Descendants of Capt. Arthur Fenner

Samuel Fenner

[b 2 Mar. 1755 at Coventry, RI; d 7 Mar. 1830 at Scituate, RI] On 26 Sept. 1776, Samuel Fenner m Lydia Ralph [b 5 Mar. 1758 at Providence, RI; d 19 Oct. 1820]. She was the daughter of David Ralph and Freelove Angell, of Hope, near Scituate. Samuel’s portion under his father’s will has been thought to be land in Scituate, the deed of which appears in Scituate records, book 7, p. 151. Samuel spent the rest of his life on his farm of 104-1/2 acres. Because of his thrift and neatness, his neighborhood acquired the name “Trimtown,” which was still used in 1892. His farm was about ten miles from the center of Providence and was midway between the Plainfield pike and the Danielson pike, which were four miles apart. Since travelers at the time were frequent, he obtained a license for a tavern in 1787.

In 1810, Samuel deeded the homestead to his son Jeremiah, who had married, but he and his wife continued to live there. Samuel’s name appears as one of the “Scituate Hunters” in 1792, a military order similar to state militia. The house built by Samuel, probably between 1776 and 1786, was in possession of his descendants for nearly 150 years, until 1922 when it was sold by his grandson, Millard Hopkins, to Henry Fortune. The land was part of 450 acres left by Major Thomas Fenner. Both he and his wife were interred nearby in the little Fenner cemetery.

  1. Sarah [b 30 Nov. 1778 at South Scituate, RI; d 17 Mar. 1864] m Isaac Field [1774–1857], son of Thomas Field and Deliverance Hammon, ca. 1796.

  2. Jeremiah [b 10 July 1785; d 5 Dec. 1848] m Mary Angell.

  3. Lydia [b 26 Mar. 1790 at Scituate, RI; d 16 Aug. 1812 at Scituate, RI] m Abner Peckham [1779–1854], son of Stephen Peckham and Mary Wilcox, on 7 July 1811. They had one child, Lydia Fenner Peckham [b 20 July 1812; d 19 July 1833].

  4. Mary [b 24 Mar. 1793; d 2 July 1826]. Her birthdate is also reported as 1805.

  5. David Ralph [b 6 July 1797 in Scituate, RI; d 26 Oct. 1803 at Scituate, RI] buried on Samuel’s homestead.

Lineage:
Arthur | Thomas | Richard | Jeremiah | Samuel

Notes:
1. Martha Benns, Notes on the Fenner Family of R.I. (1941), p. 40. Martha only shows two children, Jeremiah and David. She names Jeremiah’s wife as Mary A. Harris.
2. Samuel’s memorial at Findagrave.com, no. 15650312.