Rufus Putnam
| Rufus Putnam | |
|---|---|
Rufus Putnam
|
|
| Born |
April 9, 1738 Sutton, Massachusetts |
| Died | May 4, 1824 (aged 86) Marietta, Ohio |
| Place of burial | Mound Cemetery, Marietta |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
Continental Army US Army |
| Years of service | 1775–1783 (Continental Army) 1792–1793 (US Army) |
| Rank |
 Brigadier General
|
| Relations | Persis Rice (wife) |
| Other work | pioneer to the Ohio Country; founder of Marietta, Ohio; judge of the Northwest Territory; first Surveyor General of the United States |
| Signature |  |
Rufus Putnam (April 9, 1738 – May 4, 1824) was a colonial military officer during the French and Indian War, and a general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. As an organizer of the Ohio Company, he was instrumental in the initial settling of the Northwest Territory in present-day Ohio following the war.
He was known as "Father of the Northwest Territory"
Putnam was born in Rutland, Massachusetts. Rufus's father Elisha Putnam died when Rufus was 6 or 7, and Rufus temporarily lived with his paternal grandfather in Danvers, Massachusetts. Elisha Putnam and Israel Putnam, who became a renowned general during the American Revolution were cousins. After Rufus Putnam's mother married John Sadler, Rufus lived with his mother and stepfather in Sutton, where the family ran an inn.
Putnam served with a Connecticut regiment from 1757 to 1760, during the French and Indian War. During the war, Putnam saw action in the Great Lakes region, and near Lake Champlain.
After the war, Putnam relocated to New Braintree, Massachusetts. There, he worked as a millwright from 1761 to 1768.
Established at work, in April 1761 Putnam married Elizabeth Ayers, the daughter of William Ayers, esquire of the Second Precinct of Brookfield (now North Brookfield), Massachusetts. Elizabeth died in 1762, possibly in childbirth.
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