Brief history of the Fonton family in the Levant
The first Fonton who settled in Constantinople was Joachim Fonton. He was born in Alixan near Valence (Drôme) in the south of France on March 31st 1651, from the 3rd marriage of his father, Jacques Fonton (around 1593 - +1655) with Catherine Bruyère.
The father was ‘Maitre d'hôtel de la Duchesse de Lesdiguières’ in 1630 and after Capitaine du Château d'Alixan in 1649.
Joachim Fonton had a brother, Gabriel Fonton (1633-1713) who was ‘Conseiller du Roir’
Il acheta le 9 janvier 1690 les deux charges dont était pourvu Jacques de Vaude, écuyer
Dans un testament, daté de Saint-Denis le 1er avril 1712, et qui fut déposé, par acte annexé audit testament, du 21 mars 1714, chez Bouron, notaire à Paris, Gabriel Fonton a les qualités d'écuyer, conseiller du roi, secrétaire de Sa Majesté, maison et couronne de France, ci-devant maître d’hôtel de feu madame la dauphine de Bavière, conseiller de Sa Majesté, trésorier-général, ancien payeur des gages des officiers de la prévôté de l’hôtel et grande prévôté de France, contrôleur général de la maison de S.A.R. madame la duchesse d'Orléans, contrôleur ordinaire du gobelet, de la bouche et de la maison de madame la dauphine, gouverneur pour Sa Majesté des villes et château d'Axilan, en Dauphiné, seul seigneur en toute justice de la terre, seigneurie et paroisse de l'Etang-la-Ville.
Source: Antoine Gautier & Marie de Testa
Joachim Fonton had been sent to ‘l’Ecole des Jeunes de Langue’ a school created by Colbert in Constantinople in order to train young french boys to become Drogmans (interpreters) in the oriental languages. He worked in Constantinople and in Cairo but returned to France in 1685 and died in Versailles on June 3rd 1707.
He married on March 26th 1686 in Constantinople (Saint Louis de Péra) Anneta Joulin of french origin but born in Constantinople in 1668. They had at least 10 children:
Further information on the early Fonton family in the ‘Dictionnaire universel de la noblesse de France - Courcelles, Jean-Baptiste-Pierre - 1820-1822’, translated segment below:
The first Fonton who settled in Constantinople was Joachim Fonton. He was born in Alixan near Valence (Drôme) in the south of France on March 31st 1651, from the 3rd marriage of his father, Jacques Fonton (around 1593 - +1655) with Catherine Bruyère.
The father was ‘Maitre d'hôtel de la Duchesse de Lesdiguières’ in 1630 and after Capitaine du Château d'Alixan in 1649.
Joachim Fonton had a brother, Gabriel Fonton (1633-1713) who was ‘Conseiller du Roir’
Il acheta le 9 janvier 1690 les deux charges dont était pourvu Jacques de Vaude, écuyer
Dans un testament, daté de Saint-Denis le 1er avril 1712, et qui fut déposé, par acte annexé audit testament, du 21 mars 1714, chez Bouron, notaire à Paris, Gabriel Fonton a les qualités d'écuyer, conseiller du roi, secrétaire de Sa Majesté, maison et couronne de France, ci-devant maître d’hôtel de feu madame la dauphine de Bavière, conseiller de Sa Majesté, trésorier-général, ancien payeur des gages des officiers de la prévôté de l’hôtel et grande prévôté de France, contrôleur général de la maison de S.A.R. madame la duchesse d'Orléans, contrôleur ordinaire du gobelet, de la bouche et de la maison de madame la dauphine, gouverneur pour Sa Majesté des villes et château d'Axilan, en Dauphiné, seul seigneur en toute justice de la terre, seigneurie et paroisse de l'Etang-la-Ville.
Source: Antoine Gautier & Marie de Testa
Joachim Fonton had been sent to ‘l’Ecole des Jeunes de Langue’ a school created by Colbert in Constantinople in order to train young french boys to become Drogmans (interpreters) in the oriental languages. He worked in Constantinople and in Cairo but returned to France in 1685 and died in Versailles on June 3rd 1707.
He married on March 26th 1686 in Constantinople (Saint Louis de Péra) Anneta Joulin of french origin but born in Constantinople in 1668. They had at least 10 children:
- Pierre Joachim born in 1687 in Constantinople - Drogman de France à Constantinople
- Claire Angela born in 1693 in Constantinople
- Marie Madeleine born in 1694 in Aleppo - who married Giorgio Testa
- Catherine born - ? married in 1715 to François Fornetti - Drogman de France à Constantinople
- Dominique (female) born in 1697 in Constantinople
- Charles born in 1700 in Constantinople
- Gabrielle Marie born in 1703 in Constantinople
- Gabriel Joseph (+1703)
- Augustin born in 1704 - married to Marie Dominique Fornetti
- Lucie
- Joseph born in 1723
- Antoine born in 1724 - 1er Drogman de France à Constantinople married to Elisabeth Momarz, daughter of the 1st Drogman of the Austrian Embassy in Constantinople
- Charles born in 1725 - 1er Drogman et Chancelier du Consulat de France à Smyrne married to Thérèse Brémond
- Lucie born in 1729 married to Jacques Testa (2d Drogman of the Dutch Embasssy in Constantinople)
- Luc born in 1732 - Drogman de France à Alep married to Suzanne Rau
- Louis born in 1734
- Gaspard born in 1738
- Thomas Pierre born in 1741 - Vicaire Apostolique de Constantinople under the name ‘Monseigneur Jean Baptiste Fonton’
- Thérèse born in 1743 married to Bartolomeo Testa - 1sr Drogman of the Austrian Embassy in Constantinople
- Jean ‘Joseph’ born in 1747 - Drogman de France - served the Russian as State Councellor during the french revolution married to Sophie Bénévéni daughter of Jean Félix Bénévéni MD, Doctor of the Sultan
- Catherine Fonton married to Antoine Dantan - Drogman de France à Constantinople
Further information on the early Fonton family in the ‘Dictionnaire universel de la noblesse de France - Courcelles, Jean-Baptiste-Pierre - 1820-1822’, translated segment below:
The two original parts of documents dated June 3, 1707, recently discovered, authentically establishes the origin of these French and Constantinople branches of this family.
The Fonton family, recommendable by long series of services distinguishing itself in the military and the diplomacy arenas, remains in two principal branches, established, the first in France, the second has Constantinople for nearly two centuries, which appear to originate in the province in Dauphine, or the French branch had outstanding possessions obtained through royal employment.
The second branch, based in the capital of the Ottoman Empire, wouldn’t even depart from the frequent fires which occur in Constantinople, whose titles evidence that the two branches went their own ways beyond the end of the 16th century; and the French branch of the Fonton family lost, in 1972, in the same way, but by the fact of the revolution, their titles. By the same effect of this loss, it wasn’t possible to show for certain that these two brothers person are certainly brothers: lord Gabriel Fonton, whose mentioned in the following texts, and lord Joachim Fonton, whose mentioned further on, the founder of the Constantinople branch of this family. We haven’t been able to find a single document to demonstrate their common father.
The Fonton family, recommendable by long series of services distinguishing itself in the military and the diplomacy arenas, remains in two principal branches, established, the first in France, the second has Constantinople for nearly two centuries, which appear to originate in the province in Dauphine, or the French branch had outstanding possessions obtained through royal employment.
The second branch, based in the capital of the Ottoman Empire, wouldn’t even depart from the frequent fires which occur in Constantinople, whose titles evidence that the two branches went their own ways beyond the end of the 16th century; and the French branch of the Fonton family lost, in 1972, in the same way, but by the fact of the revolution, their titles. By the same effect of this loss, it wasn’t possible to show for certain that these two brothers person are certainly brothers: lord Gabriel Fonton, whose mentioned in the following texts, and lord Joachim Fonton, whose mentioned further on, the founder of the Constantinople branch of this family. We haven’t been able to find a single document to demonstrate their common father.