Fountain Piece

Odd names intrique me. In the sea of John and James and Mary's, it's a tickle and a comfort to see a Zephinah Cucumber or a Northwinn Polycarp. Why couldn't Tennesee Berrymaster or Euphrasia Coppledick have been my ancestors?  

Recently, while researching a family of Solomons who had migrated to Texas, I came across this family grouping:

From the 1870 census of Cherokee County, Texas, this shows 72 year old William Solmon, with 26 year old Robert D. Solmon, both farmers, Roberts wife, Mahaza, and their two small children, Paralee and David. Just above William is Thomas J. Solomon, 36, his wife, Catherine, 25 and 6 children, all his, but not all hers, and a 14 year old boarder. Below William is James M. Solomon, 36, his wife Amanda, 27, and their two young children.

Looking a little closer, I noticed that William Solomon had a 19 year old young man from Tennesee, employed by him, "working on farm", by the name of Fountain Piece. What kind of a name was Fountain Piece?

Couriousity killed the cat. Needing a break from the Solomons, I just had to know, who was Fountain Piece and what was his connection to the Solomons?

The first thing I discovered was that his name was not Fountain "Piece", but Fountain "Price".  Fountain Becom Price to be exact, and he was just a young man with an interesting name. His family's story is typically American and typical of the populating of the country from east to west.

It begins in West Virginia with a very 'frontiersman' looking character named Jacob W. Price. The "Preis" family were Germans out of New Holland, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, who had first migrated into Frederick County, Virginia. The first, Peter Preis, would marry a "Frey" or "Freyin". His son, George Peter, would anglicize his name to "Price" and marry another ethnically German girl named Catharina Krebs.

George Peter and Catharina would have a son named George, just George, born around 1786, after which the family would removed to Maryland. George would grow up in Hagerstown, Maryland and in 1815, would marry a lady there named Catherine, daughter of  George Michael Hout and Christiana Strider. She was the widow of a John Humeldorf, so therefore, Catherine Hout Humeldorg.

Now, I've been looking for the surname of 'Foutain' and there were some, particularly in Virginia. Instead, I've been encountering all these "Pennsylvania Dutch", in my trailer of Fountains family.

George and Catherine H. H. Price would remove to Berkeley County, West Virginia, and they were the parents of the rustic looking Jacob, shown above, born in 1823.

On July 19, 1845, Jacob would marry Emeline Huntsburg in Berkeley County, which at the time, was just Virginia.

Now the father of Evaline Emaline Etta Huntsburg is unknown. 

However, in the 1850 census, we see Jacob and Evaline living next to his parents, George and Catherine Price and siblings, Michael and Christena. The young couple has a 4 year old son with the impressive name of George Isaac Newton Price and a 7 month old son named Jacob H., for Henry. Also living with them is a 72 year old woman named Barbara. She is probably the mother, or even grandmother, of Evaline, as she is not related to Jacob, and I would bet there might be a surname of Fountain, somewhere in her family tree, as she was born in Virginia.

Evalina would have been pregnant at the time of this record, despite having a 7 month old son. Cue Harpers Ferry. 

Harper's Ferry, West Virginia is a beautiful place with a significant history. It is also the place where Fountain B. Price was born on May 30, 1850. It was an event that would lead to the death of his mother, Evalina Emaline Huntsburg Price. 

Harpers Ferry was a very progressive and eventful place in the 1850's when the Price's ranked among the citizenry. Manufacturing innovations and operations were expanding there. The first successful American Railroad had been established in Harpers Ferry. It was also a volatile time, and the home of reknowned abolutionist John Brown. 

Name	Jacob Price
Age	37
Birth Year	abt 1823
Gender	Male
Race	White
Birth Place	Virginia
Home in 1860	Meramec, Crawford, Missouri
Post Office	Steelville
Dwelling Number	137
Family Number	137
Occupation	Carpenter
Personal Estate Value	165
Inferred Spouse	Winney Price

Household members

Name	Age
Jacob Price	37
Winney Price	29
G I A R Price	14
J H Price	11
F B Price	9
S L Price	2

Jacob Price would not remain in Harper's Ferry with his young sons. He would find a second wife, named Winny, to help his raise his children, and would relocate, as many would, to Missouri. 

The 1860 census would find the young family in Merramic, Steeleville Township, Crawford County, Missouri and his first daughter and first child with Winny, had been born, a girl they named Sarah.

 Jacob was working as a carpenter in that tumultous state. Missouri was a hotbed of destruction and chaos during the 1860's and Jacob Price wisely led his family out of there as soon as possible and making his way across the Mississippi and south to Texas. 

Name	Jacob Price
Birthplace	Virginia
Registry Date	4 Sep 1867
County	Brazoria
Line Number	1196
Archive Collection Title	1867 Voter Registration Lists
Archive Reel Number	2

He was in Brazoria, Texas by 1867. Jacob seemed to be a man specifically formed just for Texas. 

Name	Jacob Price
Age in 1870	47
Birth Date	abt 1823
Birthplace	Virginia
Dwelling Number	392
Home in 1870	Etna Beat 3, Smith, Texas
Race	White
Gender	Male
Post Office	Etna
Occupation	Farmer
Male Citizen Over 21	Yes
Personal Estate Value	100
Real Estate Value	240
Inferred Spouse	Winnie Price

Household members

Name	Age
Jacob Price	47
Winnie Price	35
Sarah Price	12
Henrietta Price	10
James Price	5
Catherine Price	2
Jacob Price

1870 finds the family in Etna, Smith County, Texas. Etna is now considered a ghost town.

Jacob Henry was the only one of Jacob Sr.'s three sons by his first marriage still living with him. Oldest son, George Isaac Newton Price had served in the Civil War and survived with agrivating, if not debilitating injuries. He started a family and had the wanderllust, like his father,  moving them all over Texas before he passed away in 1932 in Austin.

This was the year Fountain is found working as a farm hand for Mr. William Solomon. Two years after he is seen working for the Solomons, Fountain falls in love. On August 14, 1872, at the age of 22, he marries Miss Nannie Talley. 

Name	Nancy Sally
Age	7
Birth Year	abt 1853
Gender	Female
Race	White
Birth Place	Alabama
Home in 1860	Tyler, Smith, Texas
Post Office	Tyler
Dwelling Number	1314
Family Number	1314
Attended School	Y

Household members

Name	Age
David A Nelson	27
Jane Nelson	21
Mary Sally	13
Nancy Sally	7
James Nelson	2
Josephus Nelson	1/12

The Talley's were an Alabama family. Nancy Ann "Nannie" Talley's father died when she was very small, leaving her mother, Josephine, a young widow with two little daughters, Nannie and her sister, Mary. Josephine remarried a man named David A.  Nelson and they had moved to Tyler, Texas by 1860.

The home may not have been a pleasant one. Nancy's older sister, Mary, married a man named Henry Hinson (shown as Hynson) and Nancy went to live with them as a teenager, as is seen in 1870, still in Tyler, Texas.

Name	Nancy Tally
Age in 1870	16
Birth Date	abt 1854
Birthplace	Texas
Dwelling Number	279
Home in 1870	Tyler, Smith, Texas
Race	White
Gender	Female
Post Office	Tyler
Occupation	At Home

Household members

Name	Age
Henry Hynson	74
Mary Hynson	30
Nancy Tally	16
Mary Hynson	5
Florence Hynson	2

This is probably where Fountan met Nannie. The couple move to Williamson County, Texas, which is still essentially East Texas, but most definately moving into the center. The topography changes in Williamson County from the rich, loamy, black soil of Eastern Texas  to the limestone hills of West Texas. It has a typically wild west history.  Fountain found work there as a Drayman.

In 1880, two of their five little girls had been born and his younger half-sister, Sarah, had  come to live with them. Their father had died in 1877. Three years later, Sarah Lovina Price would marry a man called Jack Dunham.

Name	F. B. Price
Age	29
Birth Date	Abt 1851
Birthplace	Virginia
Home in 1880	Precinct 6, Williamson, Texas, USA
House Number	27
Dwelling Number	14
Race	White
Gender	Male
Relation to Head of House	Self (Head)
Marital Status	Married
Spouse's Name	Nancy Price
Father's Birthplace	Virginia
Mother's Birthplace	Virginia
Occupation	Drayman
Neighbors	View others on page

Household members

Name	Age
F. B. Price	29
Nancy Price	24
Sarah Price	21
Lizzie Price	6
Ida Lee Price	10/12

Williamson was not where the Price family wanted to settle down for good. By becoming a drayman, Fountian became a quick study of the merchant class and wanted to become a businessman.  He decided to start a Bakery. 

Name	Fountain B Price
Age	49
Birth Date	May 1851
Birthplace	Virginia, USA
Home in 1900	Whitesboro, Grayson, Texas
Sheet Number	11
Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation	226
Family Number	233
Race	White
Gender	Male
Relation to Head of House	Head
Marital Status	Married
Spouse's Name	Nancy A Price
Marriage Year	1872
Years Married	28
Father's Birthplace	Virginia, USA
Mother's Birthplace	Virginia, USA
Occupation	Bakery Merch
Months Not Employed	0
Can Read	Y
Can Write	Y
Can Speak English	Y
House Owned or Rented	Rent
Farm or House	H
Neighbors	View others on page

Household members

Name	Age
Fountain B Price	49
Nancy A Price	46
Mary R Price	17
Fannie Price	15
Pearl C Price	11

Fountain was now almost 50 years old. He raised 5 daughters and two were married. He settled in Whitesboro, Grayson County, near Dallas. Grayson County is where he lost his beloved Nannie. She passed away there on June 29, 1908, at just 54 years old. 

In 1910, Fountain is still operating his Bakery and living with  his youngest daughter, Pearlie and her family.  Unmarried daughter, Fannie, is living with them as well. 

Name	Fountain B Price
Age in 1910	59
Birth Date	1851
Birthplace	Virginia
Home in 1910	Whitesboro, Grayson, Texas, USA
Sheet Number	11a
Street	West Main Street
Race	White
Gender	Male
Relation to Head of House	Head
Marital Status	Widowed
Father's Birthplace	Virginia
Mother's Birthplace	Virginia
Native Tongue	English
Occupation	Proprietor
Industry	Bakery
Employer, Employee or Other	Employer
Home Owned or Rented	Own
Home Free or Mortgaged	Free
Farm or House	House
Able to read	Y
Able to Write	Y
Enumeration District Number	0103
Enumerated Year	1910
Neighbors	View others on page

Household members

Name	Age
Fountain B Price	59
Fannie Price	24
Porter Cooley	24
Pearl Cooley	21
Elizabeth Cooley	3

Soon afterwards, Porter and Pearl would resettle their family in Oklahoma. Fountain was on the move again. With his daughter Fannie,  he now found in  the little town of Brady in McCulloch County, deep in the heart of Texas. 

Brady is exactly what comes to mind when most folks think of Texas; ranches scrub brush and and wide, flat rivers. 

Here is where he would lose his daughter, Fannie,  to pnuemonia,  in 1918. Fountain would remain in McCulloch for a time in the 1920's, but by 1930, he would retire  and move to Fort Worth, where his oldest daughter, Kurgie, lived. 

Fountain B. Price would spend his last few retirement years in Fort Worth. He passed away there on December 8, 1933, of heart failure. His body was returned to Whitesboro, in Grayson County, Texas, to be buried beside his wife, Nannie. 

Fountain and Nannie Price were the parents of 5 daughters.

A) Elizabeth LuKurgia Price ( 1873-1936) married Clarence Jackson and raised 4 children in Fort Worth.

 B) Ida Lee Price (1879 - Unknown).

C) Mary Rebecca Price (1883-1952) married Evander Irl Donaldson and raised 4 children in Houston, Texas.

D) Fannie Price ( (1885-1918) helped her father in the Bakery and Never Married. 

E) Pearlie Cecile Price (1888 - 1973) married Porter Alvin Cooley and raised 2 children in Ardmore, Oklahoma. 

Fountain Boon Price, a man with an unusual name, and typical of a Founding Texas family.