Teresa Kay Putty was born in Shelbyville, Indiana.  She is the daughter of Norman and Elizabeth Theobald.

Teresa married Tony Putty in 1975 and settled in Shelby County.  Here they raised two daughters, Amber and Sarah. 

Teresa received her Bachelor of Science Degree from Indiana University (of Indianapolis), with her focus being anthropology and archaeology.

Teresa specializes in the Middle to Late and Transitional Archaic Cultures of the Ohio River Valley.  Her passion for 'rescue' archaeology motivated her during the writing of this book, The Birth of a Culture.