Alonzo Pinkham

Alonzo T. Pinkham

Alonzo Taylor Pinkham was born in Madbury, NH on Sept. 15, 1847 the son of George W. and Dorothy (Littlefield) Pinkham. He attended schools in Madbury and Franklin Academy in Dover.

In 1864 he became associated with William Vickery in his drug store to learn the business. In 1868 he became a partner in the drug store owned by Dr. James Lothrop and the name of the store was changed to Lothrop & Pinkham. In 1887 he opened a drug store at 203 Central Ave. known as A.T. Pinkham and Co. In 1894 this store moved across the street to a new building built specifically for it (now 1 Silver Street).

Mr. Pinkham married Mary Elizabeth Frye, the daughter of James and Elizabeth (Burroughs) Frye of Dover. Her father ran a shoe store at 11 Main Street in Dover.

Mr. Pinkham was a member of the Strafford Lodge of Masons, the Wecohamet Lodge No. 3 Odd Fellows, the Elks, the Olive Branch Lodge No. 6 Knights of Pythias and the Bellamy Club. He attended the Universalist Church and lived at 609 Central Avenue.

Mr. Pinkham served as a councilman in 1873 & 1874, as a school committeeman from 1887 to 1892 and as a member of the General Court in 1883 & 1884. He was elected mayor of Dover in Nov. 1905 and started his service in 1906. On Aug. 22, 1906 he died suddenly in his store. His wife Mary Elizabeth died May 3, 1919 and at her death, she left the house on Central Avenue to Bertha Snow Godfrey, the daughter of Hiram Snow and widow of Dr. Carl Godfrey.

Photograph from Dover Public Library archives, text from Marston, Robert, Dover, NH: People, Businesses and Organizations: 1850 to 1950. Dover, NH, 2004.

Dover Public Library