"Of all the legends in various branches of the family that he was accompanied by two brothers who settled at other points in New Hampshire, that able historian, Rev. Dr. A.. Quint of dover, n.H., has well said 'There is not a grain of historical evidence to support them.' The writer of this book examined all these legends with care and found them with strong points of difference in various branches of the Pinkham family, many of them asserting that this band of brothers came to America a hundred years after the ancestor Richard had landed here. The ancestor stands out as a figure of clear and sturdy worth. The family traditions are quite unanimous in claiming that this ancestor, Richard Pinkham, came from the Isle of Wight. This, however, has no historical proof. If he came in the good ship hames in 1633, he was evidently, like most of her colonists, from the west coast of England."
"On the 22d day of October, 164, the people of Dover, N.H., established, or renewed, a formal government. The fourth name signed on that wonderful document is that of Richard Pinkhame. . . .The next mention of Richard Pinkham in the old Dover, N.H., records is equally interesting: '27th of the 9th month, 1648; It is this day ordered by a publique Towne meeting that Richard Pinkham shall eat the drum on the Lord's Day to give notice for the time of meeting and to sweepe the Meeting house, for the which he shall be allowed six bushels of Indian corn for his pay this yeare, and to be free from rates.' . . . Rev. Dr. Quint has given this clear statement: 'Richard Pinkham appears to have been a man of good character, and had his share of public offices. The spot where he early dwelt is said to have been the same on which sttod the Pinkham garrison, which richard afterwards made into his habitation. the precise location of this is easily pointed out, inasmuch as it continued to be a dwelling-house until one side of it fell down seven and twenty years ago; that event rendered it necessary for the family to remove, which they did as soon as possible, into a new house sanding about five rods from the old one. After passing the house of Hanson Roberts on Dover Neck the traveler will notice a lane on the west side of the road leading towards the river. On the north side of tis lane is a house now occupied by Elijah Pinkham, a man of more than eighty years, who owns land once owened by his ancestor, Richard.' (After the death of this Elijah Pinkham in 1862, the house was occupied by Mr. Charles Thompson, wo married Rose Pinkham, daughter of Elijah. this old homestead was after this owned by those not of the Pinkham line for a short time; it has lately been purchased by Mr. De orville L. Pinkham.) 'About four rods west of this home of Elkjah Pinkham was the Pinkham garrison house, half of which was taken down about two eyars after the wind had demolished th other half. the spot on which the fortress stood in the ancient days a few months ago presented the aspect of a flourishing cabbage yard!' "
"Mr. John Scales, Esq., of Dover, N.H., writes under date of Jan. 1, 1908: 'The Pinkham garrison was about three-quarters of a mile north of the site of the old First Meeting house on Dover Neck; it was on the west side of the present road, which was called High Street by the early settlers; the garrison was on astreet called Low Street, which ran paralel with High Street, and was about half-way between High Street ad the Back River. There is no picture of te garrison; it most resembled the drew garrison. This locality was in plain sight of the old church.' These particular descriptions of the sit of the old Pinkham homestead are given in the hope that many readers of this book will take pains to visit that beautiful spot which slopes gently towards the Bellamy ricer, and commands a fine view of that stream, and of many other points of interest."
The fictionalized story "The Easter Drum" by Charles N. Sinnett, published in the New England Magazine April, 1905, is on file.
"Ancestor Richard Pinkham; first mentioned as a resident of Dover Neck, N.H., 1640; he no doubt came there much earlier than that; in 1671 he conveyed the bulk of his property to his son John, who engaged to support him; he is supposed to have lived for some time after that; he was one of the constables; a man of sturdy character and helpful influence."
"I got out my early Pinkham deeds and see that there's no definitive deed showing that Richard Pinkham who married Mary Coffin was the son of Richard-1. Richard-1 deeded for life support on 4 August 1671 (NH Provinicial Deeds 3:47) to his son John. John also agreed to care for his brother Matthew who was incapacitated. This was hard to find since it is filed under the spelling Pincom. I did discover a court case where Richard Pinkham who married Elizabeth Leighton deposed as being 30 years old in 1709. That should be a clear indicator that he can't be the father of Richard who married Mary Coffin and was having children in 1681. So i guess it's all about the relative ages and not about deeds."
"Richard, Dover 1640, beat the drum for service and swept the meet.-ho. in 1648. he liv. ab. a mile N. of Dover Neck. freeman 1653. Lists 351ab, 352, 355a, 356fh, 357e, 359a. In 1660 he was in ct. for threatening to beat his w. if she came home by day or night. She was Gylian in 1663 when she sat an hour in the stocks as he refused to pay her fine for abs. from meeting; he was abs. himself in 1669. In June 1671, with no ment. of w., he deeded to supp. to s. Jon, who also agreed to supp. br. Matthew; John sold f.'s land in 1688."
List 351a - "Petition dated, 'Northam, 4, 1 Moneth' (1640) against coming under the government of Massachusetts before the patentees should be heard from. The original petition is signed in three columns headed by Richard Walderne (Edward Colcord, Robert Huckins); William Waldern (John Tuttle, Henry Beck, Edmund Starbuck); Thomas Larkham (William Jones, John Follett). As printed in Prov. Papers i. 128."
List 351b - "The Combination, dated 22 October 1640, printed four times in Prov. Papers, best in x. 701. This document only exists in a copy made by strangers 40 years afterwards, and contains names found nowhere else, some young Englishman pretending to made out all the signatures in obsolete writing perfectly."
List 352 - "The 20-acre lots laid out in 1642 on the west side of Back River, 40 x 80 rods, numbered from South to North, with later owners in parentheses.
Lot 24 Richard Pinkom.
23 Name not given.
22 John Westell (Richard Pinkham, Thomas P.)"
List 355a - "Dover Voters. A list headed 'These are Fremen' in the town records is well printed in N.E. Reg iv. 247."
List 356f - "Inhabitants of Dover Neck having rights in Oxe Pasture, list taken 13 June 1661. - Histt. Mem. 365."
List 356h - "Tax List made 7 December 1663. Printed in Notable Events 58 - correctly copied from the Dover Enquirer (original gone). The tax list made 16 Oct. 1664, as printed in the Dover Enquirer before the original disappeared, shows the following changes:
. . . New Richard Pinkham _____________
Conchecho _____________"
List 357e - "Inquest, Hannah Stokes, Sept. 21, 1674. A child drowned. Jury: . . .
Richard Penkum."
List 359a - "Dover Tax List 23 July 1677. Now first printed. The next earlier list, 14 Feb. 1675-6 was poorly printed in the Dover Enquirer and reprinted without corrections. Both that list and this have corners gone; as printed below, the names in brackets are taken from the 1675-6 list to replace names lost from the 1677 list. - Dover Town Records 'No. 5.' "
"Regarding the Pinkham family, tradition tells, of course, of the 'three brothers who came over.' One, it says, settled on Dover Neck, one at Oyster River, and one on Bloody Point side, - a tradition which is entirely without foundation. Perhaps the family story which says that the Isle of Wight was its former residence may be entitled to more credit. It is certain however that Richard Pinkham, the first ancestor of the name who 'came over', the gentleman who was ordered by a vote of the town in 1648, to 'beat the drumme' on Lord's day to call the people to meeting , was here too in 1642 and perhaps earlier. The spot where he early dwelt is said to be the same on which stood the Pinkham garrison which Richard made his habitation. On Dover neck is a house now occupied by Elijah Pinkham, a man of more than eighty years, who owns land once owned by his ancestor Richard. About four rods directly west of this house was the garrison house, half of which was taken down about two years after the wind had demolished the other half, viz., about 1825. Richard lived on Dover Neck and died there. He appears to have been a man of good character and had his share of public office. In 1671 he conveyed the bulk of his property to his son John, who engaged to support him."
"History of the so-called 20-acre los.
The oldest record of the town of Dover, now in existence, was recorded by the town clerk, Willim Walderne, on a piece of paper, in 1642, and tht paper was copied into the earliest record book now extant, by William Pomfrett, who was chosen clerk in 1647, and served nearly a quarter of a certury. There were record books before this one, which is marked on the cover 'No. 7,' but they have all been lost. Perhaps someone destroyed them to prevent their being used in the land lawsuits which the Mason heirs brought against the large land owners in Dover. Town Clerk Pomfrett was an interested party in having the contents of that piece of paper preserved, hence he recorded it in the first book he kept. It reads and spells as follows:
The west sied of ye Back Reue or ouer ye Back riuer
A Record of ye 20 ackes loets as theay waer in order given and layed out to ye inhabetance hoes names are hee under menshened with a nomber of the loet to each pertickler man. As it was fowned Recorded by William Walden in a Pec of paper in ye yeir (16) 42, wich lots ar in breadth at ye water sied 40 poell and in lenketh 80 poll up into ye woods. . .
Richard Pinkham, 24"
"Thomas Chauney renews deed of property to son Joseph; my late dwelling house and land, bounded E. by fore river, N. by a Cove, W. by 'ye Great Streete on Dove Neck,' S. by land lately Joseph Austin's; also lot on D, N. bounded N. by john roberts, W. by a Cove, S. by land lately Richard Pinckam's."
"Old Series, No. 179
Deeds
to or from Dover men; taken from the Registry at Exeter, Vol. 3, continued from No. 142 . .
Richard Pincom to son John Pincom his 3 1/2 acre lot with orchard, bounded E and S. W. and N.W. by highway,and N.E. by Joseph Canney's for Ð12. 22 June 1671.
Richard Pincom to John Pincom, his ouse, lands, meadow, orchard,household goods, cattle &c, for which John agrees to support his father 'in a christian way' and give him every year 4 Ð. 12 June 1671."
"Pinkham's creek rises in the Great Swamp, and empties into the Great Bay on the borders of Newington and Greenland. The highway between these two towns crosses the creek about eight rods below the greenland line. The name is derived from Richard Pinckhame or Pinkham, of the Dover Combination of 1640, who had a grant of land on Great Bay sometime previous to June 30, 1659, when Thomas Layton certified under oath before Thomas Dantforth that 'the town of Dover gave Richard Pincham a lott of marsh in ye Great bay, & yt sd Pincum sould all his right that he had in said marsh to Joseph Austin of Dover.' (Dover Records). "
"Pinkham's Garrison. This garrison was built by Richard Pinckhame, of the Dover Combination. It stood on the west side of Dover Neck, on gently sloping land overlooking Back river, that for sic generations remained in possession of the Pinkham family, covering a space of about 250 years. It is now owned by Charles Thompson. About four rods west of his house stood the garrison, which was taken down about 1825."
"On the 22d day of October, 1640, the people of Dover established or renewed a formal government . . .Richard Pinckhame . . . " Full test to be entered.
"The fifth minister, Daniel Maud, whose character is deservedly venerated, settled in Dover in 1642; . . he died here in 1655. His were the days when Richard Pinkham beat the drum to call the people to meeting"
Sources:
Type: Book
Author: Charles Nelson Sinnett
Periodical: Richard Pinkham of Old Dover New Hampshire and his Descendants
Publication: (Concord, NH: Rumford Printing Co, 1908)
Type: E-Mail Message
Author: Martin Hollick (mhollick@home.com)
Title: Re: Pinkham/Coffin family
Date: 9 April 2001
Location: On file with Barbara Fleming
Type: Book
Author: Sybil Noyes & Walter Goodwin Davis
Periodical: Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire
Publication: (Portland, ME: The Southworth-Anthoensen Press, 1938)
Type: Book
Author: Sybil Noyes, Charles Thornton Libby & Walter Goodwin Davis
Periodical: Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire
Publication: (Portland, ME: Southworth-Anthoensen Press, 1928-1939)
Type: Periodical
Author: Alonzo H. Quint
Title: Genealogical Items relating to the Family Settlers of Dover, N.H.
Periodical: New England Historical & Genealogical Register
Date: October, 1853
Type: Book
Author: John Scales
Periodical: History of Dover, New Hampshire
Publication: Manchester, NH: John B. Clarke, Printers, 1923
Type: Book
Author: Mary P. Thompson
Periodical: Landmarks in Ancient Dover, New Hampshire
Publication: (Heritage Books, 1991)
