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Capt James Edward Putnam

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Birth	:	7 Feb 1842 Houlton, Aroostook County, Maine, USA
Death	:	7 Apr 1901 San Francisco, San Francisco County, California, USA
Burial	:	Elm Grove Cemetery, Mystic, New London County, USA
Coordinate	:	41.3713989, -71.9631958
Inscription	:	ASLEEP IN JESUS BLESSED SLEEP
Description	:	Like three of his older brothers -- Henry Roscoe, Julian and Charles Ropes -- James Edward Putnam served in the Army during the Civil War. He was the 5th child (out of 10) and 4th son of James Baker Putnam and Climena Mae Stanley, born 17 Feb 1843 in Houlton, Maine. He appeared in the 1850 census at age 7 living with his parents and 5 brothers and sisters in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. After the family moved to Minnesota in the mid-1850's, he's listed in the Minnesota Territorial Census of 1857 as age 11 [incorrect -- he's actually 14] along... Read More	Like three of his older brothers -- Henry Roscoe, Julian and Charles Ropes -- James Edward Putnam served in the Army during the Civil War. He was the 5th child (out of 10) and 4th son of James Baker Putnam and Climena Mae Stanley, born 17 Feb 1843 in Houlton, Maine. He appeared in the 1850 census at age 7 living with his parents and 5 brothers and sisters in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. After the family moved to Minnesota in the mid-1850's, he's listed in the Minnesota Territorial Census of 1857 as age 11 [incorrect -- he's actually 14] along with 5 brothers and sisters and his parents in Benton County. However, the 5 brothers and sisters listed in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, and Benton County, Minnesota, are not the same. Two of his older siblings have moved out and are on their own in 1857 and his parents have added two younger brothers to the family since the 1850 census. On 25 Sep 1861 at the age of 18, James Edward enlisted in the 12th U.S. Infantry. His brother, Capt. H. R. Putnam was the recruiting officer who signed him up for the 3-year enlistment. Because he was only 18 and a minor, his father James Baker Putnam had to sign the recruiting paper giving written consent for his son to join the Army. During the Civil War, James Edward served with his brother H.R. in the 12th U.S. Infantry at Fort Hamilton, New York. He started out as a private and was rapidly promoted to Sergeant and First Sergeant of Company F. During the latter part of 1861 and all of 1862, Fort Hamilton was the principal place where high-ranking Confederate civilian prisoners were confined. In July 1863, he served as First Sergeant of Company F at Fort Hamilton under the command of his brother, Captain Henry Roscoe Putnam, helping put down the violent New York City draft riots. In August 1863, after his brother H.R. wrote a letter to a Minnesota Senator requesting help from the War Department to get his brother appointed an officer, James Edward was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the 12th U.S. Infantry. He was promoted to First Lieutenant and commanded a company of men in the Army of the Potomoc in late 1863 and early 1864. During the Battle of the Wilderness in 1864, he was "wounded by the accidental discharge of my revolver" and received a battlefield promotion to Brevet Captain. Like his brother H.R., he stayed in the army after the Civil War. He was promoted to permanent Captain in 1869. In 1870, Capt. J. E. Putnam commanded a company of 70 soldiers that established the "new" Fort Hall Military Post, located near present-day Blackfoot, Idaho. There are two mountains in Idaho, Mount Putnam and South Putnam Mountain, that are named for him because he and his company of men built this fort. In 1872, Nathaniel Pitt Langford, Yellowstone National Park's first Superintendent, thanked "Captain Putnam, commandant at Fort Hall, for his kindness in furnishing camp equipage and guns for myself and my assistant" during Langford's 1872 Expedition to the recently-established first national park in the U.S. On 16 May 1872 at the age of 29, James Edward Putnam married Alida F. Bothwell in Chicago. Alida was previously married to John Bothwell (her maiden name was Turner) and they had a daughter, Maggie Bothwell, who was 4 years old at the time of Alida's marriage to James Edward. About 7 months after he married, James Edward Putnam resigned his commission as a Captain in the army "for reasons of private importance and on account of serious illness in my family". He traveled immediately to Chicago, IL, after he resigned his commission. In the 1880 census, he's listed as residing with his wife Alida, age 34 (James Edward is 37) and daughter (actually step-daughter) Maggie, age 12, in Walla Walla City, Washington Territory. He works as a "Contractor, Gov't Supplies". Four years earlier in May 1876, he was appointed Post Trader at Fort Walla Walla. He held this appointment for 2 1/2 years until November 1878. In 1876, there was a scandal at the War Department involving corrupt Post Traders at military forts and James Edward was appointed to replace the "corrupt" Post Trader at Fort Walla Walla. In 1884, J. E. Putnam, former Captain 12th U.S. Infantry, joined the Phil Sheridan Post of the Idaho Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) in Boise. He listed his occupation as "Barkeeper". Also in 1884, he was elected one of 13 delegates to the County Republican Convention to select primary election candidates. In 1884, he & 4 other partners sold a 160-acre mining claim near Munday's Ferry (near present-day Burley), Idaho, for $100. On July 1, 1886, in a large ad announcing the Fourth of July Parade in Boise's The Idaho Tri-Weekly Statesman, Capt. J. E. Putnam is listed as Grand Marshal of the parade. The Idaho Governor, E. A. Stevenson, as well as other dignitaries -- Chaplain, Orator of the Day and Poet of the Day -- as well as several committees -- Committee on Military Display, Committee on Stands and Grounds, Committee on Music, Committee on Dancing -- were identified by name along with Parade Grand Marshal Capt. J. E. Putnam. The Independence Day celebration ended that evening with a display of fireworks and a 13-gun salute. James Edward Putnam was obviously a well-respected and prominent citizen of Boise. In 1893, James Edward Putnam & 2 partners bought the Overland Hotel in Boise for $35,000. $35,000 in 1893 is worth $757,406 in 2006. In 1900, while living in San Francisco and 15 months before he died, James Edward and one of his hotel partners sold their interest in the Overland to the third partner for $10,000. $10,000 in 1900 is worth $233,592 in 2006. In 1893 the Boise City Directory listed "Putnam and Childs" as proprietors of the Overland Hotel and J.E. Putnam as residing at the Overland Hotel. Several Presidents stayed at the Overland located in the center of Boise near the Capitol building and it was known as a place where politicians stayed when the Legislature was in session and "political deals" were ironed out in the saloon. The hotel was torn down in 1905 to make way for a taller building. In the 1900 census, James Edward Putnam is listed as a Lodger in a large boarding house (probably a home for old soldiers) in San Francisco, California. He dies there one year later at the age of 58 on 7 Apr 1901 from cancer of the mouth (perhaps from smoking too many cigars). He's buried in the old Benton Avenue Cemetery in Helena, Montana, in a family burial plot with his mother and father (James Baker and Climena Putnam), his brother Henry Roscoe Putnam (who recruited him into the 12th U.S. Infantry at the age of 18) and H.R.'s family.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Capt James Edward Putnam's memorial?
Capt James Edward Putnam's memorial is located at: Elm Grove Cemetery, Mystic, New London County, USA.
When did Capt James Edward Putnam death?
Capt James Edward Putnam death on 7 Apr 1901 in San Francisco, San Francisco County, California, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Capt James Edward Putnam's memorial?
Latitude: 41.3713989
Longitude: -71.9631958

Family Members:

Parent

James Baker Putnam

(1807 - 1873)

Climena Mae Stanley Putnam

(1811 - 1904)

Spouse

Siblings

Capt Henry Roscoe “H.R.” Putnam

(1832 - 1872)

Frank Stanley Putnam

(1857 - 1938)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Elm Grove Cemetery
Mystic, New London County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3713989, -71.9631958

2. St Patrick Cemetery
Stonington, New London County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3742515, -71.9667579

3. White Hall Graveyard
Mystic, New London County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3773804, -71.9600601

4. Fish Cemetery #18
Mystic, New London County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3675003, -71.9785995

5. Silas Burrows Cemetery
Mystic, New London County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3612860, -71.9748840

6. Saint Patrick Cemetery
Mystic, New London County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3870468, -71.9633026

7. Saint Mark's Episcopal Church Memorial Garden
Mystic, New London County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3562290, -71.9711480

8. Crary Cemetery
Groton, New London County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3885002, -71.9749680

9. Wells Cemetery
Groton, New London County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3899155, -71.9721756

10. Denison Burying Ground
Stonington, New London County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3504100, -71.9603270

11. Industrial Cemetery
Stonington, New London County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3503260, -71.9580330

12. Old Mystic Baptist Church Memorial Garden
Mystic, New London County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3944730, -71.9640510

13. Packer Cemetery
West Mystic, New London County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3532982, -71.9832993

14. Wightman Cemetery
Groton, New London County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3870468, -71.9942245

15. Lower Mystic Cemetery
West Mystic, New London County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3539009, -71.9927979

16. Williams Cemetery
Stonington, New London County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3991203, -71.9556198

17. Packer Cemetery #2
Groton, New London County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3457909, -71.9856415

18. Niles Family Cemetery
Groton, New London County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3784904, -72.0040817

19. Rogerine Cemetery
Ledyard, New London County, USA
Coordinate: 41.4011154, -71.9774017

20. Wallsworth Cemetery
Mystic, New London County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3601050, -72.0056010

21. Hilliard Cemetery
Stonington, New London County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3725014, -71.9171982

22. Eldredge Cemetery
Ledyard, New London County, USA
Coordinate: 41.4060097, -71.9641418

23. Miner Cemetery
Stonington, New London County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3405991, -71.9396973

24. Joseph Denison Cemetery
Stonington, New London County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3927300, -71.9220200