Upjohn, William, 1770-1847

William Upjohn was born in England on June 10, 1770. He was an Independent preacher in Shaftesbury, England, and also worked as a civil engineer and piano tuner. On March 14, 1796, he married Mary Standard, and they had twelve children, including Keturah, Demaris, William, Uriah, Sally, and Helen. In July 1830, he and his family left England for the United States, and they settled in Pittsford, New York, before 1836. He became a naturalized citizen on October 2, 1837. Upjohn owned a farm that produced a variety of crops and livestock. In 1836, his children Uriah, Demaris, Helen, and Sally moved to Michigan, where Uriah and William became medical doctors. Keturah Upjohn married a man named Dally on September 25, 1837, and the couple moved to Canada shortly thereafter. William Upjohn died in 1847 or 1848.

From the guide to the William Upjohn diaries, Upjohn, William diaries, 1836-1839, (William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan)