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 the first half of 2007, we had two members of our Society take the 37 marker test. The men match each other, but their 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 results mean that Solomon and Israel Fountain do not descend from Jaques Fontaine as long believed.

As in all DNA studies, there is a 5 percent error rate. For optimal study design, we had two male descendants of two different sons of Jaques Fontaine to take the test. One of our Society members who took the test is a descendant of Jaques` son, the Reverend Peter Fontaine. The other member who took the test is a descendant of Jaques` son, John Fontaine.

We would welcome a male descendant of one of Jaques` two other sons – James Fontaine and the Reverend Francis Fontaine – to take the test, to further verify the current results. At the August 2011 annual meeting in Charlottesville, the Executive Committee agreed that the Society would underwrite another test participant. If you are interested in learning more about the study and possibly participating to assist you in your research, please contact the study administrator listed on the DNA study`s webpage. If you are a descendant of James Fontaine or the Reverend Francis Fontaine and are interested in taking the test on behalf of the Society, please contact the Society`s librarian.