Genesee County MI Archives Biographies.....Putnam, Romain 1838 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mi/mifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com December 26, 2006, 10:10 pm Author: Chapman Bros. (1892) ROMAIN PUTNAM. Our subject is one of the most prosperous business men in the city of Flint, owning the largest elevator and being proprietor of the most extensive grain business in this place. He has been respectively a successful farmer, stock-broker and grain dealer. As a stock-broker his career began soon after a trip to Detroit with cattle owned by a neighbor. Quick to see the large returns in such a business he started in and was at once awarded success. At one time he was the largest stock-buyer in the county. He is a keen, shrewd business man, whose foresight never allows an opportunity to escape him. At present he deals most largely in grain and also in seeds, besides doing a large business in farm produce and pork packing. Mr. Putnam owns a farm of three hundred and twenty acres within one-half mile of the corporate limits of Flint City, in Burton Township. He is a stockholder and director in the Flint Water Works, and holds the same position in the People's Electric Light Company. He was born in Batavia, Genesee County, N. Y., August 27, 1838, and is a son of Morris and Maria (Lord) Putnam, for whose history we refer the reader to the sketch of Dr. C. M. Putnam, to be found in another portion of this volume. Young Romain was reared in Batavia until seventeen years of age, his home being on the farm. He received an ordinary education, and in 1855 accompanied his parents to Genesee County, Mich., they coming hither with three teams from Detroit. They purchased a farm in Burton Township which our subject helped his father to improve, remaining at home until twenty-two years of age. He purchased one hundred acres of land, which forms a part of his present place. This he cleared and improved, adding to it from time to time until he had a farm of four hundred acres. It is located on Thread River, and now comprises three hundred and twenty acres, as he has sold a small portion. When twenty-one or twenty-two years of age Mr. Putnam began buying and selling stock, and in those early days drove the stock to Detroit walking or driving a buckboard thither, the journey taking him three and a half days. Part of this time he resided on the old home in Burton Township, but later became a resident of Flint, and finally, in 1876, began to buy grain, forming a partnership, the business of which was carried on under the firm name of Beecher & Putnam. This continued for about six years, at the expiration of which time our subject bought out his partner's interest and continued alone for several years, but in 1889 became associated with his brother, M. H. Putnam, and now the business is done under the firm name of R. Putnam & Co. It is the largest firm of the kind in the city. Their principal cereal is wheat, although they deal largely in other grains. They have an elevator at Clio. The capital stock of this firm is $20,000. Their place of business is located at the corner of First and Harbison streets, and the elevator is at the foot of First Street, between Weston and Stockton Streets. It has a capacity of one hundred thousand bushels. In connection with their other business they have a feed mill, from which they wholesale what they manufacture. It is in close proximity to the Flint & Pere Marquette Railroad. The original of our sketch was married in Burton Township October 7, 1876, to Miss Ellen Wolverton, a daughter of Asa and. Prudence (Marshall) Wolverton. She was born in Tioga County, N. Y. Her father was a farmer, and settled in this vicinity about 1855, locating on a farm in Burton Township. His decease occurred in 1890, being at the time about eighty-two years old. Our subject's mother-in-law now resides in Flint; she is seventy-six years of age. They were the parents of five children. Of the three girls who lived to be grown, Mrs. Putnam is the youngest. She and our subject are the parents of two children—Morris and Merton. Mr. Putnam has held several local offices. He was township treasurer for two years, and is a member of the Flint Water Works Association. He has a pleasant residence, located on Third and Harrison streets. Politically he is a true-blue Republican. Additional Comments: Extracted from: Portrait and Biographical Record of Genesee, Lapeer and Tuscola Counties, Michigan, Containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens, Together with Biographies of all the Governors of the State, and of the Presidents of the United States Chicago: Chapman Bros. 1892 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/genesee/bios/putnam53nbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/mifiles/ File size: 5.0 Kb