�PIONEER FAMILIES OF WILKINSON COUNTY GEORGIA�
The first by the name of Fountains in Wilkinson County, Georgia, was Israel
The earliest official record shows that he witnessed a deed for land lot 241, in
Wilkinson County, Georgia in 1816, between Ethelred Fountain of Jefferson and
David Ingram. Ethelred and his wife, Ellender Ingram (the daughter of David
Ingram) Later settled in Wilkinson County, Georgia.
Originally the name was �Fontaine� but the Anglicize form �Fountain� was
Frequently used. An example of the variableness may be found in the court records
of Wilkinson County, Georgia. There we find I. J. Fountain, a grandson of Israel
Fountain, giving his official signature as �Fontaine� and �Fountain� as he chanced
To write it.
Israel Fountain was born in about 1775. Israel�s father, some people say he
was John Fountain R. S. b. about 1750, in Craven Co., N. C., m. Susannah ?????,
served in a Hyde Co., N. C. militia company. Also it has been told that his name was
David, I haven�t been able to connect Israel to either of them, but still trying to find
the correct father for Israel and Ethelred.
There is a book on early settlers of Washington County Ga., that has this about
Delphia�s father (my ggggg grandfather), �In 1797, a wagon train left Edgecombe
County, North Carolina, and came to Saunders Cross Roads. Among these people
were the families of Mitchell Watkins (a surveyor),� Mitchell�s son Mitchell Jr. Sat
Feb 17 1838, �Mitchell Watkins Junr chosen Deacon in the Bethlehem Church
Minutes, Washington County Ga.�
Israel married Delphia (called �Welthy�) Watkins, and they lived for a while in
South Carolina. The first of their children was born there. In about 1799, they came
into the wilds of Georgia, bringing with them the story of Israel�s descent from the
French Huguenot Fontaines who were refugees into the colony of Virginia, thence
into North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. Israel Fountain and his wife
�Welthy�, settled near Gordon, more importantly known at that time as Ramah
Church. When Israel established his home in Wilkinson County, he also built his
school house. This location is marked now by a lone mulberry tree and a pile of
bricks. He planted his orchards, cleared his fields and acquired enough land to give
a large plantation to each of his children as they married�and there were many
portions to be given.
Tradition says that Israel has sixteen children. If this is true, several must have
died young, as his will and records of Ramah Church mention only the names of
eleven.
Israel Fountain and Ethelred Fountain lived in the same community. When
quiet Old they were often spoken of in whispers as �Miserable� and �Dreadful�
because Of their very severe, austere religious views which equaled those of our
Puritan Fathers.
Israel and his wife �Welthy�, and several of his children belonged to Ramah
Church, one of the first Baptist Churches of Georgia. Israel died at the age of 73,
and was buried in Ramah Church Cemetery, located near Gordon, Georgia. His
widow remained in the same home until her death, which occored after the close of
the �War between the States� (1861-1865), at the age of 104 years. Delphia
�Welthy� Watkins Fountain is buried in the Fountain Cemetery, located about two
miles from Gordon, Georgia, also about 10 miles from where I live. (The home-place
of Israel belonged to a great-grandson, Lewis Fountain in 1961.)
The children of Israel Fountain and his wife, Delphia Watkins, were: daughters
1. Keziah, 2. Elizabeth, 3. Frances (fannie), 4. Mary Ann (Polly), 5. Sabrina
; Sons:
6. William, 7.
James H., 8. Job, 9. Jackson, 10. Lewis and 11. Mitchell.
1. Keziah Fountain was born in 1799 in South Carolina, and was married to
Enoch Garrett in 1820 in Wilkinson County, Ga., Their children were John Israel,
Martha Keziah, James, Elizabeth, Nancy Caroline, Jesse, Sabrina, Enoch Jr.,
Robert, Mary Ellen, Samuel, William.
2. Elizabeth Fountain married Bartley Stevens and their children were James,
Eliza, William, Mitchell, Mary Elizabeth, and Bartley G. Stephens. James
Stevens married Elizabeth Lyster (sister of Thomas Lyster, who was second
husband of Sabrina (Fountain) Batchellar. James Stevens and wife, Elizabeth
Lyster, had nine children, Margaret Elizabeth (Pace) , Sarah Jane, William,
Thomas, Bartley, Lewis, Mary Anna, and Martha Caledoina.
3. Frances (fannie) Fountain, married Hezekah Darden {from Ramah Church
Roll). The children listed in the will as belonging to Fannie and Hezekah were the
children of Elizabeth and Bartley Stevens, also the will had Frances's Name as
Hezekah
4. Mary {Polly) Fountain married (I) John Nalus and (2) James Webb. There
children Isabella, Ellifair, Luann Nalus, and Priscilla Webb.
5. Sabrina, the youngest of the children of Israel and Delphia (Watkins) Fountain,
was born in 1820. She married (I) John Bachellar; their children were John,
Richard and Sarah Bachellar. Her ( 2) marriage was to Thomas Lyster. Names
of Lyster children not traced.
6. William Fountain married Elizabeth Budd.
7. James Fountain married first ( 1) Mary Ann Frances (Dicey) McCarty and
their children were Benjamin, William Thomas, Sarah Ann, Epsey, and Rachel. He
then married (2) Behethland (Bethel) Jones their children were John H., Augustus
J., Israel Jackson, Lucy Ann, Seaburn Jones, Nancy Caroline and Thomas Franklin.
It is through this marriage that the distinguished Judge Rigsby of Cairo, Georgia is
connected with the Fountain family. James Fountain and many of his descendants
are buried at Ramah Church.
8. Job Fountain, not traced.
9. Jackson Fountain (later changed his name to Andrew Jackson) married
Rebecca Batchellar , Their children were Ellender, Mary, Andrew Jackson Jr.,
Cornelus B., James K. P. , and Richard.
10. Lewis Fountain married Elizabeth Pickren and their children Knoch,
Mitchell, John L., James Jasper, Martha, Mary, Nancy, Missouri Ann, Moses and
Frances. Some of their descendants live at Sycamore, Ga.
11. Mitchell Watkins Fountain married (I) a Miss Pattisall ( 2) Mary Hannah
Patterson, by this second marriage he had seven children; William Oscar, Lewis
Jerusha, Dalonega Wilson, Martha Caroline, Mary Elizabeth, Columbus and Ivy
Ann Sabrina. Of these, Lewis J. Fountain married (I) Blanche Fountain, and they
had three children. He married (2) Martha or "Mattie" Patterson, a descendant of
Thomas McGinty, Henry Castleberry and Benjamin Cooper, pioneer settlers of
Wilkinson County. Rose, daughter of Lewis J. Fountain, married Thomas Dennard
and they have a daughter .
With the exception of Keziah, wife of Enoch Garrett, Lewis & Jackson Fountain,
who
moved to Taylor County, Ga., about 1847, these children married and
settled in Wilkinson County not far distant from the old home. Today their
descendants are scattered over the entire United States, but many still remain as
good citizens of their native county. Israel Fountain & his son James Henry are buried in
the Ramah Baptist Church Cemetery, their graves have new markers. Israel�s wife
Delphia, is buried in the Fountain cemetery about two miles from Gordon. As the
South grows older, it treasures these fragments of information concerning its first
staunch settlers, and so we, add a thread to this tapestry of the past woven of fact
and bits of folklore--the history of the Georgia branch of the Fontaines-Fountains.
�Fountain / Fontaine DNA Study - The Results Are In!
A group of Fountain family researchers has initiated the Fountain / Fontaine DNA study
to determine if various Fountain and Fontaine families share a common
ancestor. The study included descendants of Solomon and Israel Fountain, who
both lived in the late 1700s in Edgecombe County, North Carolina.
There has long been conjecture that these Fountain families descend from the
Fontaine and Maury families� common ancestor, Jaques Fontaine (1658-1728),
but there is no definitive evidence to prove this. This DNA study could provide
the physical evidence not yet located in documentation.
At the Society�s annual meeting in October 2006, it was agreed that the Society
would recruit an eligible family member to participate in the DNA test. Since
most Society members are documented descendants of the Jaques Fontaine
family, a Society member�s participation in the DNA study should help other
Fontaine and Fountain researchers in determining if they are part of this
extended French Huguenot family.
We are pleased to report that in late January 2007, we received the full 37 marker
test results for our Society member�s DNA. His results do NOT match anyone
else currently in the study, so this means that his DNA does not match that of
the descendants of Solomon and Israel Fountain. These preliminary results
mean that Solomon and Israel Fountain do not descend from Jaques Fontaine
as long believed.�
The 2 descendants of Israel that had the DNA test, one was a ggggrandson of James
Henry Fountain, the other was a gggrandson of Mitchell Watkins Fountain.
James Henry was the oldest, and Mitchell Watkins was the youngest son of
Israel Fountain. They were a match.
There was not a match with Solomon Fountain of Edgecombe County, NC. & Israel
I have a lot of history about the families of Israel that I can share with anyone my
e-mail address is [email protected]
Click on the Cemetery Link to open that page, on
some of them I only have the Fountains buried there
Ray City Baptist Cemetery Berrien County Ga.
Tharpe Cemetery Wilkinson County Ga.
Pleasant Cemetery Berrien County Ga.
Mt Vernon Cemetery Montgomery County Ga.
City Cemetery Nashville Ga.
Asbury Church Cemetery Wilkinson County Ga.
Clear Creek Church Cemetery Wilkinson County Ga.
Liberty Baptist Church Cemetery Wilkinson County Ga.
Pleasant Cemetery Sycamore Ga.
Ryle Cemetery Wilkinson County Ga.
Rose Cemetery Ashburn Ga.
Liberty Hill Methodist Church Cemetery, Twiggs County, Ga.
Snow Hill Cemetery, Wilkinson County, Ga.
My Brooks Family History
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Cecil Augustus Fountain