Descendants of Captain Arthur Fenner

Jasper Alavester Fenner

 

Jasper Alavester Fenner, ca. 1900. Courtesy of Richard Arthur Fenner.

[b 5 Dec. 1882 at Ovid Twp., Branch Co., MI; d 29 May 1956 at Sacramento, CA] Jasper Alavester Fenner went to Teachers College at Marion, Indiana, with four of his cousins (Viola, Lena, Daisy, and Ella Fenner). He taught school at Bethel, Michigan, in 1900 and 1901. He entered the University of Michigan in September 1903, and received his degree in 1906 as a pharmaceutical chemist. Jasper was a registered pharmacist. On 24 Oct. 1906 he m 1st Gertrude Blanche Conklin [b 20 Oct 1886 at Kinderhook, Branch Co., MI; d 8 Dec. 1909 at Branch Co., MI]. Their daughter Prescilla was born in 1908 while he was a chemist for Park, Davis & Co., Detroit, Michigan. Gertrude died of peritonitis following a surgery, when Prescilla was only 21 months old. Jasper left the child with relatives at Coldwater, Michigan, and went on an around-the-world trip under contract with the American News Syndicate for a column a week, which was syndicated throughout the Eastern United States.

On 28 May 1914, Jasper m 2nd Ann Mildred Brill [b 4 Oct. 1894 at Sharpsburg, Allegheny Co., PA; d 25 Dec. 1981 at Sacramento, CA] of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and they immediately went to Japan, where they lived seven years. He had found a job with Wyeth Incorporated, a complete pharmaceutical, biological, and nutritional service, and he was transferred as a chemist from Philadelphia to Japan. After the Japanese Earthquake of 9 Sept. 1923 destroyed three drug stores in Japan, he returned to the United States and settled in Portland, Oregon. In 1930, he was asked to take over as a representative to India and Burma under a three-year contract. From there he went to Sacramento, California, and was still a representative for them at the time of his death in 1956. Ann lived twenty-five more years, and died on Christmas Day in 1981.

Child by Gertrude Conklin:

  1. Prescilla [b 3 Mar. 1908] m Clair Gallatin.

Children by Ann Brill:

  1. Brill J. [b 5 May 1915 in Tokyo, Japan; d 25 Nov. 1983 at Sacramento, CA] m Donna Madson.

  2. Joann [b 6 June 1917 at Berkeley, Alameda Co., CA; d 16 Feb. 1994 at Sacramento, CA] m David Hays.

  3. Peggy Ann [b 12 Oct. 1920 at Seattle, WA] twin of Jay, m Spencer Perkins.

  4. Jay Alavester [b 12 Oct. 1920 at Seattle, WA; d 21 Sept. 1998 at Danville, Contra Costa Co., CA] twin of Peggy, m Gwendolyn Joyce Sawdey, on 24 June 1944. They had Judy [b 8 May 1945 at Rochester, MN; d 19 Apr. 2022 in CA] who m W.C. McGill in 1973, and Victoria Lee [b 18 June 1949 at Sacramento, CA; d 17 Sept. 2011 at San Ramon, CA] who m Daniel Kolody and had Rachel; they divorced.

Jasper Fenner (left), 1913.

 

Top: Jay, Joann, Peggy, Brill. Front: Ann, Jasper, 1950s.

 

Lineage:
Arthur | Thomas | Thomas | Daniel | Thomas | William | Nathaniel | Collins | Corydon | Jasper

Sources:
1. Jasper’s memorial at FindaGrave.com, no. 29408081
2. Eva Fenner, Notes, 8. Correspondence with Jasper dated 25 Nov. 1955, 10 Dec. 1955, 14 Jan. 1956, and 27 Jan. 1956. 
3. Obituary of Jasper Fenner: PDF