Frank Kidder Upham was born May 30, 1841 in Castine, Hancock County, Maine. At the age of two his family moved to Boston, then to Dixon, Illinois in 1853. In April 1859, he left home from Illinois with a party bound for the gold mines in Colorado but kept moving westward overland, finally reaching California in October of that year. He was in California when the Civil War erupted and he joined the 7th California Regiment (Infantry) during its organization in October 1864, at which time he received a commission as a Second Lieutenant. During the war, his unit was first stationed at the Presidio in San Francisco and then at various posts in Arizona. He was mustered out of service at the Presidio on 26 Apr 1866 and was appointed to the regular US Army in California one year later, keeping rank. He was promoted to First Lieutenant on 27 Aug 1869.

On an extended leave of absence to visit his gravely ill mother in Illinois, Frank met Sarah Elvira Camp and they were married in Dixon on 1 Apr 1871. They returned to the west shortly thereafter and the first of their four children was born in Sep 1872 at Fort Apache, Arizona Territory.

Over the next 20 years he was assigned to various posts in the west including the Presidio in San Francisco, Fort Walla Walla, Washington Territory and Fort Custer, Montana Territory. He was promoted to the rank of Captain on 1 Nov 1882. He commanded the troop which killed the Indian medicine man "Sword Bearer" in a fight with the Crow Indian agency in Montana in 1887. The following is an excerpt from a letter of commendation he received from the War Department in Washington, DC for this action.

November 5, 1887. Captain Frank K. Upham, 1st Cavalry; for bravery in action against hostile Crow Indians, at Crow Agency, Montana, while commanding his troop, by the fire of which the medicine man "Sword Bearer" was killed.
By command of Major-General Schofield.

Captain Upham retired from military service on 4 Feb 1892. It was common to promote soldiers who had exhibited meritorious service over many years duration by one grade upon their retirement, and so it was with Captain Upham. He was entitled to use the rank of Major even though his retirement is officially listed at the grade of Captain.

When he retired, Major Upham was asked to assume an active roll in the National Home for Disabled Veteran Soldiers (NHDVS), a forerunner of the current Veteran's Administration. He accepted and became Quartermaster and Treasurer in 1895 and was promoted permanent Treasurer of the Pacific Division of the NHDVS in Los Angeles a year later.

Among his many duties was that of transferring the monthly payroll from the railroad station to the Soldier's Home. The morning of 17 Oct 1899 was such a day on which the payroll was to be secured. Part of the routine was for him to arm himself to protect the cash during its transfer. While handling the guns in his office, Major Upham apparently stumbled, causing a pistol in his hand to discharge and the bullet struck him in the head, killing him instantly.

He was buried in the cemetery at the Soldier's Home which today is known as Los Angeles National Cemetery. Buried beside him are his wife Sarah, son John and daughter Ethel. He was the patriarch of an extended military family as both of his sons and all three of his grandsons graduated from the US Service Academies and all 5 are buried at either Los Angeles or Arlington National Cemeteries.

He was well-liked by all the men with whom he worked and served at the Soldier's Home, as evidenced by the special monument erected to him.