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The birth year for Alice Fountain is listed incorrectly on the gravestone as 1877 . . . it should have been 1878.
George Morton Fountain was born 10 May 1874 in Illiopolis, Illinois, the third of eight children of James Henry and Cassandra Maxwell Fountain. The family moved from Illinois to Reno County, Kansas about 1885 where George spent his teenage and young adult years in the Penalosa and Castleton, Kansas area working on his father's farm.
George's older brother, Albert Schuyler "Scott" Fountain, at the age of 20, participated in the Oklahoma land rush of 1889 when the Indian Territory in what is now Dewey county, Oklahoma was opened to homesteaders. Scott opened a mercantile store in that part of Oklahoma Territory and on June 26, 1895 was the first postmaster of the town of Fountain, Oklahoma located near the farm that he had "homesteaded". The Fountain Cemetery is the remaining evidence of the town. George Morton Fountain followed his brother, settling in Oklahoma after learning about available land in Dewey County Oklahoma in 1897.
George's homestead was first settled by Charles Carter who had homesteaded the property as part of the land rush of 1892. But he could not establish a residence on the land which was one of the terms of the Homestead Act and the land was up for sale. George bought the 160 acres of land for $100 and built a one room log cabin and settled there. After complying with terms of the Homestead Act, by living on the farm and making improvements, his ownership of the property was recorded on 9 November 1906.
Alice "Allie" Fish Humber Fountain was born 17 September 1878 in Andrew County, Missouri, the second of ten children born to Carroll Coyle and Mary Minerva Bast Humber. Alice grew up in the northwest part of Missouri in the areas of Andrew and Nodaway counties. In 1895, she enrolled in Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa to study music. Her family moved to Oklahoma Territory about 1898, near the same time as George Fountain arrived.
George Morton Fountain and Alice Fish Humber were married on 31 March 1901. George was a farmer; growing wheat and other small grains and raising livestock for market and consumption. He measured 6 feet 5 inches and was honest as he was tall. Alice was a small framed woman about five feet tall. She was very neat and frugal person and an excellent seamstress.
When they would butcher, Allie would can hamburger patties and sausage patties. They cured all their own bacon and ham. They raised chickens for meat and eggs, and milked cows, separating the cream from the milk. They sold milk, cream and eggs on Saturdays when they would take the produce to town and buy groceries for the week. The milk and butter was kept in a milk trough that was located adjacent to the windmill pump. The trough was supplied with cold well water continually pumped by the windmill, circulating through the trough [cooling the milk products] through pipes to the watering tank for livestock in the barnyard. The trough was covered with grape vines to shade it from the hot Oklahoma sun.
George and Allie were active in various community affairs. George played a tuba in a 15 member band and he was member of the Odd Fellows Lodge. He sang bass in a quartet at the Muncie Methodist Church where they attended and played baseball with a team consisting mostly of the members of the Odd Fellows Lodge. Allie was a member of the Royal Neighbors Club. One of the specialties of the club was precision marching.
George and Allie raised five children on their 160 acre farm after adding a second room to accommodate their growing family. A third room, a sleeping room, was added to the home by their neighbors after George was diagnosed as having tuberculosis. George and Allie lived on their farm more than fifty years; George dying in 1948 and Alice in 1969. Alice did not return to live at the farm after the death of George. She stayed at the homes of her children settling in the home of her oldest daughter who lived in Wichita, Kansas.
George died 20 February 1948. His obituary, below, was written by his friend, Morris Worthington:
GEORGE MORTON FOUNTAIN, son of James H. and Cassandra Maxwell Fountain, was born at Illiopolis, Illinois, May 10, 1874 and departed this life at the hospital in Watonga, Oklahoma on February 20, 1948 at the age of 73 years, nine months and ten days.
At an early age he moved with his parents to a home near Hutchinson, Kansas where he grew to manhood.
In 1897 he came to Oklahoma and filed on a claim in this vicinity. He proved his claim and established a home, at which he resided until his final illness.
He was united in marriage to Alice Fish Humber March 18, 1901. To this union was born five children, three son, Marvin Roy of Southard, Oklahoma; James M. of Independence, Missouri and Walter Olin of Oklahoma City and two daughters; Erma May Snyder, Wichita, Kansas and Cassandra Mary Haffner of Canton, Oklahoma. His entire family survive him. In addition, he leaves to mourn his passing twelve grandchildren, one great grandchild, one sister, Mrs. Lulu Poorman, Langdon, Kansas; two brothers, Carl B., Turon, Kansas and Leo F., Langdon, Kansas; other relatives and a host of friends.
He joined the Methodist Church at Munice, Oklahoma while a young man, and earnestly endeavored to live succeedingly well. Always sympathetic to others in distress, he was ever ready to lend a helping hand. In sickness, sorrow he was a tower of strength. Many of us here can remember times when we trusted him to watch at the bedside of a desperately ill loved on, while we slept. The community in which he lived was enriched by his presence. He was an inspiration to all who aspire to honesty and integrity. We are proud to have known him and been able to call him "friend".
ALICE FISH FOUNTAIN, Canton. Funeral services for Alice Fish Fountain, 92, formerly of Canton, will be held at 10:30 a.m., July 5 at the First Christian Church. She died July 1 at Wichita, Kans.
Rev. Gene Hayes and Rev. Errol Stepp will officiate. Burial will be in the Fountain Cemetery at Canton under the direction of Haigler Funeral Home.
Born in Marysville, Mo., she moved to Oklahoma in 1898 settling on a farm west of Canton. She married George Morton Fountain, March 31, 1901. He preceded her in death in 1948.
Mrs. Fountain moved to Wichita in 1957 to live with a daughter.
Survivors include: one daughter, Mrs. Erma Snyder, Wichita, Kans; three son, Marvin Fountain, Canton; James Fountain, Independence, Mo; and Walter Fountain, Jefferson, Ohio; two brothers, Sam Humber, Jonesburg, Mo., and Carroll Humber, Seattle, Wash.; three sisters, Jessie Fountain, Kansas City, Mo., Katie Diekeroger, Wright City, Mo., and Winifred Porter, San Francisco, Calif.; 13 grandchildren and 33 great grandchildren.
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