James Maury Fontaine

James married Alice Burwell on 14 Dec 1771 in Gloucester County, VA. Alice was born in 1745 in Brandon, Middlesex County, Virginia; died on 23 Dec 1775 in Williamsburg, VA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Catherine Carter Fontaine was born in 1774 in Gloucester County, Virginia.
2. Carter Burwell Fontaine was born on 22 Jul 1773 in Gloucester County, Virginia; died after 1820 in Prince William County, Virginia.

James married Elizabeth "Betty" Carter on 31 Dec 1777 in Middlesex, Virginia, USA. Elizabeth was born in 1755 in Bushy Park, Middlesex, Virginia, USA; died on 3 Mar 1806 in Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Charles Carter Fontaine was born on 8 Dec 1792 in Gloucester County, Virginia.
2. Betty Carter Fontaine was born on 7 Nov 1791 in Gloucester County, Virginia.
3. William Maury Fontaine was born on 29 Oct 1790 in Gloucester County, Virginia.
4. Francis Churchill Fontaine was born on 29 Aug 1789 in Gloucester County, Virginia.
5. Sarah Fontaine was born on 14 Apr 1788 in Gloucester County, Virginia.
6. Frances Fontaine was born on 4 Apr 1787 in Gloucester County, Virginia.
7. Caroline Carter Fontaine was born on 10 Dec 1785 in Boxley, Gloucester, Virginia, USA; died on 1 Aug 1855 in Norfolk, Virginia, USA.
8. Judith Fontaine was born on 18 Apr 1784 in Gloucester County, Virginia.
9. Mary Fontaine was born on 23 Mar 1783 in Gloucester County, Virginia.
10. Susanna Harrison Fontaine was born on 12 Aug 1780 in Gloucester County, Virginia.
11. Elizabeth "Betty" Fontaine was born on 20 Jul 1779 in Gloucester County, Virginia.
12. James Maury Fontaine, Jr was born on 25 Nov 1781 in Gloucester County, Virginia.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Arrival: 1720, Virginia

Notes:

Entered Trinity College in June 1712. Enrolled in the Inns of Court at the Temple, in London, to study law, but later returned to Dublin to prepare for the ministry.

Received B.A. degree in 1716 and Master of Arts degree in 1719 from Trinity College in Dublin. Married in 1720 and sailed for America in 1721 where he became Rector of St. Margaret's Parish in King William County, Virginia.

In 1723, became Rector of York-Hampton Parish and apparently remained there for the remainder of his life. On February 2, 1727, was appointed Chaplain of the House of Burgesses. In the same year, he was appointed to the faculty of William and Mary College where he established the Department of Oriental Languages (Hebrew).

Francis married Susanna Brush Barbor in 1735 in Virginia, USA. Susanna was born in 1701 in Williamsburg West, James City County, Virginia, USA; died on 20 Sep 1756 in York County, Virginia, USA; was buried in Yorktown, York, Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Susanna was widow of Thomas Barbor.

Notes:

Received degree of Master of Arts at the college of Guienne, finishing second in a class of fourteen.

Escaped to England with his fiancee, Anne Boursiquot, arriving on Decemmber 1, 1685, after eleven days at sea, Landed at Appledore, at the mouth of the Taw River, and proceeded to Barnstaple. Family moved from England to Cork, Ireland, arriving December 24, 1694. Moved to Bear Haven, Ireland, after death of son, Aaron, in 1699. Later, prior to 1710, moved to Dublin, Ireland. Is buried beside his wife in St. Stephens Green, Dublin.

James married Anne Elizabeth Boursiquot on 8 Feb 1686 in Par. Church, Barnstable, North Devon, England. Anne (daughter of Aaron Boursiquot and Jeanne Guillot) was born on 8 Feb 1686 in Barnstable, Devon, England; died on 29 Jan 1721 in Dublin, Dublin, Ireland; was buried in St Stephens Green Cemetery, Dublin, Ireland. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

A description of Anne Elizabeth Boursiquot Fontaine by her husband Rev. James Fontaine in pages 128-129 of his autobiography "Memoirs of the Huguenot Family"

"I now come to my dear wife, Ann Elizabeth Boursiquot. She was the sixth child of M. Aaron Boursiquot. She was rather small but her figure was marvelously well-formed. She was the only blonde in the family and a real beauty. Her skin was so fine a texture and so delicate a white and rose that there could be no painting so alive. A lady of distinction, visiting M. Boursiquot's, and seeing her lovely coloring, said she could not believe that the child was not painted. Her mother, offended at this impertinence, took the child, about six or seven years old , upon her knee and uncovered her bottom, saying to the tactless lady, "Madame, her skin is all of one piece."
"Her face was rather square, her forehead somewhat broad, her lips the color of coral, her teeth beautiful, her bosom lovely enough to paint. She had a slightly disdainful air, which was not unbecoming to her beauty. She was always 'en bon point, but not too heavy. She had an open spirit and good judgment. She wrote a fine letter, had read a good deal in her youth, and had a reliable memory, which she knew how to put to good use when needed. She was a good and pious Christian, with an extremely delicate conscience, charitable and good at conversation. She was extremely sensitive to insult and disrespect. She had a noble heart and heroic courage which she displayed on all occasions as you have seen. She did not think honest labor was beneath her if it would help to support herself and her children. Her heart was never cast down nor her spirit discouraged by reverses of fortune. On the contrary she rejoiced in her poverty, because it was the result of her love of Jesus Christ.

"She was a tender mother, suckling all her children with a care and attention that would have been unbearable to anyone as delicate as she. But of what is a good mother not capable? It is true that she needed help in nursing her last two children as nature had weakened her. She also had pain in her breasts when nursing Peter, and had to give him to another nurse until he was weaned.

"She loved her children tenderly but was never to lenient or allowed them anything sinful. She accompanied her guidance with her example of virtue which she maintained throughout her life. She always punished her children when they were wrong and encouraged them when virtuous. She was not fond of amusements or society except as good manners and custom required. At home she constantly devoted herself to prayer or useful works. In conversation she was always delightful with me and the children, even to the last years of her life."

Other Events and Attributes:

• Name: Jacques de la Fontaine

Notes:

After leaving college, James visited London where he became engaged to a Miss Thompson. Upon returning to France, he was appointed pastor of the united churches of Vaux and Royan at the age of 24. He returned to London, married Miss Thompson, and took her back to France.

Dropped "de la" from name for reasons of humility.

Saunders, James Edmonds. Early Settlers of Alabama. L. Grahm & Son. New Orleans. 1899:

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The Fontaines and Maurys.

Who has not heard of the gallantry of the French Protestants (or Huguenots) who in the sixteenth century were so persecuted by the Roman Catholics, that, although only a tenth of the French population, they took up arms and for nearly 100 years, performed feats of valor which were renowned in history and fiction? They succeeded in placing upon the throne, Henry the Fourth, who by the "Edict of Nantes" granted them religious toleration. This was revoked in 1685 by his successor, and a cruel persecution, for many years, followed, in which it is computed, that 300,000 Protestants were lost to France by emigration. How many fell martyrs to the cause has never been known, for "their blood flowed like water." Some idea may be formed, by the fact that in the one massacre of St. Bartholomew, 50,000 perished. These horrid assassinations, under the name of Christianity, caused men to regard religion as a sham; made France a nation of infidels, and fostered that recklessness of temper which brought on the "Reign of Terror."

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The Huguenot refugees who came to America were uniformly patriots, and the war of the Revolution made famous some of the noblest names; such as Chief Justice Jay, Boudinot, the Bayards, Legare, the Lawrences, Marion, Rutledge, and others. Many of these refugees became ministers of the Episcopal church in Virginia, at a time, "when it was so greatly depressed that there was danger of its total ruin." It is a melancholy fact, that many of the clergy were addicted to the race-field, the card-table, the ballroom, and the theatre--nay more, to the drunken revel. One of them about this period was, and had been for years, the president of a Jockey-club." (Bishop Meade, in his "Old Churches and Families of Virginia.") And when this evangelic Bishop was reforming this branch of our Christian church, he was ably sustained by the Huguenot element in it. This was pure gold which had been refined by the fires of persecution. And, as we proceed with our sketch, it will be seen that the descendants of the Huguenots, have not degenerated, either in the field, the forum, or the pulpit.

John de la Fontaine, the common ancestor of these two families, was born nearly 400 years ago, and, though his descendants, James, the first of the name, James Fontaine the second; James Fontaine the third; Mary Ann Fontaine, who married Matthew Maury, and their son Abraham Maury, six generations were comprised, inclusive of the ancestor--and this may be regarded as the trunk of the Fontaine and Maury families; from which, at different times, proceed branches of their various descendants in the United States. Although so long a time has elapsed, the lineage of the persons above mentioned can be verified, for various things have conspired to render the task an easy one. The early history of these families was connected with public times, which sheds a flood of light upon the matter. They were highly educated, and left papers and numerous letters. James, (the Third) in 1722, wrote a history of the Fontaine family, and John kept a diary for many years of his experience in the army, and his travels in Virginia--the vestry books of the old churches in Virginia were collected by Bishop Meade and published--and from all these, Miss Ann Maury, (daughter of the Maury who was, for twenty-five years, Consul to Liverpool) assisted by Dr. Hawks compiled a book called "The Memoirs of a Huguenot Family," which is a veritable history, and a great aid to the devotions of a true Protestant. Moreover Miss Maury(assisted by Gen. Dabney H. Maury) has constructed a chart of the Fontaine and Maury families, for nine generations. It is in circular form--has the names of 25 families, and hundreds of their descendants-a work which required great labor, and was performed with great ingenuity.

1. John de la Fontaine (the common ancestor) was born in the province of Maine, France, and as soon as he was old enough to bear arms his father procured him a commission in the household of Francis First. It was in the tenth year of that monarch's reign that he entered his service, and he conducted himself with such uniform honor and uprightness that he retained his command, not only to the end of the reign of Francis First, but during the reigns of Henry Second, Francis Second and until the second year of Charles the Ninth, when he voluntarily resigned. He and his father had become converts to Protestantism about the year 1535. He had married, and had four sons born to him, during his residence at the court. He wished to retire to private life at an earlier period; but being in the King's service was a sort of safe-guard from persecution, and gave him the means of shielding his Protestant brethren from oppression. He was much beloved by his brother officers and by the men under his command, which made the Roman Catholic party afraid to disturb him. In January, 1561, there was an edict of pacification, he resigned his commission and retired to his paternal estate in Maine, where he hoped to end his days peacefully in the bosom of his family, worshiping God according to the dictates of his conscience. In the year 1563 a number of ruffians were dispatched from the city of Le Mans to attack his house at night. He was taken by surprise, dragged out of doors and his throat cut. His poor wife, who was in a few weeks of her confinement, rushed after him in the hope of softening the hearts of these midnight assassins; but, so far from it, they murdered her also, and a faithful servant shared the same fate. His eldest son was never heard of afterward, but was supposed to have been massacred

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also. God spared the lives of the three younger ones, and guided them to a place of safety. Of the three, James was the eldest, Abraham twelve, and the youngest about nine, years old.

2. James Fontaine, the first of that name, and the one mentioned above, found his way to Rochelle, a fortified city and the stronghold of Protestantism. These poor boys were at one blow deprived of parents and property. A shoemaker, in easy circumstances, received him in his house, taught him his own trade, but without binding him to it as an apprentice. This was no time for pride of birth, or titles of nobility to be thought of. It was not long before he was in receipt of sufficient wages to support his young brothers, but they all lived poorly enough, until James reached manhood. He then engaged in commerce, and his after career was comparatively prosperous.

He married, and had two daughters and one son. Like the Fontaines, generally, he was a very handsome man, as we shall see by the following incident. Having married a second wife, who was a very wicked woman, she tried to poison him, though she did not succeed, for medical aid was promptly obtained; she was taken to prison, tried, and condemned to death. It so happened that Henry IV was then at Rochelle, and application was made to him for pardon. He replied that, before making an answer, he would like to see the man she was so anxious to get rid of, to judge for himself whether there was any excuse for her. When James Fontaine appeared before him, he called out, "Let her be hanged! Ventre Saint Gris! He is the handsomest man in my kingdom."

3. James Fontaine (the second of that name), and the one son mentioned above, became a minister. He married first a Miss Thompson, and had five children, and the second time Miss Marie Clallon, and by her he had same number. His daughter married Rev. Mr. Santreau. His church was condemned. He left the Kingdom, sailed for America with his wife and five children, and the vessel was shipwrecked in sight of Boston, and all the family perished. I have no space to notice the members of the family in detail.

4. James Fontaine (the third of that name), and the youngest son of the foregoing family, was born in 1603, and died in 1666. He had a life full of adventure. He, too, was a Protestant minister, was imprisoned for along time, and at length escaped from France. In England he married a French lady, Anne Elizabeth Boursiquot, also a refugee. Although he was lame from a fall in childhood, yet he was active and energetic, and used many ingenious devices to support himself and family. He received Holy orders from the Protestant Synod, assembled at Tannton. Here his first child, Mary Ann Fontaine, was born 12th April, 1690. He moved to Cork, Ireland, in 1694, and supported his family by having baize manufactured on hand looms, for power looms had not yet come into use in England. He preached to a congregation, but they were so poor he declined to receive any compensation. On the day of a baptism of a son, he made a great supper, as though he intended to feast the wealthiest of the French refugees in Cork; but instead of that, he invited the poor of his flock, and after they had eaten and drank abundantly of the best, he gave each a shilling to take home.

Mr. Fontaine then concluded, as his family was becoming large, to find a country home, and he rented a farm on Bear Haven Bay. His plan was to eke out his income by a fishery. But here he encountered trouble entirely unexpected. One morning in June a French privateer hove in sight. She floated gently toward his house in a perfect calm. She had a force of eighty men on board, besides four of his Irish neighbors who acted as guides. She mounted ten guns. He made a feint which deceived the enemy as to his numbers. The privateer entered the mouth of the creek and anchored a long musket shot from the house, presently the lieutenant landed with twenty men and marched directly toward the house, Mr. Fontaine had seven men with him in addition to his wife and children He placed them at different windows and he posted himself in one of the towers over the door, and as the lieutenant was advancing with every appearance of confidence he fired at him with a blunderbuss loaded with large shot, some of which

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entered his neck and the rest his side. His men took him up, crossed the ditch and carried him to the vessel.

The captain was furious at this unexpected resistance from a minister; and sent another officer on shore with twenty more men and two small cannon, which were discharged against the house; but the position of the battery was oblique, and the balls glanced from the heavy stone walls. The conflict became a hot one. During the time there were several hundred Irishmen collected on a neighboring height, rejoicing in the anticipation of the defeat of the Fontaines. The Frenchman who was pointing the cannon was killed, and an incessant fire was kept up, and as soon as a musket was emptied it was handed down to one of the children to reload, and he was given another. Mrs. Fontaine was here and there and everywhere, carrying ammunition and giving encouragement to all, as well by what she said as by her own calm deportment. She was praying incessantly, but she took care "to keep the powder dry," and in good supply. Claude Bonnet, a French soldier, received a ball in the fleshy part of the arm, and she applied the first dressing to it with her own hands. The engagement lasted from 8 o'clock in the morning until 4 o'clock in the afternoon, and during the whole time there had been no cessation of firing. The enemy then retired with three men killed and seven wounded.

The name of James Fontaine, and his wife, too, became known throughout Europe by means of the newspapers giving the history of this defense. The government furnished him with ammunition in abundance, and he bought several six pounders which had been fished up from a wreck, and he raised a fortification and planted his guns upon it so as to command the mouth of the inlet. Mr. Fontaine then went to Dublin to wait on the Council and concert measures for the better defense of the coast. During his absence a privateer approached the house. Mrs. Fontaine was on the alert, had all the cannons loaded, and one of them fired off to show that all was in readiness for defense, and when they saw this they veered about and sailed away. Then and there the coat-of-arms of the Fontaine family ought to have been changed, and instead of the mysterious emblems known only to a herald's office, should have been substituted the picture of a lady bravely applying the fuse to a cannon, the smoke rolling in volumes from its mouth, and the ball flying through the air in the direction of a vessel in the offing. No blood ever mingled with the Fontaines and Maurys, more noble than that of Anna Elizabeth Boursiquot.

But a French privateer attacked his house for a third time, in the night, and sent eighty men in three boats on shore. Although taken by surprise, Mr. Fontaine prepared for defense. The enemy set all the outhouses on fire, and in a half hour the defender was enveloped in smoke, so that he was unable to see his enemies. He had to fire haphazard; and overloading his piece it burst and he was thrown down with such violence that three of his ribs and his collar-bone were broken, and the flesh of his right hand much torn. After he was prostrated, Mrs. Fontaine assumed the command; she had an eye to everything; she went round to furnish ammunition as it was required; and she gave courage as well by her exhortations as her example. But such heroic efforts were of no avail and they were conquered, and Mr. Fontaine and two of his sons were carried away prisoners; the Captain announcing that he would release them on the payment of 100. Did the lady sit down and weep? Nothing of the kind! She flew around to borrow the money. She succeeded only partly, and seeing the vessel under sail, she determined to follow by land, and keep the vessel in sight as long as she could. She ran to a promontory, and made a signal to the pirate with her apron tied to a stick. A boat was dispatched to hear what she had to say. After a great deal of bargaining the Captain agreed to release her husband upon a cash payment of 30, and retained her son Peter as hostage for the payment of the balance of the money. Peter was subsequently released. Mr. Fontaine left this inhospitable coast, and removed to Dublin.

James Fontaine (third) and his wife had a large family of children. Of them the Rev. Peter Fontaine removed to America. He was rector of Westover parish, in Virginia, and his daughter, Mary Ann, married Isaac Winston, who had "a good fortune and a

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spotless reputation." He is the ancestor of a large family of wealthy and respectable citizens of Alabama, which gave a governor to that State in the person of John Anthony Winston.(*) A daughter of James Fontaine, MaryAnn Fontaine, married Matthew Maury, in Ireland, on the 20th of October, 1716. She had been born in England, in 1690. He was of Castle Mauron, in Gascony, France. He had lived in Dublin about two years, having come hither as a refugee, on account of his religion. He was not a minister, as some have supposed; was "a very honest man, a good economist, but without property." There is no doubt of his having been well educated, as we shall show when we come to speak of his sons. His wife (who lived until she was sixty-five) had a checkered existence. She was a girl of fourteen when she had to assist her father in defending his home against the French privateers; and, after the family came to Virginia, although the public wars with the Indians had ceased, yet the frontiers were frequently visited by their incursions, and fire, and sword, and perpetual alarms, surrounded them all the latter days of her life. The effect was to form one of the most perfect characters in the whole list of men and women belonging to her descendants (who have never been wanting in nerve or intellect). Matthew Maury and his wife came to Virginia in 1719, and settled in King William county, on the Pamunkey. They had three children--James, Mary and Abraham.

James married Marie Chaillon in 1641 in Saintonge, France. Marie was born in 1615 in Rue au Roy near Pons, Saintonge, France; died about 1680 in Jenouille-Jaffe Estate, Veaux, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: 1686, Taillebourg, Saintage, France; Silk Merchant

Aaron married Jeanne Guillot in 1649. Jeanne (daughter of Mathurin Guillot and Renee La Peintre) was born on 20 Aug 1630 in St Jean, Haute-Loire, Auvergne, France; died on 10 May 1690 in Taillebourg, Lot-et-Garonne, Aquitaine, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]