Okay, so this week’s challenge from “52 Ancestors 52 Weeks” that Amy Crow has issued, is to write about the ancestor closest to your birthday.  No one else was born on my birthday. So I had to look at those before and after my birthday. I picked Timothy Putnam II not only because he was born on 4 October 1760, he also was a stumbling block in connecting to our original immigrant.

Timothy Putnam is my paternal 4th great grandfather. He was the oldest son of Timothy Putnam (I) and Susanne Badger  born in Charlestown, Sullivan County, New Hampshire.  A lot is known about the Putnam’s of the Salem Witch Trials and Timothy II’s grandfather Seth Putnam was born to Thomas and Ann (Carr) Putnam near the end of the witch hysteria. Seth and his wife Ruth (Whipple) relocated to New Hampshire probably soon after their marriage since the eldest is noted as being born in Charlestown New Hampshire. Being the son and brother of two of the accusers I imagine he was anxious to leave all that behind, and being the eleventh child his prospects in Danvers, Massachusetts were limited.

Seth and Ruth went on to raise 8 children, Timothy II’s father Timothy I was their eighth child.

Timothy II married Sarah Hewitt 4 October 1778 and their first child Sarah (1) was born 4 Nov 1779 in Langdon, Sullivan county, New Hampshire. Timothy was just 19 years old and his wife Sarah was only 15 years old.

Their son Timothy III (2) (my 3rd great grandfather) was their second child born on 13 July 1781 in Langdon, New Hampshire.

Then Abraham (3) is born 27, July 1883. Samuel (4) 18 July 1785, Betsey (5) 3 May 1788, and Olive (6) 5 Feb. 1791. Olive dies two months later.

Click on image to enlarge and note: This is the first US Census, Timothy Putnam is on the 7th line. According to this there is one male between 5 and 10 that would be correct for Timothy III, there are 2 males between 20 and 30, that would be correct for Timothy II and another male, this could possibly be a brother or a hired hand. Under the listing of male 60-70 one is noted, this would be right for Timothy I. Listed under females they show one age 10 to 20 this could be Sarah, (3) 13. There are 2 other females in the family listed 60-70. Well that just does not make sense. Sarah the mother should be about 26 while her mother-in-law would be about 54. and where are the other children? Maybe we need to look at Sarah’s family. Maybe Sarah and her children are actually at her parents home when the census was taken.

Their next child is Polly (7) born 27 May 1792, then Moses (8) 12 October 1796, John (9) 24 June 1799.

On this census we find Timothy Putnam and family four up from the bottom of the page. The first column is for males under the age of 10. There should actually be two noted both John born in 1799 and Moses born in 1796. The next column is from 10 thru 15 and that should be Samuel. Next is age 16 thru 25 and works out good for Abraham and Timothy III. The next column is for 26 thru 44 and that works out for Timothy II. Under females we have 3 under 10, that only matches up to Polly. Betsy is 12 and should be in the next column and Olive died in 1791 so she would not be shown. Sarah the mother would be 36 and is probably listed in the next to the last column which is for females 26 thru 44.

Oliver (#10 child) is born 6 June 1802, Joseph (11) 16 November 1804, then Benjamin (12) 16 November 1804. They lose Benjamin on 6 August 1808 before his 4th birthday. Their last child Susannah (13) is born 30 June 1809. Sarah must have been one strong woman to survive all those births.

All of these children are listed in the town records as born in Langdon, Sullivan County, New Hampshire, yet the census taken during this period list the family in Charlestown. which is listed as Cheshire county through the 1820 US Census and Sullivan county starting with the 1830 census.

The province of New Hampshire was divided into five counties in 1771. One of these was named Cheshire. Charlestown was made a shire-town.  5 July 1827, the county was divided, the northern portion taking the name of Sullivan County.

The above info came from http://www.nh.searchroots.com/cheshire.html

In this 1810 US Census for Charlestown we find 5 Putnam families. One is Samuel (4) Putnam and another is Abraham (3) Putnam But no Timothy. There is a Thomas Jr. could that be our Timothy II? I do not think so, Timothy II would be 49 years old and his wife would be 46. There is no one listed in those age groups in Abraham or Samuels family either. Looking at the 1820 US Census we do find Timothy Putnam.

Here we see  a few more columns, the first column is male under 10 years of age and we have no listing there for the Timothy family. Next we have one at 10 and under 16 possibly Joseph, none listed from 16 to under 18, three from 16 to under 26 which may include Oliver, John, and Moses, none 26 to under 45, one  over 45 which should be Timothy II now 59 years old. On the female side  we have none under 10, one age 10 to under 16 which would be Susannah age 11, two age 16 to under 26 may or may not be older daughters Polly  and Betsey, none age 26 to under 45, and one over 45 who I will assume is the mother Sarah.

Sarah their first born died in 1814. She may have married a Joseph Currier. Need to research further to verify.

Timothy’s mother Susanna (Badger) Putnam dies  7 April 1816.

Here is the 1830 Census for Charlestown with Timothy Putnam. Apparently people are living long so they have added more columns. Timothy II is now 69 and we can find him in the ninth column which is for free males age 60 -70 which works. Sarah is now 66 years and she is found in the 9th column on the female side along with another female in the same age group 60-70. The first column to hold a mark is the male ages 5-10  and then there are two free males in the 20-30 age group. In the household there is also one female age 20-30 that could be either an unmarried daughter or a daughter-in-law to one of the boys listed in the same age group.

It certainly was more convenient for genealogist when the United States started listing by name all of the members and their relationship to the head of house. First in 1850 they listed all members of a household by name then in 1880 the relationship to head of household was included.

To continue chronicling  the life of Timothy II we learn that on 13 February 1834 Timothy III dies in Ludlow, Vermont leaving my 2x great grandfather, Joseph Putnam an orphan at age 11. At this point our Timothy II is 73 years of age and Sarah is 70 years old. Joseph is sent to live with his grandfather. I imagine that Joseph is just settling in, having moved from Ludlow Vermont to Charlestown New Hampshire ( a move of about 22 miles along VT route 10), losing his mother in 1833, then his father the next year, then grandpa Timothy dies on 18 May 1835. While Timothy II had  lived a long life for that period, young Joseph is uprooted once again and sent off to live with an uncle, possibly Joseph or John. I imagine it was too much to expect Sarah to raise her grandson alone at her age.

Five years later Sarah dies 24 November 1840.