Putnam, Floyd Myron 1890 - 1918

PUTNAM, DRESSER

Posted By: Reid R. Johnson (email)
Date: 7/28/2013 at 07:41:08

Postville Review, Friday, 29 March 1918. Extracted from a very poor copy of this obituary/article.

Our First Soldier Dead. Private Floyd M. Putnam of Winneshiek County buried Friday with civic, military and Masonic honors. Died at Camp Pike, Ark. Has long line of patriot ancestors.- His grandfather, father and three uncles served country in the Civil War.

The funeral of Private Floyd M. Putnam of Winneshiek county, the first soldier from this immediate locality to lay down his life for his country since the United States entered the present great World War, was held from Turner Opera House, Postville, last Friday afternoon at one o'clock. It was doubtless the largest gathering of its kind ever assembled in Allamakee county. Every business place in Postville was closed, the schools were dismissed for the afternoon, and practically the entire populace of the city together with many people from the towns and country roundabout turned out to pay a tribute of respect to the memory of one who had made the Supreme Sacrifice for his country and for us.

The funeral service was under the auspices of the Masonic fraternity of which the deceased was an honored member, assisted by every church in the city. A firing squad of "boys in Khaki" was present, the ladies of the surgical dressing department of the Postville Chapter American Red Cross were there in uniform, the teachers and pupils of the Postville Public Schools were out in a body with the flags provided them by J. M. Harris, and Postville Community Band played the funeral march as it escorted this solemn and imposing cortege to Postville cemetery where a farewell salute was fired, taps sounded and the remains of our soldier dead deposited in the grave with civic, military and Masonic honors.

Floyd Myron Putnam, son of Sureno D. and Emma I. Putnam, was born in Bloomfield township, Winneshiek county, Iowa, August 22, 1890, and there he remained until 1908 when he went with his sister, Mrs. C. (E. ?) Dresser, to Emmett, Idaho, returning three years ago to the old home farm. In September, 1917, he was called into the service of his country and went into military training at Camp Dodge, Iowa, with the first contingent from Winneshiek county. In November, 1917, he was transferred to Camp Pike, Arkansas, where he died in the Camp Hospital, Monday, March 18, 1918, of meningitis, aged 27 years, 6 months and 24 days. He was a member of Company C, 346th Infantry, being signal man of his company. The remains reached Postville last Thursday noon accompanied by Private Henry Hanson of Winneshiek county and a member of his company.

He was a good, honest, upright, industrious young man who made many staunch friends who sympathize sincerely with the bereaved mother, brothers and sisters.

He is survived by his mother, Emma I. Putnam; two brothers, Ray L. and Lloyd (a twin brother ?); and two sisters, B???? M. and Mrs. Hattie Dresser.

(The next paragraph was to blurred to copy, I get the gist of it as follows:)

A pathetic event in connection herewith is the fact that the original death notice to the family indicated that he had died of pneumonia rather than highly contagious meningitis. When the body arrived with the casket encased in a sealed metal case, not meant to be opened do to the highly contagious nature of meningitis, the case and casket were opened for final viewing.).

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