Research Resources

Websites

Ancestry
www.ancestry.com
One of the greatest resources online for genealogists searching for public records.

Family Search
www.familysearch.org
The genealogical research website of the Church of Latter Day Saints; useful for census, marriage, birth, and death records.

Find-A-Grave
www.findagrave.com
A nationwide gravesite search utility. See especially the listings of over 6,000 graves related to Capt. Arthur Fenner, maintained by Richard Arthur Fenner.

Rhode Island Historical Society Links
http://www.rihs.org/suggested-links-2-2/
An extensive resource for finding links to local RI websites and nationwide websites, potentially useful to genealogists for searching for public records.

Rhode Island State Archives
https://www.sos.ri.gov/divisions/state-archives

Library of Congress Archives
https://www.loc.gov/manuscripts/?q=fenner
A resource of old American documents, including material related to Fenners, especially Gov. Arthur Fenner of RI.

US National Archives
https://search.archives.gov/search?affiliate=national-archives&page=1&query=Fenner&submit=&utf8=

The UK Fenner Genealogy Pages
www.fennerfamilytree.me.uk

UK National Archives
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/

Sussex Record Society
https://www.sussexrecordsociety.org

Additional Library Resources
https://librarysciencedegreesonline.org/libraries-revolutionizing-family-tree-research/
Sydney Smith, “From Ancestry to archives: How libraries are revolutionizing family tree research,” Library Science Degrees Online (3 Dec. 2024). Includes links to internet resources.

Books & Documents

Visitations of Sussex (ca. 1530)
In the British Library, manuscript Harley 1562, folios 84 and 85, there is a handwritten chart showing the lineage from Hugh at Fenne to sea captain Thomas Fenner. This was transcribed in The Visitations of the County of Sussex (1905), pp. 107–108 (Archive.org / HathiTrust).

Maps of Providence, RI, 1650, 1765, 1770
A series of maps produced in the early 20th century, held in the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center, Boston Public Library (website).

Edward Fenner Papers (1736–1813)
Brown University, John Hay Library Special Collections, Box A (PDF)

An Index to the Pedigrees and Arms Contained in the Heralds’ Visitations and Other Genealogical Manuscripts in the British Museum (1849)
by Richard Sims
An index to the appearance of Fenner pedigrees and coats of arms in British manuscripts, mostly from the series of Harley manuscripts (Google).

Hampton and Its Students,
with Fifty Cabin and Plantation Songs (1874)
by M.F. Armstong & Helen Ludlow
music edited by Thomas P. Fenner
In addition to describing the founding of Hampton University, this book also mentions Thomas Fenner and his family and their role at the school. Thomas notated the spirituals from his students and explained his editorial approach (Archive.org / PDF).

Genealogy of the Fenner Family (1887)
by J.P. Root
This foundational study on Fenners traces the early descendants of Capt. Arthur Fenner (Archive.org / PDF).

Index of Wills, Prerogative Court of Canterbury (1890s)
An index of wills proved at the Prerogative Court of Canterbury in London, the preferred court for wealthy estate owners. These wills have generally been scanned for Ancestry. Archive.org: Vol. 1 | Vol. 2 | Vol. 3 | Vol. 4 | Vol. 5 | Vol. 6 | Vol. 8 | Vol. 9 | Vol. 11 | Vol. 12

Calendar of Wills and Administrations (1901)
by William Hamilton Hall
An index of early Fenner wills in Sussex, England, Archdeaconry Court of Lewes, which are now preserved by the East Sussex Record Office (“The Keep”) (Google).

History of the Fenner Family (1908)
by Lucinda T. Fenner
Features the descendants of James L. Fenner and Betsy Perry, who settled primarily in Michigan. This PDF version is searchable and includes extensive handwritten genealogical notes, a substantial expansion beyond 1908 (PDF).

The Waterman Family, Vol. 3 (1954)
by D.L. Jacobus & E.F. Waterman
Includes several intermarriages between the Watermans and the Fenners, predominantly in Rhode Island (Archive.org).

Fenner Family Records (1974)
by T.J. Longhurst
A collection of early records of Fenners in England (PDF).

The Fenner Forebears of Samuel Fenner Leslie (1987)
by Ruth Leslie Barrett
Features the Irish-American descendants of Richard Fenner, who initially settled in North Carolina (The Portal to Texas History).