Thomas Putnam

Thomas Putnam ( – , 1699) was a member of the Putnam family, a resident of Salem Village (present-day Danvers, Massachusetts, United States) and a significant accuser in the notorious 1692 Salem witch trials.

Biography Thomas Putnam was born on March 22, 1652 (new style March 12, 1651) in Salem Village, Massachusetts Bay Colony, a son of Lieutenant Thomas Putnam Sr. (1615–1686) and his first wife, Ann Holyoke. He was baptized on February 16, 1652, at the First Church of Salem. He married Ann Carr on September 25, 1675, at Salem Village. Ann was born at Salem Village on June 15, 1661, the youngest daughter of George and Elizabeth Carr. They had twelve children: Ann Jr., Thomas, Elizabeth, Ebenezer, Deliverance, Timothy, Experience, Abigail, Susanna and Seth; two who died young. Thomas served in the military and held the rank of Sergeant, fighting in King Philip's War. He also served as parish clerk.

Both Putnam and his wife died in 1699, leaving their ten children orphans, two children having predeceased them.

Arthur Miller's The Crucible In Arthur Miller's 1953 play, The Crucible, Thomas Putnam is married to Ann Putnam, and together have a daughter, Ruth Putnam, who is afflicted with a grave illness, similar to that of Betty Parris. They both have lost seven children in childbirth and point to witchcraft as the cause of it. Putnam appears in Act 1 and is apparent during Act 3. He manipulates Reverend Parris into taking his side, urging him to see that it is witchcraft that is making Salem go mad. He uses the witch trials to get the other villagers' land, such as Giles Corey's. Giles later takes Putnam to court regarding the issue.