Joshua Upham UEL (1741 - 1808)

Born 3 Nov 1741 in Brookfield, Worcester, Massachusetts

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Chandler) Upham — married 11 Dec 1792 in Westmorland, , New Brunswick, Canada

Descendants

Died 1 Nov 1808 at age 66 in London, England, United Kingdom

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Biography

Major Joshua Upham UEL served with King's American Dragoons during the American Revolution.

Joshua Upham was a United Empire Loyalist.
UEL Status:Proven
Date: Undated

Joshua Upham was born November 3, 1741, the son of Dr Jabez Upham and Katherine Nichols of Brookfield, MA^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

Joshua graduated from Harvard in 1763 and started, but did not complete an MA at Cambridge. In 1765, he was admitted to the bar in Worcester; in 1768, he was admitted an attorney to the Superior Court; in 1769 he was appointed Justice of the Peace; in 1772 he became a barrister and went into partnership with his brother-in-law, Daniel Murray^[2]

On October 27, 1768, in Rutland Massachsuetts, Joshua married Elizabeth Murray, daughter of Hon. John Murray and Elizabeth McLanathan of Rutland, Mass^{[5] [3] [4] [2]}, and their children included:

1. Isabella, born 30 Sep, 1769, d. young^[4]
2. Elizabeth, born 19 May 1771, who died unmarried 18 Apr 1844^{[4] [3]}
3. John Murray, born 21 Jul 1773, a physician, who married 1803 Mary Dickson and settled in Truro, NS^{[4] [3]}
4. Joshua Nichols, born 6 May 1775, who married Mary Fields: settled in Greenwich, MA^{[4] [3] [6]}
5. Robert, who died young^[4]
6. Sarah Green, born 19 Feb 1777, who married 7 Aug 1797 Hon John Murray Bliss^{[4] [3]}

Joshua Upham initially opposed his Loyalist in-laws. In 1768 he openly supported some of the domestic manufacturers' symbolic protests, and was appointed Major in the militia. From the description provided in the Harvard biography, he may have been the most revolutionary of the Worcester bar, but he drew the line at breaking the law and in the end he sold his property and made his way "by flag of truce" to the British in New York in April 1777. If you can access the Harvard biography, it also includes some amusing anecdotes of his adventures in the British Army, like raiding sheep and holding Fort Franklin when ordered to relinquish it - his soldiers slid down the lumber chutes in their sheepskin breeches in their hurry to defend the fort when it was attacked^[2]. Sabine also provides an overview of Joshua's various posts and accomplishments^[7][8] . He ended the war as a Colonel of the Dragoons.

His wife Elizabeth (Murray) Upham died in 1782 in NY, and the children were sent to various friends to be raised^[2].

Joshua Upham was awarded a grant of 1000 acres at French Village, New Brunswick in compensation for his loss of income. He was a Judge of the Supreme Court of New Brunswick, appointed to the Executive Council in 1786 and to the Legislative Council in February 1787^{[2] [3]}

On December 11, 1792, he married Mary Chandler, daughter of Loyalist Joshua chandler and Sarah Miles, and sister-in-law to Amos Botsford^{[9] [2] [3] [4]}, and their children included:

1. Mary Isabella, who married William Ruffee of Granville, NS^{[4] [3] [10]}
2. Martha Sophia, born 1796, who married. Alexander Howe Winnett of Granville, NS: they settled at Cobourg, QC ^{[4] [3] [10]}
3. Catherine Elizabeth, born 1798, who married 3 May 1836 George Pagan and settled in Richibucto, Kent County^{[4] [3] [10]}
4. Charles Wentworth, born 4 May 1802, who married 29 Mar 1826 Susan Ann Holmes, a sister of Oliver Wendell Holmes and d/o Rev. Abiel Holmes of Cambridge, MA: they settled in Salem, MA^{[4] [3] [10] [10] [11]}
5. Frances Chandler, born 3 Feb 1806, who married 26 Feb 1829 John Wesley Weldon and settled in Kent County, NB^{[4] [3] [12] [10]}

Throughout his adult life, Upham suffered from rheumatism and lived with considerable pain. In early 1807, he travelled to England to argue for an increase in the salary of judges in Colonial New Brunswick. He was injured on board ship on the journey and was too unwell to return home.

Hon Joshua Upham died 1 Nov 1808 in London, England^{[2] [4] [3]}. His will was dated September 9, 1806 and proved March 24, 1809^[10]

Sources

1. ↑ Massachusetts Vital Records Brookfield, Volume 1, page 217, also found on NEHGS, which states UPHAM Joshua, s. Jabish and Kattrain, Nov. 3, 1741.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7} Colonial Collegians, 1642-1774: Biographies of Those Who Attended American Colleges before the War for Independence Volume Harvard, page 7198 CD-ROM. Boston, Mass.: Massachusetts Historical Society : New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2005. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.)
3. ↑ ^{3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13} The Chandler Family: The Descendants of William and Annis Chandler who settled in Roxbury, Mass., 1637 by by Chandler, George, 1806-1893; Publication date 1883; Publisher Worcester, Mass., Press of C. Hamilton. Mary Chandler's father is person 314 on page 252, Mary is person 741 on pages 482-5
4. ↑ ^{4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14} New Brunswick Genealogical Society First Families listing for Joshua Upham suggests the following references MC1156 Graves Papers: Joshua Upham, 1 page: see also MC1286 Volume V Dictionary of Canadian Biography, pages 830-832: see MC80/31 W.C. Milner’s History of Sackville, New Brunswick, page 136: see also MC80/607 F.K. Upham’s Upham genealogy: descendants of John Upham of Massachusetts, pages 93, 117-125: see Saint John Regional Library: David Russell Jack Bequest: Genealogy, microfilm F109, page 20: see also MC2852 Purdy-Carter genealogical collection, MS2: on microfilm F20988: see sheet for Joshua Upham.
5. ↑ Massachusetts Vital Records Rutland Volume 1, page 201, also found in NEHGS, which states UPHAM Joshua of Brookfield and Mrs. Elizabeth Murray, Oct. 27, 1768.
6. ↑ Provincial Archives of New Brunswick Daniel F Johnson's New Brunswick Newspaper Vital Statistics : Volume 1 Number 697; Date August 26 1805; County Saint John; Place Saint John; Newspaper The Saint John Gazette, which states d. 10th June, Greenwich, Mass., Joshua N. second s/o Judge UPHAM of this Province. NBRG
7. ↑ Biographical sketches of loyalists of the American Revolution with an historical essay by Lorenzo Sabine. Boston : Little, Brown, c1864. See Volume 2, page 372, 373
8. ↑ United Empire Loyalist Association of Canada Directory Listing for Joshua Upham
9. ↑ "Canada Marriages, 1661-1949," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F2PS-MQJ : 10 February 2018), Joshua Upham and Mary Chandler, 11 Dec 1792; citing Westmorland,New Brunswick, reference ; FHL microfilm 847,576.
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6} Provincial Archives of New Brunswick Wallace Hale's Early New Brunswick Probate, 1785-1835; Family Name UPHAM; Given Names Hon. Joshua; Was there a Will? Yes; Date of Will 1806-09-12; Date Will was proved 1809-03-24; Was an inventory completed? No; County Kings; Parish Norton; Probate is for a woman? No; Abstract references a vessel? No; Abstract Parish of Norton, Kings County, Esquire. Will dated 12 September 1806, proved 24 March 1809. Wife Mary all real and personal estate. And for the better education & bringing up of my dear Children Mary Isabella, Martha Sophia, Kathrin Elizabeth Putnam, Charles Wentworth and Frances Chandler I do give & Dispose of the Tuition of them & every of them, unto my said Wife during the Time they & either of them respectively continue unmarried and remain under the age of twenty-one years. The unhappy Event of the late American War & a long course of ill Health have unavoidably prevented my making Provision for my Children, both by my first & second Wives, those by the latter I leave in the Hands & Care of their now living Mother, the others are I hope capable of supporting themselves. Eldest daughter Elizabeth being unsettled, my will and request to my Wife is, if sufficient property remains after paying my Debts, that she will pay her annually during her remaining unmarried the sum of Fifty Dollars. I have done the best I could do for my Elder Children in giving them the best education in my power & sorry I am I can do no more for them. Wife Mary UPHAM, her nephew William BOTSFORD Esq. and friend Mr. Isaiah SMITH executors. Witnesses: Elijah BAXTER, William HOYT, Oliver ENGLISH.
11. ↑ "Massachusetts Deaths, 1841-1915," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N7P1-DH7 : 22 May 2019), Mary Chandler in entry for Charles W. Upham, 15 Jun 1875; citing Salem, Massachusetts, v 274 p 274, State Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm 960,207.
12. ↑ Provincial Archives of New Brunswick Daniel F Johnson's New Brunswick Newspaper Vital Statistics : Volume 4 Number 90; Date March 14 1829; County Saint John; Place Saint John; Newspaper New Brunswick Courier, which states m. Dorchester (West. Co.) Thursdy 26th Feb., by Rev. C. Milner, John W. WELDON, Barrister at Law / Frances UPHAM youngest d/o late Hon. Judge UPHAM.

See also:

• The On-Line Institute for Advanced Loyalist Studies Search Joshua Upham
• UELAC : Loyalists of the Maritimes Loyalist Regiments: King’s American Dragoons : Benjamin Thompson (Count Rumford), Major Jonathan Odell, Major Joshua Upham, Dr. Adino Paddock; accessed 26 Apr 2023
• Ann Gorman Condon, “UPHAM, JOSHUA,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 5, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed February 14, 2019, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/upham_joshua_5E.html.
• Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Name: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.; Repository: #R2

Acknowledgments

• Thank you to Malcolm Bliss for creating WikiTree profile Upham-214 through the import of Malcolm Bliss Family Tree_AutoBackup_2013-05-29_01.ged on May 29, 2013. Click to the Changes page for the details of edits by Malcolm and others.