Curtiss Philo Upson (1837 - 1890)

Born 6 Dec 1837 in Egremont, Berkshire, Massachusetts, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Helen Eugenia (Tryon) Upson — married 3 Dec 1862 in Pittsfield, Berkshire, Massachusetts

Died 14 Sep 1890 at age 52 in Pittsfield, Berkshire, Massachusetts, United States

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Biography

Curtis was born in 1837, the son of Philo Upson and Sarah Curtiss.

He married Helen Tryon on 4 Dec 1862 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.^[1][2]

They appear not to have had any children.

Curtis Upson died in 1890.^[3] He committed suicide by drinking a large amount of laudanum (tincture of opium). His death was very widely reported in newspapers in the East and Midwest.

Newspaper Articles

Disgrace Drove Him to Suicide.

PITTSFIELD, Mass., Sept. 15.—Curtis P. Upson, superintendent of the Pittsfield Street Railway company, has committed suicide by taking laudanum. He had been drinking heavily of late, and was suspended from duty by the directors for this reason. This disgrace probably was the cause of the rash act. He was 51 years old and leaves a wife.^[4]

CAUSED A SENSATION.

The Suicide of Curtis P. Upson, a Popular Citizen of Pittsfield, Mass.

PITTSFIELD, Mass., Sept. 15.—Curtis P. Upson, Superintendent of the Pittsfield Street Railroad Co., committed suicide Saturday by taking two ounces of laudanum. Upson was 51 years old, and had been in Pittsfield twenty years. He had been manager of the street railway since the organization of the company in 1886. He had been drinking for several weeks and was suspended from duty by the directors. He spent Saturday morning at Bridges' livery office and was cheerful and talkative. About noon he went out and made a tour of the drug stores, and finally secured the poison on pretense of wanting it for a sick horse. He went back to the livery office and, when the proprietor stepped out, he took the poison. He was taken home and died at 5 o'clock, despite the efforts of the physicians. He was formerly manager of the Academy of Music and was a man of ability. The loss of his position on the street railway was the cause of the act. Upson was very popular here and the news of his suicide caused a sensation. He left a wife.^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 (Ancestry.com)
2. ↑ Massachusetts, Marriage Records, 1840-1915 (Ancestry.com)
3. ↑ Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 (Ancestry.com)
4. ↑ The Ogdensburg Journal (Ogdensburg, NY) Sept 16 1890, page 1 http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org
5. ↑ St. Louis Dispatch (St. Louis, MO), 15 Sep 1890 page 5

Additional Sources

• 1850 US Federal Census; Census Place: Egremont, Berkshire, Massachusetts; Roll: M432_306; Page: 217B; Image: 436 (Ancestry.com)

• 1855 Massachusetts, State Census; Egremont, Berkshire, Household number: 75; Reel Number: 2; Volume Number: 3 (Ancestry.com)

• 1860 US Federal Census; Census Place: New York Ward 5 District 1, New York, New York; Roll: M653_790; Page: 381; Image: 225; Family History Library Film: 803790 (Ancestry.com)

• 1880 US Federal Census; Census Place: Pittsfield, Berkshire, Massachusetts; Roll: 521; Family History Film: 1254521; Page: 373D; Enumeration District: 057; Image: 0751 (Ancestry.com)

• Curtiss P. Upson's Memorial