Descendants of Captain Arthur Fenner
Major Thomas Fenner
The Major Thomas Fenner House
Thomas Fenner, born 27 Oct. 1652 at Providence, RI, was the son of Arthur Fenner and Mehitable Waterman. Thomas m 1st Alice Ralph [b 1657; d before 1682] daughter of Thomas Ralph, ca. 1675. After Alice’s death, he m 2nd Dinah Borden [b Oct. 1664; d 18 Dec. 1761 in her 98th yr.], daughter of Thomas Borden and Mary Harris, on 26 July 1682 at Providence.
Thomas and his family were survivors of King’s Philip’s War. Over the winter of 1675–1676, a group of natives burned the garrison at South Kingstown, which caused great alarm in the Providence area. The island communities of Newport and Portsmouth, whose lands were better protected, offered asylum to the people of Providence, but Thomas was among 27 or 28 heads of household who “stayed and went not away.” On 16 March 1676, natives attacked the town and burned about 30 homes, including that of John Smith, town clerk, who managed to save much of the town’s records by submerging them in a nearby pond. In May of 1676, a garrison of seven men was put under the charge of Thomas’s father, Capt. Arthur. The war ended when Philip was shot by a member of his own tribe on 12 August 1676.
Like his father, he served in many governmental capacities, including terms as Deputy in 1683, 1691, 1695, 1697, 1699, 1704, and 1705; and as Governor’s Assistant, 1701–1717. He served as a Justice of the Peace in 1704. Thomas owned four hundred fifty acres of land. His home, built in 1677, was in an area called “Providence Woods,” which now includes Cranston, RI. The house, which still stands, is the oldest home in Rhode Island. His will was written on 19 February 1717/8 and probated on 21 March 1717/8.
Thomas was buried beside his father’s homestead, which is named the Major Thomas Fenner Lot (CR002). The inscription on his tombstone said, “Here lieth ye body of major Thomas Fenner Esq. Died Feb. ye 27th, 1718 aged 65 years & 5 Mo.”
Child of Alice Ralph:
William [b 11 Mar. 1676/7; bpt 16 Mar. 1676/7; d before 1682]
Children of Dinah Borden:
Freelove [b 1683; d after Dec. 1749] m Samuel Westcott.
Thomas Jr. [b 1684; d after 17 Oct. 1744] m Mary Abbott in 1710.
Mehitabel [b 1686; d 9 Oct 1737 in Preston CT] m 1st Starkweather; m 2nd Sterry; m 3rd Dr. Blodgett.
Mary [b 1692; d 7 Jan. 1759] m Dep. Gov. Daniel Abbott.
Joseph [b 1693; d 22 June 1779] married twice.
Richard [b 1695; d 6 Feb. 1773] married twice.
Sarah [b 1698; d 17 Apr. 1736] m 1st Dr. Jenckes; m 2nd W. Antram.
Arthur [b 17 Oct. 1699; d 21 Jan. 1788] married twice.
Eleazar [b 4 Sept. 1702; d 31 July 1723, age 20 yrs., 10 mos., 27 days] unmarried.
John [b 16 Sept. 1705; d 12 Oct. 1725, age 20 yrs., 26 days] Sea captain, unmarried.
Lineage:
Arthur | Thomas
Sources:
1. Thomas’s memorial at FindaGrave.com, no. 18536019
2. Samuel Greene Arnold, History of the State of Rhode Island & Providence Plantations, vol. 1 (1894): Archive.org
3. John Osborne Austin, The Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island (Albany, 1887), p. 74: Archive.org
4. Rick Buckingham, The Book of Begats. Line 2: 11–13.
5. Eva Fenner, Notes, 577–578; historical background of the Fenner family of unknown origin, RI Historical Magazine, vol. 7, p. 165.
6. Eva Fenner, Notes, 94. Letter to Eva Fenner from RI Historical Society, signed by Clarkson A. Collins III, 14 Jan. 1957. Thomas is shown born Sept. 1652.
7. Lucinda T. Fenner, History of the Fenner Family (1908), p. 7. Alice’s last name spelled Realp: PDF
8. Daniel White, Descendants of Thomas Fenner (unpublished Fenner history), p. 2. Daniel shows Thomas’s date of birth as Oct. 27, 1653, and his date of death as Oct. 27, 1718. He shows two children named Freelove, one being born in 1688; Mary, 1690; Joseph, 1692; Richard, 1694.
9. Richard M. Bayles, History of Providence County, Rhode Island (NY: W.W. Preston, 1891), pp. 162–163: Archive.org
10. Spencer Buell, “You Know You’re From Rhode Island If You Recognize This House Style,” Apartment Therapy (5 July 2022): Website