Laban Putnam, farmer and gardener, was born in Windsor County, VT, in 1808, son of Reuben andelenor Putnam

Biography Andreas; History of Cook County Illinois:

Laban Putnam, farmer and gardener, was born in Windsor County, VT, in 1808, son of Rueben and Elenor Putnam. He came to Illinois in 1839, and located on a farm three miles from Palatine. For the first two years he was employed on the construction of the canal after which he engaged in farming for seventeen years. He then rented his farm and engaged in lumbering in Michigan, which he followed for eight years, then returned to Palatine. He owns a residence and two acres of land in the village, and also rents thirteen acres in the corporation, which he has in crop, mostly vegetables. He keeps a boarding house which he has run for eighteen years. He was married in 1835 to Miss Elvira A. Jones, daughter of Holley and Betsey Jones. They had one child deceased. Mr. Putnam has held the office of Assessor, Constable and Commissioner of Highways, and for seven years has been a member of the Board of Corporation Trustees, and for five years was the chairman of the board.

Family History:

About 1858 Laban and his wife Elvira, saw an ad in the local newspaper about a child up for adoption. A family named Dunton from Arlington Heights, IL (then called Dunton), was having financial difficulties and wanted someone to adopt their oldest daughter. When Laban and Elvira came to meet the young woman, she was painfully shy and they did not want to separate her from her family. There was a younger daughter named Libbie who was outgoing and they adopted her instead. About 1864 Libby married Albert Whitman from New York. They had four children, by 1871 Albert and three of their children had died. She then married James Wilson. Her son Frank lived with Laban and Elvira until he married Emma Morrill in 1887. They had two children, Libby and Frank, Jr.. Tragically, Frank a RR telegrapher was killed in a train yard accident in August of 1890 and Emma died shortly afterwards of TB. Laban and Elvira raised the older child Libbie until their deaths. Laban died February/11/1893 and Elvira died June/27/1898.