Royal R. Upson was born on April 15, 1848, in Kensington, Connecticut, to Gustavus Upson and Emily Woodruff. His father was a farmer who owned $5,000 of real estate and $900 of personal property in 1860. Upson grew up and attended school in Berlin, Connecticut, and by 1870, he was working as a laborer. By 1880, he was living with his sister Frances, and he ran a grocery store in Berlin. He married a woman named Sarah around 1881, and they had at least three children: Edith, born around 1883; Richard, born around 1885; and Dorothy, born around 1893. By 1900, the family was living in Springfield, Massachusetts, and Upson was working as a retail grocer. He remained there for the rest of his life, and he passed away on August 17, 1930.

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