Fo7  Colonel Aaron Fontaine

He spent his boyhood in the home of his sister, Mrs. Isaac Winston.

He was an Ensign In the Louisa County, Virginia, Militia
He married Barbara Overton Terrell (Te7) in Virginia, on May 19, 1773.

He left Virginia with his family, crossing the mountains; and in 1798 settled at Harrod's Creek in Jefferson County, Kentucky. His wife did not survive the journey, but he and his children, and a son-in-law, Judge Fortunatus Cosby, made the long and perilous trip in safety.

In 1805, on June 18, Aaron Fontaine (Fo7) married his second wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Thruston Whiting Thruston (Wh7), widow of' Colonel John Thruston (Th7) of "Sans Souci” near Louisville, Kentucky.

She was spoken of' as the handsomest woman in Kentucky.

She had ten Thruston children, and Colonel Aaron Fontaine (Fo7) had twelve by his first wif'e (Te7). It is said that at the wedding these two sets of children were drawn up in line, like two opposing  armies.

There were four children by Colonel Aaron Fontaine’s (Fo7) second marriage; thus, twenty-six children in the combined families, some of their descendants being related to both sides by direct blood descent.
On January 17, 1814, Captain Fontaine (Fo7) purchased from Wm. Lytle of Cincinnati, Ohio, a large estate called Carter Ferry, on the banks of the Ohio River, west of Louisville, Kentucky afterwards called Fontaine's Ferry.
 

Home of Aaron Benjamin Fontaine (1811-1880) in Louisville. This Aaron was the 16th and  youngest child of Aaron Fontaine. The estate was part of the 3,000 acres purchased by Captain Fontaine's (Fo7) son-in-law, Judge Fortunatus Cosby, from Sarah Beard, July 2, 1806 - the property being known as part of the Connolly and de Warnsdorff. This estate of 3,000 acres was part of a large tract granted by Lord Dunmore of Virginia to John Connolly in 1773, un proclamation of King George III for military service. The place was laid out by Captain Fontaine (Fo7) in orchards, lawns and grass lands, and had a fine cypress drive-way into the Country Seat. He, the Captain, lived the life of a country squire in the good old days of peace and plenty. He was a gentleman of the old school, courteous and polite to every one, particularly his wife, to whom he always doffed his hat before taking his morning toddy, insisting that she taste it first.

He always enjoyed visiting among his daughters, and often exclaimed—“Whoever is going to have spring lamb, there’s where I will dine today!”, It is said he remarked of his eldest daughter, Mary Cosby (Fo6-1), “When I want a flow of soul and feast of reason, I go to Mary's house.” He was of a very jovial disposition, and on his death bed (having lost his second wife) said, "Well, I think I'll go and court the widow Collins.” He died at his home in April 1823, and was buried beside his second wife (Wh7) and youngest daughter Mrs. Patrick Dillon (Fo6-?12 and (Fo6 0) just back of what is now Fontaine Ferry Park. A ghost story told to Evelyn Belle Thompson (Ni3-5) by her grandmother (5.8), proves the location of the Fontaine grave yard. . The story goes that William Oldham (Ol7), who lived either at the Fontaine place, or at the foot of Market Street, adjoining, ran the ferry between the Kentucky and Indiana shares, after the death of Colonel Fontaine (Fo7).

Aaron Fontaine’s second oldest son,  James Terrell Fontaine (1776-1840),  settled west of Louisville in Brandenburg,  Kentucky. The home of his son,  Peter Fontaine (1814-1883), and his  wife, Martha Jane Foushee (1824-1878),  still stands in Brandenburg on a bluff  overlooking the Ohio River.

William Oldham’ s (Ol7) family had collected in the big hall of his home, awaiting his late return one night, when the dogs began a violent barking. The slaves came, and gathered at the entrance, where the doors were opened to greet the master. The dogs, however, crouched about the door, and hid their faces in their mistress's skirts, and showed every evidence of fear.

The femily looked out, and saw, instead of the master, old Colonel and Mrs. Fontaine, hand in hand, cross the stile to the grave yard, plainly visible in the moonlight, going back to their graves. (Believe it or not!)
At one time Patrick Henry Pope (Po5) lived at the old Fontaine Place.

This sketch above is copied from records at the Filson Club, und from a newspaper article containing the Colonel's (Fo7) picture, without name or date of paper, with records belonging to Mrs. George Nicholas (Ni3.4).

A history of the Fontaines’ from about 1500, in France, was written in manuscript form by James Fontaine in 1722 and sent in duplicate copies to his children - one coming to Virginia to Reverend Peter Fontaine (Fo8) of Westover Parish, Virginia. Reverend Peter Fontaine (Fo8) was chaplain, on Byrd's Expedition to establish the boundary line between Virginia and North Carolina in 1728-29. He was the father of Aaron (Fo7).

(Fo6-1) Peter Fontaine
Born - 1774 December 15.
Married - 1798, March 30, to Catherine Taylor, who widowed married John Nelson.
Died – 1813, April 8.

(Fo6-2) James Terrell Fontaine
Born - 1776, March 19 in Virginia.
Married - 1799.. March 31 (?$), to Deborah Hobbs  (b. 1776, d. 1867) in Shelby County Kentucky on March 31. The Hobbs family came from Maryland. Died 1840, 11 children.  James T. Fontaine is buried in Fontaine cemetery in Brandenburg Ky.
Deborah Hobbs pictured at right.  Deborah Hobbs is also buried in Fontaine cemetery.
Died'¬
This family and descendants lived in Brandenburg, Ky.

(Fo6.3) Mary Ann Fontaine
Born, 1778, October 14
Married 1795, November 19 to Fortunatus Cosby, Louisa Co.  These are ancestors of Wm. Frank Carpenter's and Nan Pope Smith, his wife's family.

(Fo6) Matilda Fontaine
Born.. 1782, September 18
Married, 1800, February 12 to Thomas Prather III (Pr7)
Died, 1850, Thanksgiving Day

(Fo6-6) Martha Minor Fontaine (Patsy)
Born:-1786, March 10
Married, 1806, October 4, to Alexander Pope Po7-2-3 b about 1772 in Va
Died:
Ancestors of the Humphrey family.. Source: http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/va/goochland/vitals/registry3.txt

(Fo6-7) Sarah Fontaine
Born, 1787, March 17
Married, 1810, April 16, to George Rogers Clark Floyd
Died,

(Fo6-8) Maria Merwin Fontaine
Born, 1789, February 16
Married, 1810, June 24 to Sterling Grimes of Greensboro Georgia
Died:

(Fo6-9) America Fontaine
Born, 1791, March 10
Married. 1809. January 10 to William Vernon of Newport, Rhode Island.
Ancestors of Mrs. Hutley, Mrs. Robertson, Mrs. Barr etc.

(Fo6-10) William Maury Fontaine
Born:  1793, January 16

(Fo6-11) Barbara Carr Fontaine
Born: 1794, December 17
Married, 1819, May 1st to Charles S. Cosby of Baton Rouge. Louisiana.
Married 2nd, 1827, October 22 to John W. Sanders.
Died. 1829,  January 15.
 

(Fo6-12) Ann Overton Fontaine
Born. 1796, April 19
Married, 1811, June 16  to John Jeremiah Jacob
Died, 1819, August 13. Ancestors of  Dr. Curran Pope and Donald Jacob of Louisville, Kentucky.

By his second wife Elizabeth Thruston Whiting Thruston (Wh7), :
(Fo6-13) Alexander Madison Fontaine (1806 ¬    ) married Marion nevin on 18 Mar. 1835
(Fo6-14) Henry Whiting Fontaine (1807 - 1839) married Sarah Elizabeth Bryson on 8 July 1834 in Louisville, Ky.
(Fo6-15) Emmeline (Evaline?) Fontaine (5 Sept. 1809 -   )  married Patrick DILLON on 1 Jul 1830 in Louisville, Jefferson Co., KY.
(Fo6-16) Aaron Benjamin Fontaine, Jr. (4 Sept.1811 - 1902) m. Mary ELLIOTT was born in 1813 in Dublin, Ireland. She died on 24 Apr 1904.

See also: http://www.stithvalley.com/ancestry/fontaine/fontaine.htm
http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~wayland/terrill/pafg176.htm#4636