Beverly Mabry Hannaford - Putnam Family

Hannaford	Holland	Ligon	Mabry	Moon
Morgan	Pepper	Putnam	Weeks	Young

y Putnam family came from England to VA to NC to SC to AL to MS.

Champ Putnam	Lucy Roberts Putnam

Champion Farris Putnam 1851-1927	Louisiana McLendon Roberts Putnam 1847-1907

In January 1889, my great grandparents, Champion and "Lucy" Roberts Putnam brought their family from Marshall County, AL near Cullman, AL (Cullman and Marshall counties join) to the Montevista community, near Walthall, in Webster Co., MS. Charles Putnam taped this conversation with his dad, Will Putnam. Will Putnam was a brother to my grandfather, Martin Chapman Putnam. Charles Putnam gave me a typed copy of this conversation which I have shared below. I think it is choice.

FROM ALABAMA TO MISSISSIPPI

Did your parents own land in Alabama? Yes, in Marshall County, near Cullman, Ala.

When did Ma and Pa marry? I don't remember.

Who did Pa Putnam marry? He married Lucy Roberts.

When did you leave the state of Alabama? It was in January, 1889.

Who all came with you? Aunt Martha Putnam, her boys and my father and mother and family.

Who all were in your family then? Well, there was Dee, Elmer, Martin, Emmett, Joe and George, Minila and Hulda.

So, you left Cullman, Ala. in 1889 and came to Mississippi to live in the house that Grandpa Putnam had built on his land in Miss. Yes, that's right.

Now, tell us about the trip to Mississippi from Alabama.
We came to Molton, Ala. That was the first stop we made, at Uncle John R. Montgomery's. Minila took sick and died there of pneumonia. As we began traveling on later, it began raining on us one morning early in the bad winter weather. It rained all day and began to freeze up before night. Everything froze up hard. We stopped at a place, Pa called the man out and asked him if he would take care of the women and children. He said, "Well, sure, yes, sir." Well, Pa looked at him, he hadn't shaved in six or eight months. So, Pa asked the man if there were any out houses anywhere. The man told him there was an old school house down there a piece but there were no windows nor doors in it. Pa told him we would just drive on down there. So we got down there, built up a log heap fire out in the yard, dried up the bedding and everything, hung quilts and things up on the windows. All the heat we had in the house was a cook stove. So, the next morning it was bright and clear and cold as kraut. We were out of feed and food too, almost, so Pa told the boys, Elmer and some of them, to go up to the house on the hill above us. So I went with them, I was a little fellow, seven or eight years old. When we got up there, two great big men came to the door with dresses on. When we told them what we wanted they told us, "No, we are po folks here. We ain't got no meal nor corn neither." About that time another one come to the door who was rational minded and said, "Oh, yes, we've got corn and meat. How much do you want?" So they told him. We got the meat and stuff and went on back down. The next morning this man come down to where we were all camped. He said, "I'll declare, you folks all ought to have spent the night up at the house. I had plenty of room for all of you." Pa said, "Friend, I'm just gonna be frank with you. Your beard frightened me." The man said, "I don't blame you for that, I ain't shaved in six or eight months." We lit out then the next morning. We didn't go very far until we come to a big creek. There was a foot log across the creek and the boys had to get sticks and measure to see if the water was going to come up into the wagon. We crossed over alright. We kept going and got over to Uncle John R. Montgomery's and Minila took sick with pneumonia and died. I believe I've done told you that, haven't I?

We kept traveling and traveling and finally got into the state of Mississippi and landed in Union County, Miss.

What year was this? It was the same year, 1889.

Do you know how long it took you to make this trip? We were about three months on the road.

After settling there how long did you stay? Two years.

Then, moved to where? To Calhoun County, to old Doctor McClusters place, and from there to ???Shaws place and went to school there in a little log school building. We stayed there one year then moved over to Walthall, Miss. about 1902, I believe, in 1892 I mean, and stayed there, I don't know, several years.

Do you remember when Grandma Putnam died? She died in February, I think it was 1907.

and Grandpa? Pa died in 1926 at the age of seventy five.

When was the first time you went back to Alabama that you recall? As I recall, the first time was about 1960.

When did you marry? I married in the year 1905, January 25th.

Who did you marry? Carrie Miles, the daughter of Joe and Betty Miles of Embry, Miss.

How many children and their names did you and Mama have? Well there were ten. The oldest was Donald, Erma, Dovie, Ovin, Elizabeth, Joe Farris, Mary, Paul, Robert and Charles.

Do you remember when the first cars came through? I don't remember the year but I remember when they first come in. I think it was about 1892.(??) Old Dr. Berryhill bought the first one I ever remember seeing in Eupora, Miss. His boy drove it recklessly and caused lots of teams to run away. People finally got to where they'd tote their guns for him.

Did you ever own any land in Webster? Yes. I bought land from Rube Simpson in 1907, 80 acres, built a house on it, stayed there about 3 years, sold it to Pole Love. Then in 1917 I bought some land from Rhoan Hood at Bluff Springs, Miss.

Who were some of your neighbors at Bluff Springs? Rhoan Hood, Meady Oswalt, ?Jan Latham, Jim Pittman, Charlie McCain, Bruce Oswalt, Clyde Oswalt.

What kind of schools did you have in your early years? We had one teacher schools all over the county.

Who were some of your teachers? Mrs. Kate Windham was the first teacher I went to that I remember, Mrs. Zeke Shaw, Lila Vance, were some other of my teachers at Walthall.

Do you remember the first radios coming into the county? Yes but I don't remember the date.

Did they have cars and electricity when you came to this part of the country? Oh, no. There was no such thing as electricity and cars for a number of years. People would borrow fire from one another. If your fire went out you could go to your neighbors and borrow some fire by rolling up coals and ashes in something and bringing it home.

What kind of education did you and Mama receive? Very light. You would probably call it about the 8th grade of today.

How many of your daddy's brothers did you know? I never knew but one of them, Uncle (Marion?).

Do you know the names of any of the others? Bill, John, Jim.

(tape ends here)

Note discrepancy in Champion Putnam's death date. Champion Putnam's death certificate states Jan. 4, 1927.

Champion Farris Putnam married Louisianna McLendon "Lucy" Roberts.

Major Matthew Roberts

Matthew Roberts
1797-1882
Sixth Sheriff of Lawrence Co., AL

John Roberts, Sr. b: 28 December 1779 d: 23 June 1852
. +Sarah Gheen b: 16 June 1776 Rowen Co. NC d: 11 November 1838 Lawrence Co. AL
.... Matthew Roberts b: 20 August 1797 Lawrence Co., AL or Rowen Co. NC d: 08 July 1882 Landersville, Lawrence Co., AL
...... +Susannah Wells b: 10 September 1802 KY m: 14 April 1819 Lawrence Co., AL d: 01 Jan. 1888 Landersville, Lawrence Co., AL
......... John Chapman Roberts b: 14 February 1821 d: 31 July 1885 AL
........... +Emaline Flannigan b: 01 April 1821 m: 31 October 1841 d: 03 May 1871
.............. Louisiana McLendon "Lucy" Roberts
................ +Champion Farris Putnam

A Roberts descendant is in the process of compiling a Roberts book.

My grandfather, Martin Chapman Putnam was named for his Roberts and Putnam grandfathers. Martin Putnam was a Baptist preacher as were his two grandfathers. Also, Martin Putnam was a blacksmith as was his father, Champion Putnam.

Rev. Martin and Myrtle Weeks Putnam lived in the Pleasant Hill Community in Calhoun Co., Mississippi and Houston in Chickasaw County, Mississippi.

Putnam Grandparents

Rev. Martin C. and Myrtle Putnam
About 1915

Below is my Putnam line.

Hannaford	Holland	Ligon	Mabry	Moon
Morgan	Pepper	Putnam	Weeks	Young