Connecticut western news., 1883-05-09
THEOPEHILUs FENN.
Death of a We'll K nOwn Pennsylv0nfsa
 Journalist.

Theophilus Tenn, Esq, former res ident of this town, died at his home in Marysville, Pa, at 9:35 on the morning I of April go. Old age and general debil- ( ity were the immediate cause of his ] death. The final dissolution was not unlocked for, yet it came sooner than was expected. The last hours the fine old gentleman spent on earth were { peaceful and the end was apparently painless. The remains were inferred i'll the Harrisburg cemetery beside those of his wife. The Harrisburg Patriot gives the following
 SKETCH OF HIS CAREER.
 Theophilus Fenn was the son of James Tenn esq, and Lois Sedgwlck, daughter of Benjamin Sedgwick, mer chant of the town of Canaan, Litchtield county Connecticut, who was the broth CT of Judge Theodore Sedgwick, of Stockbridge, Mass, for many years chef justice of the supreme court of that state and one of it's most renowned jurists, and of General John Sedgwick, of Cornwall, Conn, of revolutionary fame, and who was the grandfather of the late Mai Gen John Sedgwick of the war of the Rebellion. His ancestors settled in New Haven colony in the ear ly part of the 17th century. His grand 1 father Theophilus Fenn, the youngest of seven sons, was born in the town of | Wallingford near New Haven, Conn, in 1747, served as orderly sergeant in the American forces under General Wolfe 1 in the Canadian campaign and at the storming and capture of Quebec in 1765, and raising company at the outbreak of the revolutionary war marched to the front at the first round of arms, reach ing Concord just little too late to par ticipate in the engagement, fought
 bravely at the head of his command at Bunker Hill where he was wounded so
 as to disabled him from further service
 during the war. He died in 1886 aged
 S9 years. His father, James Fenn, was
 farmer by occupation, but for some
 30 consecutive years, until he could not
 serve any longer, represented the town
 of Canaan in the Connecticut general
 assembly, and he also. for many years , held the office of magistrate, dying ill
 1853, at the age of S3 years, his wife having proceeded him few years. His
 parents had seven children, Frederick
 James, Theophilus, Benjamin Sedgwick,
 Julia E., Frances F., Elizabeth and
 Caroline.
 Theophilus Tenn was brought up on . his fathers farm, but early evinced de- l sire for learning and obtained special , instructions from the late Bishop Brom-
 well, of Connecticut, and afterwards at-
 tended the famous Gleason academy at g Stock bridge, Mass. In 1925 he went to the state of Maine with view to locat- . ing upon the upper waters of the Kenne-
 bee, then great numbering region; but his attention having been drawn to Il Pennsylvania, he came to Philadelphia s in August, 1926 subsequently reaching e Lancaster Pa, where he was induced by ,, Benj. Eshleman, Nathaniel Ellmake1 ' and others to embark ill journalism
 He accordingly entered into business d partnership with Dr Thomas W. Veasey, @ son of the then Governor of Maryland, Il located at New Holland Lancaster coun ,f ty, Tn the practice of his profession; and 1 in June, 1927, the first issue of the Ant l. Masonic Herald, was issued at the latter IT place, where it was published until the ,- following April, when MT Fenn purchas
 ed Dr Veasey's interest and removed the
 establishment to the city of Lancaster
 A4IO A1Htt A1uoOTttC 4ICSttO Wsko UIS e paper published in the state devoted tt k the anti-Masonic cause, and was estab o lished at time of great political excit W ment over the whole country between s. the partisans of John Quincy Adams le then President, and General Andrew % Jackson, who was a candidate for tn 70 Presidency. MT Fem boldly attacked
 what he called the corruptions of tn 'n Masonry, and in the face of the fierces d opposition organized the anti -Masoni 10 party, and within two years had forge' ,d 1t to the front as the party in Lancaste at county. His success there caused grea n. pressure to be brought upon him to re le move to Harrisburg and start an orga ss for the party at the capital. He finall
 consented, and in the spring of 183 , sold his office to Dr Y F. Charles, an 'A- removed to Harrisburg, where in Ser
 tember of that year he started the Penn
 sylrania Telegraph now called the Ho,
 1isbug Telegraph, which he continue ,,.- to publish and edit until Jan l, 1855 ' when he sold out and returned to Lar , caster and purchased the Ladepende, to |Vhig and haland Daily office, which b
 sold in the fall of 1858, returning agai d, to Harrisburg, where he resided unt
 the fall of 1874, when he removed H. Marysville, Perry county, upon prol
 erty which he had purchased from th o+ Haldeman heirs December 1, 1860, til '0' first lot having been sold and buildin
 erected thereon early in the followin up spring, from which beginning the no
 tiourishing town of Marysville sprans lis To his energy and generosity in dona
 ing some 12 acres of ground to the Nortl zee ern Central Railway company for ,p. round house and machine shops its pre- ,ve. ent prosperity is chiefly due.
 w. MT Fenn in his long editorial caree
 sustained reputation for unimpeacl 1T, able integrity, untiring devotion to wh l I'll he conceived to be right, from the adv 'ne cacy of which he could not be swerve
 by any fear of personal harm. He WI an generous and liberal to the poor with ng heart that sympathized with the dow
 trodden and unfortunate of all race
 and his pen was always welded in the on- defense, he was known as great frien ou of the negros in the days of slavery F rth was the contemporary of Thaddeus St ast vens, Thomas H. Burrows Charles hat Penrose and ex-Govenor Ritner, al ng- while he edited the Pennsylvania Ie ov- gr0ph he influenced the anti Mason 'er- and Whig parties in the state, and lat sh- when at T,oncaster he edited +ha b,( be peudeut Fhig Arelond Weehly aud 4
 inud Daily, he was likewise felt in t ing councils of the Republican party Al my it may be safely said that to his until 'lth ing and self sacrificing efforts in t 1ch building up of the republican, party ,. this state is greatly due it's success as
 party.
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