Thomas Putnam

Birth Name:

Thomas Putnam

Birth Date:

March 22, 1652

Birth Place:

Salem Village, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Death Date:

June 3, 1699

Place of Death:

Salem Village, Province of Massachusetts Bay

Age:

Cause of Death:

Unknown infectious disease

Cemetery Name:

Putnam Family Burial Ground

Claim to Fame:

Crime and their Victims

Associates:

Thomas Putnam was the father of afflicted girl Ann Putnam, Jr, and many historians consider him to be a major influence in the Salem Witch Trials. Putnam himself accused and testified against 43 people while his daughter testified against 62 people.

Fun Fact:

His half-brother, Joseph, who had benefited most from their father’s estate, married into the rival Porter family, fueling ill will between the clans. Putnam, his wife, and one of his daughters (Ann Putnam Jr.) all levied accusations of witchcraft, many of them against extended members of the Porter family, and testified at the trials. So yeah, this was never about witches but rather money, power and prestige within the small society.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Putnam Family Burial Ground

485R Maple Street

Danvers, Massachusetts, 01923

USA

North America

Grave Location:

Unmarked grave

Grave Location Description

As you make the turn into Maple Street immediately veer to the left and head for the narrow paved road and park. Walk the short distance to the modest gate was walk around the gate and make your way to the left to the large mound of dirt and grass that is separate from the tombstones. Here Ann Putnam Jr. and her mother Ann Putnam and father Thomas Putnam rest very uneasily in this unmarked grave.