Arkansas was included in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 and settlers first began coming into the area. Much land was opened up as bounty lands for service in the War of 1812 and many more people, including many Putmans, took advantage of the low land prices to settle in the area. Arkansas was separated from Missouri and became a Territory in 1819 and then included all
of Oklahoma. On June 15, 1836 Arkansas became the 25th state. It seceded from the Union in 1861 and was readmitted in 1868.
The following is a listing of Putman and Putnam families that are found in the Arkansas Census Reports from 1830 to 1900. There was no census taken prior to 1830 and that was a territorial one, the first Federal State census was taken in 1840.