** COMPLETED WITH THANKS **Paul FOUNTAIN.. who was he really??

[karenlee]

Hi All

Trying to find out about this man's childhood without any luck at all....certificates have proved no help to date.

He was an author and wrote under the name of Paul FOUNTAIN  .... his books are still available.  He has been written about in newspapers and gazettes of his time and other authors have referenced his work.

He married in 1910 in Epsom also as Paul FOUNTAIN. Have him on the 1911 Census.. the only census to date.  His children were all led to believe that his name was Paul FOUNTAIN.  He died in 1924 in Staines as Paul FOUNTAIN.

There is a short, what we asssume to be autobiographical piece, where he refers to himself variously as John or Johnny.  Claims to have been named for an uncle... Pastor Jack.  Speaks of his mother's brother George, who had a business in Cheltenham in about the 1860's.  Tells of a cousin Silas who went to Canada, and whom he subsequently joined in about 1866.

There are 2 births for a John FOUNTAIN that might fit... but we have no evidence of his parentage so how can we know which is ours??  Census are out as he was apparently traversing the wilderness of the Americas from the mid 1860's to at least 1895.

Is this ringing any bells for anyone out there??

Any ideas of other avenues that we might explore to find out more about him?

All information, ideas or assistance most gratefully recieved

Cheers
Karenlee

[trish1120]

Hi Karenlee,

Well you have a puzzle here

As Paul died as Paul Fountain 1924 aged 72 that makes his birth c 1852.
If he went to Canada c 1866 he would have been a young man then.
Trouble is you do not know if Fountain was his birth name or his Mothers maiden name or if he was illegitimate It could also just be a name he made up.

What does his Marriage Cert state re parents details and witnesses?

Trish

[karenlee]

Hey Trish

Tell me about it.

His marriage shows no parents and the witnesses were not related that we can tell..

He does mention his father on several occasions in his "autobiography" but not by name.

His age on the 1911 census has his birth year as about 1849.

Karenlee

[trish1120]

Hi Karenlee,

I have started reading up on him, an interesting character
Ok 1865 or thereabouts he went back to England to sell black fox pelts.


There has to be some shipping records or records of him in Canada that exist. Maybe possibly even a first marriage.

Other than trawling thru every John Fountain born 1846/1853 in England, do you have any info to narrow down where he was born?

Trish

[karenlee]

Trish

He could have been born in Nottinghamshire, Warwickshire, Leicestershire or Gloucestershire. 

He claims to have spent time in each of those counties as he was growing up. 

1911 Census says Melton Mowbray Leicestershire. 

"Autobiography" says he was in Nottinghamshire when a young boy but the family moved around all the time.  No idea of father's occupation, but does say that when Johnny/Paul was about 14 his father got involved with a travelling theatre and Johnny/Paul was dragged along as a ticket seller.

There aren't that many John FOUNTAINS born in the UK between 1848 and 1852... I think I found 2 on FreeBMD.  No entry on the census shows a John or Jack as being maimed or crippled in any way which doesn't help us narrow down the search either.

I don't have access to any Canadian or US records which might help us out.... but surely there would be something about him if he spent nearly all his life wandering around the Americas and Canada taking photographs and notes about what he did and what he saw.

Well, you'd think so anyway.

Karenlee

[trish1120]

Stillbeen looking Karenlee

He really did not want to make it easy.
There are a couple of arrivals in England from Canada and England late 1890's and early 1900's but unfortunately I cannot access images
Think this might be one for the Canadian/American researchers

Trish

[kneller1980]

Hi, i've got a world subscripton on A and wondered whether i could help? i've tried looking under John fountain but none really fit in for the rough year of births given.

if someone wants to point me in the right direction...i'l list what i come across

[deb usa]

Hi all

I'm looking too ...a Paul Fountain in the USA comes from Italy.

still searching

deb

[deb usa]

 
Hi again
This entry has no head of house ...just a long list of people including ...

Paul Fountain
1905 - Prairie, Keokuk, Iowa
postal address : Gibson




maybe books about him:

Paul Fountain:
Source Citation:
The Oxford Companion to Canadian History and Literature. By Norah Story. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1967. Reprinted with corrections, 1968. (OxCCan)

Who Was Who in Literature, 1906-1934. Based on entries that first appeared in Literary Yearbook (1906-1913), Literary Yearbook and Author's Who's Who (1914-1917), Literary Yearbook (1920-1922), and Who's Who in Literature (1924-1934). Two volumes. Detroit: Gale Research, 1979. (WhLit)