Richard Upham (bap. 6 December 1716 – ) was a political figure in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

. He briefly represented Onslow Township in the

Nova Scotia House of Assembly The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (french: Assemblée législative de la Nouvelle-Écosse; gd, Taigh Seanaidh Alba Nuadh), or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia of the province of Nova Scotia ...

in 1775. He was baptized in

Malden, Massachusetts Malden is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the time of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 66,263 people. History Malden, a hilly woodland area north of the Mystic River, was settled by Puritans in 1640 on la ...

on 6 December 1716, the son of Richard Upham and Abigail Hovey. He married Elizabeth Hovey. On 15 July 1757, he married Elizabeth Putnam (née Nurse), a widow. Upham fought at the siege of

Louisbourg Louisbourg is an unincorporated community and former town in Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. History The French military founded the Fortress of Louisbourg in 1713 and its fortified seaport on the southwest part of the harbour, ...

in 1758. He first came to Halifax from Massachusetts, and was one of the original grantees of Onslow Township in 1759. Upham was named a

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

in 1761. He was named captain in the local militia 30 July 1761. He was named collector of impost and excise at Cobequid on 28 April 1762.''

Cobequid The old name Cobequid was derived from the Mi'kmaq word "Wagobagitk" meaning "the bay runs far up", in reference to the area surrounding the easternmost inlet of the Minas Basin, a body of water called Cobequid Bay. Cobequid was granted in 1689 to ...

'' in this context refers to the townships of Truro and Onslow. Upham was also named as coroner for Onslow township on 21 March 1765. He compiled a census for Onslow and Truro in 1770. He was elected to the House of Assembly in a by-election, taking his seat June 12, 1775. He apparently died in September 1775. His daughter Sarah married

Nathaniel Marsters Nathaniel Marsters (June 6, 1758 – July 19, 1843) was a farmer, magistrate and political figure in Nova Scotia. He represented Onslow Township in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1806 to 1818. He was born in Massachusetts, the son of ...

Notes

References

* ''A Directory of the Members of the Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia, 1758-1958'', Public Archives of Nova Scotia (1958) * 1716 births Year of death missing Nova Scotia pre-Confederation MLAs {{NovaScotia-MLA-stub