Alonzo Melvin Foss was born in Strafford, NH on July 3, 1847, the son of Dennis and Hannah (Peavy) Foss. At age 18 he began as a clerk in the store of Hon. John M. Jewell in Strafford. Two years later he and his father opened a similar store in Strafford.
In 1847 D. Foss and Son moved their business to Dover and also established a small box factory and a grain mill. In 1884 they gave up the grain mill and expanded the box factory into doors, sashes and blinds. The business eventually grew to 75 employees.
Mr. Foss was a member of the school committee for several years and in 1893 he became Mayor of Dover and served for three years. In 1905 and 1906 he was on the staff of Gov. McLane and served as a member of the Governor’s Council during the administration of Gov. Quimby. He was a 33rd degree mason of Strafford Lodge No. 29 and was a director of the Dover Improvement Association.
In 1869 he married Clara S. Foss the daughter of Frank and Alice (Foss) Foss. They lived in the house at 114 Locust Street which Melvin’s father had purchased around 1870. They had on daughter Ina. A. Melvin Foss died Aug. 31, 1922.
Photograph from Dover Public Library archives, text from Marston, Robert, Dover, NH: People, Businesses and Organizations: 1850 to 1950. Dover, NH, 2004.