Descendants of Captain Arthur Fenner

Sarah Maria Fenner & William Maxson

[b 7 Jan. 1825 at Poland, NY; d 29 Jan. 1916 at Mystic, CT] Sarah Maria Fenner m William Ellery Maxson [b 18 Nov. 1818; d 12 Dec. 1895], son of Silas Maxson and Elizabeth Stillman, on 4 Mar. 1849. William was a ship builder. He started his own business, Maxson, Fish & Co., together with Capt. William Clift, B.F. Hoxie, and Capt. N.G. Fish. During the Civil War, they built ironclad vessels, including the Galena, the first ironclad built for the U.S. government. William was both an abolitionist and prohibitionist.

Sarah was William's second wife. He m 1st Elizabeth M. Smith [b 7 June 1818; d 27 Apr. 1848] of Westerly, RI, on 2 Dec. 1839.

Children of William Maxson & Elizabeth Smith:

1. Herbert Ellery [1843-1864]
2. John Edward [1845-1846]
3. Arthur C. [b 1847] m Mary Godfrey Riley [b 1846].

Children of William Maxson & Sarah Fenner:

4. Alda Marie [b 11 Apr. 1850; d 6 June 1851 in Hopkinton, RI].
5. Mary Elizabeth [b 22 Sept. 1852; 6 May 1853 in Hopkinton, RI].
6. Emily [b 20 Mar. 1855; d 1943 in Mystic, CT] m Louis Packer Allyn [1852-1938].
7. Silas [b 3 May 1857; d 1929 in Hopkinton, RI] m Maria McGaughey in Nov. of 1877.
8. Anne Elizabeth [b 1 Sept. 1859; d 16 Oct. 1860 in Hopkinton, RI].
9. Charles Potter [b 20 Mar. 1862; d 1941 in Hopkinton, RI] m Emma A. Rathke [1870-1932] on 16 June 1890.

Sources:
1. Martha Benns, Notes on the Fenner Family of R.I. (1941), p. 61.
2. Sarah's memorial at FindAGrave, no. 29205638
3. A Modern History of New London, Connecticut, ed. Benjamin Tinkham Marshall, vol. 2 (NY: Lewis Historical Publishing Co., 1922), p. 48.
4. William's memorial at FindAGrave, no. 29205698