Descendants of Captain Arthur Fenner

Richard Fenner

[b 1695; d 6 Feb. 1773] Richard Fenner m 1st Abigail Sheldon [b 1695; d 1744], daughter of Nicholas Sheldon and Abigail Tillinghast, on 11 Jan. 1716, by Justice Richard Brown. He m 2nd Abigail (Clemence) Thornton, daughter of Richard Clemence. Will in Johnston records vol. 1, p 87 mentions a homestead in Johnston, lands in Pawtuxet given to Arthur; to Lydia 100£ and furniture; to John the right of his brother Joseph and himself in tract in Glocester; to Richard and Jeremiah a right in tract in Scituate near Chaupauseakock Hill. His estate amounted to 330£ 4s.

Richard was a justice of the peace. He lived probably for a time in the homestead of his father, Major Thomas, and then built a home nearby (see below) on Plainfield Pike (now 1015 Cranston St.), which divides Cranston and Johnston. The site is close to the Simmons Mansion in Johnston, which was occupied in 1826. Richard served as a Judge from 1732 to 1737, and was a member of the Governor’s Council in 1740.

Children with Abigail Sheldon:

Abigail [b 1716; d before 1726]
Richard [b 1718; d 17 Feb. 1799 in Johnston] m 1st Elizabeth Arnold ca. 1742, m 2nd Amy — after 1774.
Lydia [b ca. 1720; d 23 Jan. 1806] m Job Angell. They had a son, John, who had Asahel.
Arthur [b 6 Jan. 1725; d 7 Feb. 1793] m Phebe Harris.
John [b 1728; d 8 Feb. 1806 at Smithfield] m Ruth Potter.
Jeremiah [b 1730; d 12 Feb. 1789] m Anne Warner.

Lineage:
Arthur | Thomas | Richard

Sources:
1. Martha Benns, Notes on the Fenner Family of R.I. (1941), pp. 4, 9, 20.
2. Rick Buckingham, Genealogy, 3.
3. Cowell, 46, 58.
4. Charles Fenner, 4.
5. Eva Fenner, Notes, 581; historical background of the Fenner family, unknown origin.
6. Email from Richard Arthur Fenner to Chris Fenner, 14 Aug. 2003. Benns notes Abigail Sheldon’s birth as 1684, but “1684 would make her mother, Abigail Tillinghast, 10 years old at the time of her birth and she would be 11 years older than Richard.”