J’utilise comme source le livre de James Fontaine, “Memoirs of a Huguenot Family”: translated and compiled from the original autobiography of the Rev. James Fontaine
Publisher: The Religious Tract Society, paternoster Row: 65, St. Pauls Churchyard and 164, Picadilly 2012
James begins the autobiography on the 26th day of March 1722, being sixty-four years old. According to the author, his grandfather Jean de la fontaine, who was born in 1500 in Maine was killed in 1563 in the city of Le Mans, by Catholic ruffians, having converted to Protestantism in 1535 and preaching the new attitudes against the Catholic church. His second son James, born in 1550, died 1633, was about 14 at that time, Abraham 12, and the youngest son was 9. (source p.7) Reference is made to his sister Madame L’Homeau, living near Saintonge, in Jouzac , in the Charente Maritime about 1633.
I surmise that this Jean de la Fontaine born near 1500 in northern Normandie might be the same Jean de la Fontaine who was born in St. Lo, Manche, in northern Normandie, whose descendants became the de la Fontaine of :Crépy-sur-Valois, and were connected to King Charles VII. For this Jean de la Fontaine to have been the ancestor of the Huguenot converts of le Mans Maine is yet to be ascertained.
Je fais hypothèse que ce Jean de la Fontaine né vers 1500 dans le nord de la Normandie pourrait être le même Jean de la Fontaine-Solare né à Saint-Lô, Manche, dans le nord de la Normandie, dont les descendants sont devenus les “de la Fontaine” de : Crépy-sur-Valois , et étaient liés au roi Charles VII. Ces ancètres étaient liés au de Solier/de Solare d’Asti Piemonte, en Italie remontant au 13ième siècle.
Il y aussi possibilité de parenté avec les “de la fontaine” dela commune de Iles et Vilaines en Bretagne.
Il y a aussi question de migration du nord de la Normandie par Louis Fontaine et Marie Nion, autour des 1500 qui pourrait etre lié au Jean de la fontaine de Le Mans, devenu Huguenot en 1565.
Que ce Jean de la Fontaine soit l’ancêtre des Huguenots convertis du Mans Maine reste à déterminer. Une grosse difficulté à établir le lien est que les noms d’épouses n’étaient pas facilement trouvés pour les periodes avant 1500. J’ai pu reculé jusqu’à Rodolphe de la Fontaine -Solare qul avait marié Lucrèce de Gattinara. https://fontaine.one-name.net/tng/getperson.php?personID=I3940&tree=Fontaine
Traduction Anglaise:
I hypothesize that this Jean de la Fontaine born around 1500 in the north of Normandy could be the same Jean de la Fontaine-Solare born in Saint-Lô, Manche, in the north of Normandy, whose descendants became the " de la Fontaine" from: Crépy-sur-Valois, and were linked to King Charles VII. These ancestors were linked to the de Solier/de Solare of Asti Piemonte, Italy dating back to the 13th century.
There is also the possibility of kinship with the "de la Fontaine" of the commune of Iles et Vilaines in Brittany.
There is also question of migration from the north of Normandy by Louis Fontaine and Marie Nion, around 1500 which could be linked to Jean de la Fontaine of Le Mans, who became a Huguenot in 1565.
Whether this Jean de la Fontaine is the ancestor of the converted Huguenots of Le Mans Maine remains to be determined. A big difficulty in establishing the link is that the names of wives were not easily found for periods before 1500. I was able to go back to Rodolphe de la Fontaine -Solare who had married Lucretia de Gattinara.
https://fontaine.one-name.net/tng/getperson.php?personID=I3940&tree=Fontaine