The following comes from a collection of Depositions of Continental Soldiers as printed in the Virginia Historical Magazine, Vol. 5 October 1897, p. 154.S2 It basically states that on October 9, 1832 John Putnam made a deposition in Bath County, Virginia that he was 68 years old last September. He said he enlisted under the name of Jeptha Putnam at the age of 13 in Sutton, Worcester County Massachusetts for 6 months in 1778. In 1779 he re-enlisted and was stationed at Fishkill, New York where he was discharged after the war. He then lived in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania for about six years. He would have been alone as his folks were still in Sutton. He then lived for a while in Berkeley County, Virginia (now part of West Virginia) and then moved to Bath County, Virginia about 1795 and was still there in 1832. He died in 1837.
Although born as Jeptha Putnam, he is listed as John Putman in every census in which he is included. He died before the 1850 census so I cannot cross check here as far as age goes.
Anyway, whatever his name is or was, he is a son of Fuller and Eunice Putnam of Sutton, Massachusetts. He married Mary (Polly) Graves in Berkley County (West) Virginia. Their marriage bond is dated September 6, 1790.
John acquired a patent on March 19, 1795 for 125 acres on Stewart's Creek in Bath County. He later sold this land to Edward Jones on October 8, 1799.
He first appears in the 1810 census of Bath County, Virginia and was over 45 at the time with his wife Mary. In 1820 he is in his 50s as is Mary and they have one daughter, Martha, still at home. Living next to them is his son Fuller Putnam with four youngsters. In 1830 John and Mary are in their 60s and there are two other females at home. He was on the Bath County Tax Rolls from 1816 through 1820.
John Putnam died in Bath County on April 14, 1837.
http://www.billputman.com/the-genealogy/putnam-putman-families/the-southern-putnam-putman-family/virginia/VAbath.pdf
