Westminster West in Putney in Windham County, Vermont — The American Northeast (New England)

Family Home of John Humphrey Noyes

Photographed By Don Morfe, May 23, 2013

1. Family Home of John Humphrey Noyes Marker

Inscription. Eldest son of a Putney family, John Noyes (1811-1886) became deeply religious after a revival meeting in 1831. Convinced that Christ’s Second Coming had occurred in 70 A.D. and that all people could now be free of sin, he became a “Perfectionist.”

Under Noyes’ leadership a small group of followers came together as the Putney Perfectionists. They lived communally, practiced “Bible Communism”, ran a press, and published a paper called “The Witness”.

When they extended the sharing of their financial resources and labor to the sharing of themselves in “Complex Marriage”, villagers pressured them to leave. Fearing legal action they left Putney for Oneida, NY in 1848. There in the Oneida Community they practiced their beliefs for the next 32 years.

Erected 2002 by Vermont Division for Historic Preservation.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Churches & Religion. A significant historical year for this entry is 1831.

Location. 42° 58.633′ N, 72° 31.567′ W. Marker is in Putney, Vermont, in Windham County. It is in Westminster West. Marker is at the intersection of Kimball Hill Road and Frost Road on Kimball Hill Road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Putney VT 05346, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are

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within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Putney Town Hall (approx. ¼ mile away); Putney Veterans Monument (approx. ¼ mile away); Dr. Laura Plantz House (approx. 0.6 miles away); Park Hill Meeting House (approx. 3½ miles away in New Hampshire); Site of First House in Chesterfield (approx. 3.9 miles away in New Hampshire); The Round Schoolhouse (approx. 5 miles away); First Methodist Meeting Place In New Hampshire (approx. 5.8 miles away in New Hampshire); Primary Peace Corps Training Site (approx. 6.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Putney.

Photographed By Don Morfe, May 23, 2013

2. Family Home of John Humphrey Noyes Marker

Photographed By Don Morfe, May 23, 2013

3. Family Home of John Humphrey Noyes Marker

Photographed By Don Morfe, May 23, 2013

4. Family Home of John Humphrey Noyes Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 8, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,000 times since then and 39 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 8, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.