Person:Maurice Pound (1)

Maurice Pound was a German winemaker that came to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia by about 1751. Pound must have impressed a young George Washington with his desire to grow and cultivate German Riesling vines on the Potomac River (near Colchester, Fairfax County, Virginia), for Washington helped finance Pound's winemaking efforts in 1759. Unfortunately, the vines (and the project) did not survive and Maurice Pound moved onto other endeavors, the last record of him, selling his land in Augusta County, refers to him as "Maurice Poutz (signed Pound), of Fairfax". Few other records seem to exist of him in Virginia. [Source: http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/wineday/wd0298/wd022098.html, and "The Papers of George Washington", Coloniel Series 6].

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Early Land Acquisition in Augusta County, VA

Acquisition of Land from Chalkley's:

Page 440.--2d July, 1752. Same (Francisco by Stophel Francisco, his son and attorney),to Morrice Pound, 360 acres. As above (Part of Jacob Stover's 5000 acres, on Shanandore; corner Nicholas Trout's line, on Cub Run; Morris Pound's line; corner Patrick Wilson; Val. Pence's line; the 3,100-acre lines. These Francisco conveyances are part of Stover's 5,000-acre tract). John Stevenson's line; corner Ludwick Francisco.

Page 444.--Same to same ((Francisco by Stophel Francisco, his son and attorney),to Morrice Pound), 320 acres. As above (Part of Jacob Stover's 5000 acres, on Shanandore; corner Nicholas Trout's line, on Cub Run; Morris Pound's line; corner Patrick Wilson; Val. Pence's line; the 3,100-acre lines. These Francisco conveyances are part of Stover's 5,000-acre tract). Cub Run; Pence's land.

Page 448.--19th August, 1752. James McCarral (McCarrol) to Morrice Pound, 130 acres. Between Cub Run and Peaked Mountain; Crosswait's line.

Disposition of Land from Chalkley's:

Page 5.--16th October, 1760. Maurice Poutz (signed Pound), of Fairfax, to John Peter Gully, £__, 130 acres patented to James McCarroll, 20th September, 1748, on Cub Run, Crosswait's line. Teste: Jno. Kurtz, Jacob Curtnes, Anna Curtnes, Peter Hog, Henry Pirgy, Henry Sellar. Philip Horless. Delivered: John Peter Gaily.

Page 9.--16th October, 1760. Same (From Maurice Poutz (signed Pound), of Fairfax) to Henry Pirgy, £154, 360 acres, part of Jacob Steven's great tract, formerly conveyed to Christopher Francisco, the elder, and by Stophel Francisco, his attorney in fact, to Maurice Pound, 2d July, 1752, on north side Shenandore; John Stevenson's meadow; cor. Ludwick Francisco. Delivered: Jacob Pirkey, February, 1767.

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Records of Maurice Pound in Augusta County, VA

From Chalkley’s Augusta County Records:

Page 469.--15th August, 1751. Christophel Francisco, farmer, of Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania, to son, Stophel Francisco, of same place. Power attorney to sell tract of 3000 acres on Shanandore. Teste: Ludwick Franciscus, Maurice Pound, John Lightner.

Page 406.--2d July, 1752. Christophel Francisco by Stophel Francisco, his son and attorney, to Peter Hull, 230 acres. Part of Jacob Stover's 5000 acres, on Shanandore; corner Nicholas Trout's line, on Cub Run; Morris Pound's line; corner Patrick Wilson; Val. Pence's line; the 3,100-acre lines. These Francisco conveyances are part of Stover's 5,000-acre tract. Teste: Robert Hooks, Nicholas Trout, Val. Pence. Delivered: Nicholas Trout, 3d January, 1753.

Page 411.--2d July, 1752. Same (Christophel Francisco by Stophel Francisco, his son and attorney) to Patrick Wilson, 380 acres as above (Part of Jacob Stover's 5000 acres, on Shanandore; corner Nicholas Trout's line, on Cub Run; Morris Pound's line; corner Patrick Wilson; Val. Pence's line; the 3,100-acre lines. These Francisco conveyances are part of Stover's 5,000-acre tract); land Morrise Pound lives on.

Page 435.--2d July. 1752. Same (Christophel Francisco by Stophel Francisco, his son and attorney) to Nicholas Trout, 145 acres. As above (Part of Jacob Stover's 5000 acres, on Shanandore; corner Nicholas Trout's line, on Cub Run; Morris Pound's line; corner Patrick Wilson; Val. Pence's line; the 3,100-acre lines. These Francisco conveyances are part of Stover's 5,000-acre tract). Corner Ludwick Francisco; Morrice Pound's line.

283.--15th October, 1765. Patrick ( ) Willson to George Weaver. £130, 380 acres, art of 5,000 acres patented to Jacob Stover, 3,100 acres thereof being conveyed by Jacob to Christopher Francisco and recorded in Orange County, on Shanando River; corner Morris Pound whereon he lives. Delivered: Geo. Weaver, 20th December, __94.

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Information on Maurice Pound

From "The Papers of George Washington": Colonial Series, 6, pg. 368-370:

1 October 1759 - Maurice Pound a Native of Germany having setled at Colchester [in Fairfax County, Virginia] in the said County about three years since on two Lotts which he purchased (one of which he has improved according to Law) and planted a Vineyard on them; during which time he has lived at his own Expence without any profit from his Vineyard having been much retarded in his Undertaking by these two last dry summers, & having one of his Lots yet to save by building the legal Improvements; with a winepress and other Conveniencys, proposes to any Gentlemen who are desirous to help him, & encourage & promote an Undertaking likely to be so usefull, & beneficial to this Colony to oblige himself to improve his other Lott, & to mortgage both the said Lotts to any Gentlemen who will advance him one hundred pounds Current money the Interest of which he proposes to pay yearly & the principal sum Advanced within five years, & the whol time to prosecute with Industry all measures possible to bring his Vineyard to perfection, (a thing not be done at once) of which he has a most encouraging prospect if seasons will permit. N.B. the Lotts to be mortgaged to any one or more of the Subscribers in Trustfor all—I have known Maurice Pound ever since he lived in Colchester he has the Character of a very honest industrious man: I have been frequently in his Vinyard upon which he has <______> an infinite deal of Labour, & I realy believe if our Soil & Climate is capable of producing good wine that he will, wth proper Encouragement, bring it to perfectin tho’ I don’t think less then £150 will do—as I am Sensible that his present Circumstances are too low to carry on his undertaking without Assistance & from my Opinion of the Intigrity a Capacity of the man, I will advance him ten Pounds upon the above mentioned Terms & I will readily join with the other Subscribers in making up whatever Sum they shall judge necessary for the purpose.

G: Mason

From "The German Element in Shenandoah Valley", by John Walter Wayland, pg. 55-56:

During the years 1751 and 1752 Christopher and Ludwig Franciscus, attorneys, sell land in Augusta to Thomas Lewis, Gabriel Jones, Peter Hull, Patrick Wilson, Ludwig Franciscus, Nicholas Null, Valentine Pence, Nicholas Trout and Maurice Pound.

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 .

GEORGE MASON AND THE MAN WHO WOULD MAKE WINE
MAURICE POUND AND HIS COLCHESTER WINERY

By Paul Y. Inashima
Consulting Archeologist

Who was Maurice Pound? Where had he come from? How had he fared in his Colchester venture? What would become of him in later years? Mason thought of him as a native
of Germany.3 However, Pound was actually a native of Switzerland and had come from the northern, German speaking Canton of Schaffhausen.
When he first arrived in Virginia has yet to be determined. Nevertheless, he likely had followed the familiar route of the early eighteenth-century Swiss emigrants who had fled religious intolerance in their homeland, traveling through Germany to Holland and, then, sailing from Rotterdam to Philadelphia.
Once in Pennsylvania, Pound had made his way to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia by the summer of 1751. During the following summer, he purchased three tracts of 130, 320, and 360 acres in Augusta County.
Six years later on September 9, 1758, Pound purchased two adjacent half acre lots for Ł12 current money from the Trustees of the port town of Colchester. Each of his lots measured 132 by 165 feet.

By 1769, Pound had “2500 vines (counted by witnesses) in a bearing state and, 10 000 young ones coming on.” Sadly, his physical and emotional efforts "having disabled himself, and brought himself very low” precipitated his death on November 18, 1769, leaving two sons, John and Jacob to continue his legacy.

http://www.gunstonhall.org/newsletter/Grapevine-Fall-2012.pdf