Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial ...

ham, one hundred and sixty miles. He
married Sarah Harding, born in Nova
Scotia, May 14, 1762.
(VII) Seth (3) Putnam, son of Seth
(2) and Sarah (Harding) Putnam, was
born about 1790. He lived in Vermont,
and later moved his family to what was
then a wilderness in New York State.
This journey was made by ox-team and
they first settled at Susquehanna, later
removing back to a hill, afterwards known
as Putnam's Hill. They were the first
settlers between the Susquehanna river
and Deposit, and pioneers in the lumber
business. Seth Putnam married Jane
Heald, and was the father of six sons and
one daughter.
(VIII) Lancaster Putnam, oldest of
the children of Seth (3) and Jane (Heald)
Putnam, associated with his brother,
Franklin Putnam, set up a mill and manufactured
lumber. This was drawn by
ox-team to Deposit, then taken by raft
down the Delaware river to Philadelphia.
Many thrilling tales have been told of
their adventures. This was before the
days of railroads, and the brothers came
all the way back to Deposit by foot. Lancaster
Putnam married Lorinda Wedge,
and they were the parents of Francis
Emery, of whom further.
(IX) Francis Emery Putnam, son of
Lancaster and Lorinda (Wedge) Putnam,
born January 9, 1840, died in 191 1.
There were two other boys and a girl in
the family. Wesly died when he was
eleven years old. The educational oppor-
tunities of Francis E. Putnam were lim-
ited. His mother died when he was seven
years old, and his father belonged to that
old school which has happily passed
away, that believed in the "university of
hard knocks" to the exclusion of any
other method of acquiring knowledge.
Nevertheless, Francis E. Putnam made a
name for himself and a place in the world
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
122
by his own industry and ambition. He
was possessed of good mental power, and
succeeded in spite of the handicaps under
which he entered the battle of life. When
a young man he bought a farm in Wayne
county, Pennsylvania. There was much
timber on the place, and he became inter-
ested in this timber from a business
standpoint. He began by felling the trees
himself, and step by step worked up into
a large and prosperous business, owning
several mills, and buying numerous tracts
of land. There are now over eleven hun-
dred acres of this logged-off land in pos-
session of the family. With his straight-
forward business methods and his enter-
prising, aggressive activities, he met with
the success he deserved and became the
leading man in the community. His
sterling traits of character won for him
the confidence and esteem of his fellow-
citizens. He had six hundred acres of
cleared land on his farm, and raised large
general crops ; also raised stock on an ex-
tensive scale. During the Civil War he
was engaged in building bridges for the
Government, his service covering the lat-
ter years of the war. He was honorably
discharged after General Lee's surrender.
Mr. Putnam took an interest in all pub-
lic affairs, and was a liberal supporter of
those movements which he believed would
enhance the public welfare.
Mr. Putnam married Theodosia Vic-
toria, daughter of George Graves ; born
in Harpersville, New York. Twelve children
grew to maturity: I. Edna, widow
of Albert Slocum, now residing in Port-
land, Oregon. 2. Herbert Elmer, of
whom we give extended mention below.
3. Theodore Nelson, of Susquehanna,
Pennsylvania. 4. Nellie May, widow of
Edward J. Slocum, now a resident of Hepner,
Oregon. 5. Lorinda Macy, widow
of Ulysses G. Cook, now a resident of
New Haven, Connecticut. 6. Louis La-