Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 08.djvu/461

 PUTNAM

PUTNAM

Book in France, Italy and Germany in 1S47 (184:8); Ten Years of the World's Progress ; Sup- plement 1S50-1SG1 (1861). He died in New York city, Dec. 20, 1872.

PUTNAM, Harvey, representative, was born in Brattleboro, Vt., Jan. 5, 1793 ; son of Asa and Anna (Collins) Putnam ; grandson of Josiali and Lydia (Wheeler) Putnam, and a descendant of John and Priscilla (Gould) Putnam, who emigra- ted from Buckinghamshire, England, in 1634, set- tling in Salem, Mass. He was left an orphan at an early age, and in 1808 removed to Skaneateles, N.Y., where he learned the trade of a saddler and harnessmaker. He attended the village academy, studied law under Daniel Kellogg and Judge Jewett, and was admitted to the bar in 1816. He was married, Aug. 5, 1817, toMyra, daughter of Stephen and Ablina (Simonds) Osborne, and granddaughter of Col. Benjamin Simonds of Williamstown, Mass. He practised in Manlius, 1816-17, and in Attica, N.Y., 1817-55, after 1847 in partnership with his son-in-law, John B. Skin- ner, 2d. He was a Whig representative from the thirty-third New York district in the 25th con- gress, 1838-39, completing the term of William Patterson, deceased ; was surrogate of Genesee county, 1840-41 and of Wyoming county, 1841-42 ; member of the state senate, 1843-46, serving therein as a member of the court for the correc- tion of errors, and a Whig representative from the thirty-second district in the 30th and 31st con- gresses, 1847-51, where he opposed compromise measures. He died in Attica, N.Y., Sept. 20, 1855. PUTNAM, Herbert, librarian, was born in New York city, Sept. 20, 1861 ; son of George Palmer and Victorine (Haven) Putnam. He was pre- pared for college in the private school of James H. Morse ; was graduated at Harvard in 1883, and studied law at Columbia college, N.Y., 1883-84. He was librarian of the Minneapolis Athe- nseum, 1884-87, which he organized in 1887 as the Minneapolis Public library, serv- ing as its librarian, 1887-91, and in 1888 went to Europe in the interest of the librajy. He was ad- mitted to the Minne- sota bar in 1886 ; was married. October, 1886, to Charlotte Elizabeth, daughter of Charles W. Munroe of Cambridge, Mass. ; engaged in the practice of law in Boston, Mass., 1892-95. and was librarian of the Boston Public library, 1895-

99, succeeding Theodore F. Dwight. During his administration the income of the library increased from $190,000 to $263,000 ; the departments were reorganized, new ones established and several improvements in equipment and arrangement made as to the circulation of books. During 1896-97 he was president of the Massachusetts Library club ; in 1897 he represented the United States as delegate to the International library conference, and in 1898 he was elected president of the American Library association. He was appointed to succeed John Russell Young, de- ceased, as librarian of congress, Washington, D.C., March 13, 1899. He received the honorary degree of Litt.D. from Bowdoin college in 1898, and LL.D. from the University of Illinois in 1903. PUTNAM, Israel, soldier, was born in Salem, Mass., Jan. 7, 1718; twelfth child of Joseph (half brother of Edward) and Elizabeth (Porter) Putnam ; grandson of Thomas and Mary Verne Putnam and of Israel and Elizabeth (Hathorne) Porter, and great-grandson of John Porter, of William Hathorne and of John and Priscilla (Gould) Putnam, all immigrants from England about 1630-1634, and settlers in Salem, Mass- achusetts Bay Colony. Israel's father died when he was quite young, and his mother marrying Caj^t. Thomas Perley of Boxford, he was brought up on the farm of his stepfather, receiving a portion of his father's farm near Salem, on reaching his majority. In 1739 he was married to Han- nah, daughter of Joseph and Mehitable (Putnam) Pope, and in company with his brother-in-law, John Pope, he removed to Mortlake, Conn., and settled on a farm of 514 acres, purchased from Governor Belcher. He brought his wife and child to this place in the autumn of 1740, and on June 13,1741, became sole owner of the estate, which he at once began to improve. He planted a va- riety of both fruit and shade trees in orchards and along the high- ways which ' he laid out through the place. His success in farming, as an orchardist, and in sheep rais- ing made him the

leading citizen of the community, and he was an early promoter of good neighborhood schools. He was captain in the regiment of Col. Ephriam Williams, raised to protect the northern frontier from the invasion of the French in 1755, when he joined tlie army of Gen. Phineas Lyman in the expedition to Lake George and Crown Point,