a house lot of
six acres. His residence was on the east
side of High street, facing the south end
of the Common. He later purchased the
Gildersleeve homestead on the west side
of High street, a little south of his orig-
inal residence. He served as juryman,
constable, and town surveyor, made his
will November 17, 1683, and died before
1687. His estate, which included two
hundred and ten acres of land, was valued
at £618 12s. 6d. He married, in
1638, Elizabeth Foote, daughter of Na-
thaniel and Elizabeth (Deming) Foote,
born about 1616 in England, died September
8, 1700, in Wethersfield. Natha-