Listed in 1840 census with-
Male: 1<5, 2=15-19, 1=20-29, 1=30-39 Fem: 1=5-9, 1-15-19, 1=20-29
Schooled with the instruction supplied by the district schools of the day. He was considered as; not much given to reading, rather good at figures, and with a natural talent for drawing. Learned the pottery trade from his father and elder brother in their pottery in East Dorset. From his marriage (1832) till June 25, 1847, he and Julius Norton, his brother-in-law, were partners in the pottery business in Bennington, Vermont. After that partnership was dissolved, Christopher continued on his own, becoming well know for his "Fenton Glass". He continued in the pottery business, sometimes with partners and sometimes without, and securing a patent on Nov 27, 1849, until May 15, 1858 when the plant closed. About 1858, he went to Peoria, Illinois, but his wife (Louisa) stayed in Bennington and died there. He must have returned, perhaps because of her health or to visit, as he is listed with the family in 1860, before she died, along with children Fannie (26) and Henry (13).
A brown and tan bowl with a smooth glaze was found on display at the Fairbanks Museum of Natural Sciences in St. Johnsbury, VT in June 1991. The card read: Manufactured, by water powered pottery, in St. Johnsbury Center between 1808 and 1859 by Richard Fenton and his son Leander, relatives of Bennington potters (Christopher Fenton).