Descendants of Captain Arthur Fenner

Col. Richard Fenner

 

[b 21 Aug. 1753; d 30 Sept. 1842 at Cranston, RI] On 17 Sept. 1772, Richard m 1st Sarah Manchester [b Mar. 23, 1754; d Nov. 14, 1829], daughter of Matthew Manchester and Freelove Gorton. He was third in a line of Richards, but both of his sons named Richard died as toddlers. He m 2nd Sarah Harris on 2 Apr. 1803. The federal census of pensioners shows Richard living with Welcome in Cranston in 1840. Richard’s will was dated 29 June 1836, and it was proved on 26 Nov. 1842. He and Sarah Manchester were buried at Locust Grove Cemetery in Cranston.

Sion and Jeremiah were founding members of the First Universalist Society in Providence, organized on 10 April 1821. The society built a facility at the corner of Westminster and Union in 1822, then built another facility at Washington and Greene in 1872.

Children by Richard and Sarah Manchester:

  1. Sion [b 30 Dec. 1772  at Providence, RI; d 13 Apr. 1824] m Rebecca Atwood.

  2. Richard [b 27 Oct. 1774; d 7 July 1776, age 1 yr., 8 mos., 20 days].

  3. Richard [b 14 Oct. 1778; d 29 Jan. 1780, age 2 yrs., 3 mos., 15 days].

  4. Joseph J. [b 23 Nov. 1781; d 3 Aug 1856] m Harriet Dana Manchester.

  5. Henry [b 28 Jan. 1783; d 21 Jan. 1787].

  6. Sarah Ann [b 28 May 1785 at Warwick, RI; d 23 Sept. 1855] m Capt. Daniel Rhodes [b 1782; d 26 Jan. 1838 in his 57th yr.] on 1 Jan. 1803.

  7. Elizabeth M. [b 3 May 1787; d 10 Jan. 1808].

  8. Alice [b 13 Jan. 1791; b 28 Sept. 1791].

  9. Mary M. [b 15 Sept. 1792; d 25 June 1818] m Cyrus Potter on 1 Jan. 1809; Had one son, Henry, at Cranston.

  10. Jeremiah [b 18 Apr. 1795; d 25 Jan. 1877] married twice.

  11. Welcome [b 30 July 1797; d 8 Nov. 1854] m Eliza Williams.

  12. Israel [b 1800 at Providence] m Ruth Wright. They had Malvina P. [b 1811; d 15 Nov. 1817 at Cranston].

Lineage:
Arthur | Thomas | Richard | Richard | Richard

Sources:
1. Daniel M. White, Descendants of Thomas Fenner (unpublished), 8­9.
2. In an email from Richard Fenner to Chris Fenner, 14 Aug. 2003, Richard gave Sion’s birth as 10 Dec. 1772.
3. Martha Benns, Notes on the Fenner Family of R.I. (1941), p. 35.
4. Richard’s memorial at FindAGrave.com, no. 19958763
5. Richard M. Bayles, History of Providence County, Rhode Island (1891), p. 458: Archive.org