Mr. Putnam holds a grudge against Francis Nurse because Nurse had taken part in a land war with his neighbors, and one of those neighbors was a Putnam. The conflict grew to battle-like proportions, lasting for two days in the middle of the woods. Nurse had originally rented his land, but he worked hard to eventually be able to purchase it, and many people resented his rise in status. Further, years ago, Mr. Putnam's wife's brother-in-law, a man named Bayley, had been up for a Salem ministry position, and though he had all the qualifications and a two-thirds vote, he was prevented from taking office by a faction that included the now-powerful Nurse family. Moreover, some other families whose land was adjacent to the Nurse homestead joined with them to create Topsfield, "a new and independent entity whose existence was resented by Old Salemites" like the Putnams.
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