Lovecraft, Whipples, and the Fenners?

Serendipity. On the ebayeum was this scrap of Revolutionary paper, an ordinary shop keeping document of rent. It may be of Arthur Fenner. (?)

The description is thus: 1783-1784, Receipt for the Rental of a Shop, [Providence, RI.], Fine. // Manuscript Document Signed "A Fenner Jr." on fine-laid paper, 6" x 8", doublesided. Sheet with worn edges and edge splits along folds. Being a receipt for rent of a shop: "Rec'd of Mr. John Howland six Pounds Nineteen Shillings and six pence being in full for the Rent of my Shop to the twenty sixth Day of May one thousand seven hundred and Eighty three after deducting my Father's Sharing and Mine to that Date..." and extending up through the 26th of August, 1783. The rental is extended on the reverse, through different incremental dates: March, June, and August of 1784, along with three more signatures by Fenner. Interesting war-date document, which reflects how ongoing business was conducted during the American Revolution. Of interest to historians: Is it possible that this signature is by Arthur Fenner (1745-1805) who was the father of James Fenner (1771-1846)—who served as governor of Rhode Island.

Forward to this Whipple site (click) and it reads that there were several branches of the Whipple tree, of which HPL was one descendent.

Most present-day Whipples are probably descendants of immigrants to colonial America from England in the early 1600s. At least two groups of Whipples settled in America at that time. One is represented by Captain John Whipple, who settled in Providence, Rhode Island, after living for a period of time in Dorchester, Massachusetts. The other group is represented by John and Matthew Whipple (sons of Matthew "the Elder" Whipple), who migrated from Bocking, Essex, England, and settled in Ipswich, Massachusetts.

And therefore we read: Arthur Fenner, Jr. Governor of Rhode Island, 1789-1805. ///James Fenner Elected as U.S. Senator from Rhode Island, he served from March 4, 1805, to September 1807, when he resigned to become Governor of Rhode Island 1807-1811, 1824-1831, 1843-1845. He was presidential elector, 1821 and 1837; and president of the Rhode Island constitutional convention, 1842.

And of course, our hero: H.P. (Howard Phillips) Lovecraft Writer of "wierd fiction."

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Of course, it would be a lot more fun for us had the document read something like:

Rec'd of Mr. John Howland six Pounds Nineteen Shillings and six pence being in full for the Rent of my Shop for storage to the twenty sixth Day of May one thousand seven hundred and Eighty three by Mr. Arthur Fenner for the storage of various and arcane sundries of (widow, now the late), Mrs. Tillinghast, diaries of one E. Smith, implements of one Ezra W., and remnants of former ship Gaspee's hold. Should J. H. not renew, three shillings extra paid to insure that contents not to be auctioned to anyone named or related to Curwen.

:)