Thomas Putnam

Who was Thomas Putnam?

Thomas Putnam was a member of the Putnam family and a resident of Salem Village and a significant accuser in the notorious 1692 Salem witch trials. His father, Lt. Thomas Putnam, Sr., was one of Salem's wealthiest residents. He was excluded from major inheritances by both his father and father-in-law. 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 his daughter Ann Putnam, Jr. all levied accusations of witchcraft, many of them against members of the Porter family, and testified at the trials.