Hi,

It was great reading your note on the Putman family. I have had my Y-DNA tested an we are definately Dutch. For a number of years the story was that we descended from the New England Putnam family, but that was not true. The family goes it appears Johannes Pootman [1644-1689] of Schenectady, NY, David Pottman of Potterstown, NJ, Victor Potman of Mount Bethel, PA, near western NJ, Peter Putnam, it appears, of Sandyston, NJ, and Yates Co., NY, John Putman/Putnam of Wayne, NY, and Delhi, Ontario, CAN, and then William C. Putman [1834-1891] of NY, CAN, and Wells Township, Tuscola Co., MI.

The name Pootman may mean a person who lived by a well or low lying area. In German Pott means a hole in the ground such as a shallow coal mine.

Again, it was great to hear from you and reading your notes on the Putman family history.

Mark