On 25 Nov 1678 when Ann was 17, she married
Sergt. Thomas Putnam (5568) , son of
Lieut. Thomas Putnam (ca Mar 1613/4-5 May 1686) &
Ann Holyoke (2224) (ca 1620/1-1 Sep 1665), in Salem, MA.
Born 12 1 mo. [Mar] 165[1/]2 in Salem Village, MA.198 Thomas was baptized in Salem, MA, 16 2 mo. [Apr] 1652.198 Thomas died in Salem Village, MA on 24 May 1699.198
From A History of the Putnam Family, pages 38–39:198
Sergt. Thomas Putnam had received a liberal education for his times, but with others whom we should call more enlightened, he took a most prominent part in the witchcraft delusion of 1692, being in fact, second to none but Parris ill the fury with which he soemed to ferret out the victims of his young daughter’s insane desire for notoriety. His wife also took a prominent part in those proceedings. She was the sister of Mary Gut, wife of Mr. James Bayley, whose ministry at the village was the cause of so much dissension and which indirectly added to the bitterness of the witchcraft persecutions.
By nature, Mrs. Putnam was a woman of a highly sensitive temperament, apparently easily wrought upon and deceived. The Carrs seem all to have been rather weak in that respect, although of good social position.
Sergeant Putnam, on the contrary, was of a decisive and obstinate nature; he had great influence in the village and did not hesitate to use it; he had been in the Narragansett fight, belonged to the company of troopers and was parish clerk. Many of the records of the witchcraft proceedings are in his hand. He wrote a fine, clear and beautiful hand.
It was in the houses of Sergt. Thomas and of Rev. Mr. Parris that the “bewitched” children first met to accomplish their pranks. In the "circle" were the daughter Ann, and a maid-servant of Mrs. Ann Putnam, Mary Lewis by name.
Afterward, at the trials of the accused persons, Mrs, Putnam was often seized with strange attacks of imagination, evidently produced by the over-excitement and consequent strain on her brain. At these times she was a prominent witness, but after this was all over and Parris was attempting to retain his hold on the parish and to dicker with the inhabitants over terms of settlement, she seems to have refused to him her aid or encouragement.
That Sergeant Putnam and probably his wife were firm believers in the whole matter there seems to be but little doubt. He showed a lamentable lack of common sense, but so did many others. The strain was too much for him and he died shortly alter the trials; his wife followed him to the grave a few weeks later.