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Below is a family biography included in Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Cross County, Arkansas published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1890.  These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary.  Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more.  There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.

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William Fountain, one of the oldest and most respected farmers in Cross County, was born in 1829 to the union of Cary and Sarah (Powers) Fountain, natives of North Carolina and of English descent, the paternal grandfather of our subject coming to this country from England. Cary Fountain was a farmer by occupation, and a slave owner. The paternal grandfather served in the Revolutionary War after emigrating to this country, and the maternal grandfather served in the American Navy. Cary Fountain was the father of six children, two of whom only are living: Maria (wife of Wyatt Earp, of North Carolina) and William (our subject). The latter was reared on a farm in North Carolina, his native State, and at the age of fourteen engaged in teaming, hauling turpentine, in which occupation he was engaged for two or three years. He was afterward occupied in clerking in a dry-goods store for some years, and then learned the carpenter’s trade, at which he worked for about twenty years. Mr. Fountain has been married three times; first to Martha A. Cutchins, who died in 1855, leaving four children, one now surviving, George A., who resides in this county. His second wife was Clara A. Parker, a native of Tennessee; she was a member of the Methodist Church, and died in 1880, leaving one child now deceased. In 1880 Mr. Fountain was married to his third and present wife, Mrs. Charlotte T. Martin (nee Shaver). They are the parents of two children: Cary E. and Ernest R. In 1849 he left North Carolina for Tennessee, and remained there until 1860, when he came to Cross County, Ark., locating on the place on which he now resides. This then consisted of 140 acres, upon it there being a log-cabin, with ten or twelve acres of land under cultivation. He now owns 827 acres, 100 under cultivation, and raises a large amount of stock, which costs but little to keep through the winter. Mr. Fountain is a member of the Masonic lodge, and holds the office of Junior Warden. He was formerly a notary public of Cross County, and has held the office of constable for about six years, serving as school director for some twenty years. He is also president of the County Wheel, and is one of the prominent Democrats of the county.

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This family biography is one of 103 biographies included in Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Cross County, Arkansas published in 1890.  For the complete description, click here: Cross County, Arkansas History, Genealogy, and Maps

View additional Cross County, Arkansas family biographies here: Cross County, Arkansas Biographies

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