 Fontaine family papers
Collection DescriptionHistorical NoteJohn Fontaine (1792-1866), commission merchant and first mayor of Columbus, Georgia, married Mary Ann Stewart (1808-1852). Their children included Henrietta (1827-1857), Mary Elizabeth (1835-?), Benjamin Bruton (1838-1870), Theophilus (1842-1896), Francis (1844-1901), and George H. (1850-1904). In 1868, Benjamin Bruton Fontaine married Mary Elizabeth Shorter, daughter of James H. and Elizabeth Hargraves Shorter. They had two daughters, Mary (1871-1935) and Benjamin Bruton (1870-1952), who was called Bennie. Both daughters attended the Home School in Athens, Georgia circa 1883-1886. King had returned to Columbus and in the summer of 1855 joined with James Meeler, a local carpenter, to construct a warehouse for "John Fontaine and others." Fontaine and his father-in-law, Charles Stewart, had operated a cotton warehouse business since 1829. Fontaine also served as mayor of the city and invested in the river trade, a textile mill, and land - extensive acreage in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas. By 1859 he owned "two plantations on the river and sev[era]l hundred negroes and plenty of money." His fever-season home in Summerville, on the hills west of Girard, sheltered his family during the summer, and his brick Greek revival house in town stood on Front Avenue across from his warehouse. --- Bridging Deep South Rivers, by John S. Lupold. Athens : University of Georgia Press, 2004. Scope and ContentThe collection consists of correspondence, writings, business papers, and printed material. Most of the business correspondence concerns Stewart & Fontaine Co., merchants in Columbus, Georgia. The family and personal correspondence is from both the Shorter and Fontaine families. There is also some Civil war correspondence from Charles S. Shorter, George H. Shorter, and others who were probably their friends. The business paper include deeds, land grants and various accounts. Administrative InformationPreferred CitationFontaine family papers, ms3011, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, The University of Georgia Libraries. Finding Aid PublicationFinding aid prepared on: 2009 May 7. Related Materials and SubjectsSubject TermsRelated Collections in this RepositoryRelated materials available in the following collections of this repository: John Fontaine papers, ms2014. | ||||||||||||||||||||