Pound, Dr. Joseph M. (2023)

(1826-1914) Born to Johnathan and Mary (Risley) Pound on October 26, 1826, near Louisville, Kentucky, Joseph Pound was a Mexican-American War veteran and early Dripping Springs doctor. The Pound family moved to Illinois in 1832. Joseph and his brother, Benjamin, enlisted as privates in the First Illinois Regiment during the Mexican-American War. From 1851-1853, he attended medical school in Kentucky. On December 13, 1853, in Mississippi, he married Sarah Dunbibben Ward. After the wedding, the couple joined Sarah's sister and brother-in-law, Indiana and John Moss, in moving to Texas. Both families settled in Hays County, but it was December 1854 before Dr. Pound could purchase 700 acres in the Philip A. Smith League next to the Mosses. Here he built a dog-trot style log cabin and worked primarily as a farmer and rancher. During the Civil War, Dr. Pound enlisted as a private but was discharged June 30, 1862. Between 1863-1864, he served as a surgeon for the Frontier Regiment at Camp Davis north of Kerrville under Major James Hunter. Now an established doctor, he traveled as far as Fredericksburg and Llano to visit the sick. His patients often boarded at the Pound home and paid through barter. Dr. Pound grew and sought out medicinal plants yet kept abreast of medical advancements. The Pounds had nine children: Indiana (1855-1939), Mary Elizabeth (1856-1933), Olive (1858-1861), Mittie (1861-1954), Louisiana (1864-1885), Charles (1866-1911), Georgia (1868-1968), Lovonia (1870-1944) and Jonathan (1872). They all are buried in Wallace Mountain Cemetery. (2023)

Pound, Dr. Joseph M. is a historical marker in Dripping Springs, Hays County, dedicated in 2023. It is one of 124 historical markers documented in Hays County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 184 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 30.1996, -98.0809 near Dripping Springs. The nearest cataloged historic site is Pound, Dr. Joseph M. (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Dripping Springs United Methodist Church, Wallace Family Cemetery, and Dripping Springs Academy.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5209010312. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.