Descendants of Captain Arthur Fenner

Thomas Fenner

 

[b Mar. 1771; d 8 Sept. 1852, age 81 yrs., 6 mos.] Thomas Fenner m 1st Rosanna McDonald [b 1764; bpt 24 Jan. 1805; d 12 Mar. 1824 at Providence] on 16 Sept. 1793 at the Congressional Church at Providence. They later joined the First Baptist Church in America at Providence. After Rosanna’s death, Thomas m 2nd Mary Lawton (Gibbs) Crafts [b ca. 1786; bpt 3 Mar. 1816; d 7 June 1860, age 74], daughter of Job Gibbs, widow of William Crafts. 

Children by Rosanna McDonald:

  1. Thomas [b 15 June 1793; d 28 Dec. 1836], married twice.

  2. Theodosia Foster [b 20 Jan. 1795; d 26 Apr. 1802, age 7 yrs., 3 mos., 6 days].

  3. Sally J. [b 8 Jan. 1797; d 22 Feb. 1798, age 13 mos., 14 days].

  4. James [b 26 Nov. 1799; d 26 Feb. 1827, age 27].

  5. Theodore Dwight [b 2 Nov. 1802; d 20 Nov. 1842] m Mary Maynard.

  6. California Theodosia [b/d 21 Oct. 1804].

  7. Theodosia [b 5 Dec. 1805; d 10 Dec. 1891].

  8. Joseph [b/d 29 July 1809].

Children by Mary Lawton Gibbs:

  1. Mary Gibbs Fenner [b 1825; d 10 Jan. 1905] m Thomas McCormick.

  2. Stephen T. [b 29 Dec. 1827; d 11 Feb. 1840].

Lineage:
Arthur | Thomas | Thomas | Daniel | Daniel | Thomas

Sources:
1. Register of the First Baptist Church in America. Rosanna’s baptism and death are from record 954. Thomas’s death is from record 958.
2. Martha Benns, Notes on the Fenner Family of R.I. (1941), p. 28. Martha shows Thomas' death as 1858 and marriage as 16 Sept. 1792. On page 49, Martha erroneously attaches Mary Gibbs to Thomas [1793–1836] and four subsequent children.
3. Thomas Fenner’s memorial at FindaGrave.com, no. 19391401
4. The death record of Mary Gibbs McCormick (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F8X3-ZS9) indicates that her parents were Thomas & Mary Fenner. Given that Thomas [1771–1852] and his son Thomas [1793–1836] both remarried around the same time, their marriages and offspring have been difficult to untangle.
5. In the 1830 U.S. Census, Thomas [1771–1852] is recorded with a female age 30–39 [Mary Gibbs was 44, perhaps the recorder’s error], a female age 5–9 [Mary] and a male 0–4 [Stephen].
6. First Baptist Church in America register, #1387; Mary Gibbs’ card notes that she was married previously to William, and her name is written as Mary L. (Crafts) Fenner.