More Murders

 More Murder in the Family

A previous post dated 31 October 2017 listed murders found while researching the family tree. To read, click here.  Not only has another murder been found in the family, but we also have a murderer within the family.😵

Troy L Putnam
US Air Force Veteran

Troy LaDieu Putnam was murdered 7 June 1963, while working at a Fort Worth gas station. Putnam had been shot three times. His body was found laying in a storeroom. 

Fort Worth Star Telegram
8 June 1963

Troy Putnam, born 2 March 1916, was the son of Chelsea L Putnam and Rosa Leffel.  Troy joined the Air Force in 1941 and served in the military until about a year before he was killed in 1963.  In 1956, while stationed in Libya, his wife Abby joined him.  Troy retired from the Air Force with the rank of Master Sergeant.  To keep himself busy during his retirement, Troy purchased a service station in Fort Worth.   
We are related to Troy Putnam through his mother, Rose Leffel, who was a cousin to our Grandma Mabel Leffel Baldwin.

Houston Holt

In 1878, Houston Holt was charged with murder in two cases. First was the 1878 murder of a man by the name of Powers for a remark about his horse (Sherman Daily Register). Hous was also charged with a second murder that had occurred years earlier. This was the murder of a man named Beard who has accused Houston Holt's father of being a member of an insurrection party. He was mostly referring to the "Peace Party" or Unionist party that had so many members hanged in the Great Hanging at Gainesville in neighboring Cooke County.

Houston was not charged with killing Beard until after the charges of killing Powers were filed against him. He was found guilty of both murders and sentenced to life-time or a total of 104 years in prison (99 years plus 5). 

To read about his murders and his pardon from the Governor of Texas, click here.

Hous Holt, was married to Sarah Ann West, daughter of John & Barbara (Harmon) West. John West was the brother to our director ancestor, Susan Evaline West Leffel.  

Related Posts:
Murders in the Family  
Holt's Pardon