Richard UPSON

                   Historical information included in notes.



Came to America 1638. Received several parcels of land in Hartford, January3, 1639. Left wife and daughter, Mary, in England. Came to America with hisson, Thomas. 1640 he is original proprietor of Farmington, CT. His house waslocated on the site of the current Porter School in Farmington. Inventoryof estate taken Sept 6, 1655:House, orchard and other landTwo cowesTwo heifersOne yock of oxenTwo maresTwo callvesUnnumbered swineBedding and linenThree keettelells and One pottPewter and tinnFrying panWheellPlow, iron, chaynes and sithesOne payer of wheelsbeesmuskettcornThe Upson Family in America - Compiled by the Upson Family Assn.

His son, Thomas Upson, was killed Dec 9, 1672, in Saybrook, CT, when an oxcart ran over his head.

Hartford Land Distribution pg 41Feb 1639 Thomas Upson owned several parcells of land in Hartford upon ye river of Connecticut, one parcell lyinge on the west field containing by estimation two roods whereof two roods was given for a house lott abbutttinge upon cow pasture on the north and on Thomas Barnes his land on the east and on the highway leading from the Cow Pasture to Mr. Allens land on west.One parcell lyinge on the East side of the Great River containing by estimacon four acres more or less abbuttinge upon the Great River on the west and on the land now commom on the East and on Nicholas Guerny's land on the south and on John Purchase land on the North.One parcell lyinge on the Cow Pasture containing bt estimacon four acres, two rodds and 16 inches more or less abbuttinge on the little River on the West and on a highway on the East and on William Killfear's land on the South and on the widow bettses land on the North.


REFN: 8568In 1638, at the time when the Reverend Thomas Hooker preached his f amoussermon, which resulted in the adoption of the Fundamental Orders, Thoma sUpson came to Hartford. His name appears in "ye Towne Book of Hartford"o n January 3, 1639, as one of those "who received land by courtesy of thetown with liberty to fetch wood and keep swine and cows by proportion onthe Comm on." The volume of Colonial records, known as Hartford LandDistribution, pag e 41, discloses that in February, 1639, Thomas Upsonowned "several parcells of land in Hartford upon ye river of Connecticut,one parcell lyinge on the w est field containing by estimacon two roods(more or less) whereof two roods was given for a house lott abbuttingeupon the Cow Pasture on the north and o n Thomas Barns his land on theeast and on the highway leading from the Cow P asture to Mr. Allen's landon West.One parcell lyinge on the East side of t he Great River containing byestimacon four acres more or less abbuttinge upo n the great river on thewest and on the land now common on the East and on N icholas Guerny's landon the south and on John Purchase land on the NorthOn e parcell lying on the Cow Pasture containing by estimacon four acres,two ro dds and 16 inches more or less abbuttinge on the little River onthe West and on a highway on the East and on William Killfear's land onthe South and on the widow bettses land on the North."His home lot was on the west side of wha t is now Albany Avenue. Savage'sGenealogical Dictionary states that some of Thomas Upson's children werecertainly born in England. What was evidently hi s second marriage isrecorded as follows: "Thomas Upsunn was maryed to Elisib eth FullerJenneuary the twenty and three, one thousand six hundred forty and six."The name of the port from which he sailed, the name of his first wife andthe record of the births of his children have not been discovered, aftermuch research.In the preface to his Letters on the First Charter of Massach usetts thewriter, Abel Cushing, says: "It seems to me that history should kn ow noconcealment; the people have a right to know the whole truth; thesup pression of matter would seem to settle it that we are not to betrusted with all portions of our history. If, in the discharge ofimperative duty, I have detailed facts that men have concealed, let noman say that I wantonly expos ed the errors of our fathers." With thisdefense we quote from Vol. 22 of the Particular Court Records ofConnecticut: "Hartford, August 1, 1639, Fined fo r unseasonable andimmoderate drinking at the Pinnace, Thomas Upson, 20 shill ings." It iswith this brief record that the first chapter in the history of ThomasUpson and his descendants opens upon American soil. Writing nearly 200 years later, Noah Porter, President of Yale College, said: "In theseearly days intemperance was a prevailing vice, social drinking wasuniversal and e ven countenanced by the ministry." So let us not placeundue importance upon this one record, the only charge of the kindagainst our progenitor.In 1640 , Hartford land records show a conveyance of land by the TunxisIndians to th e English. The tract included the present towns ofFarmington, Southington, B ristol, Berlin, New Britain and Burlington. Inthis year, Thomas Upson became an original proprietor of the town ofFarmington. The "Ould Town Book," in w hich the records of earlyFarmington Town Meetings were kept, was passed from hand to hand asclerks were elected, and finally fell to pieces, so no recor d of thefirst forty years exists today. The few items in Savage's Genealogic alDictionary of New England, Colonial Records and the Land Records ofFarm ington, and the inventory and distribution of his estate are all wehave arou nd which to reconstruct the life of Thomas Upson.It is to be regretted that i n a list of members of the First Church