Manuel Maria da Terra Brum (2 February 1825 – 11 July 1905) was a merchant, winegrower, and the third Baron of Alagoa on the island of Faial in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores.

Biography

Manuel Maria da Terra Brum was born on 2 February 1825 into some of Faial's oldest and most illustrious families, including the Brums, Terras, and Silveiras. Ribeiro (2007): p. 163 Mónica and Silveira e Sousa (2009): p. 146 His parents were '' morgado''

José Francisco da Terra Brum José Francisco da Terra Brum (10 March 1776 – 22 January 1842) was a merchant, winegrower, and the first Baron of Alagoa on the island of Faial in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. Biography José Francisco da Terra Brum was born on ...

, first Baron of Alagoa and last Captain-mor of Faial, and Francisca Paula Brum e Silveira. Like his father before him, Manuel was one of the largest winegrowers on neighboring Pico Island, producing 1000

barrel A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers for liquids, ...

s ( pt, pipas) of

Verdelho Verdelho is a white wine grape grown throughout Portugal, though most associated with the island of Madeira, and also gives its name to one of the four main types of Madeira wine. At the turn of the 20th century it was the most widely planted whi ...

wine annually.

Business ventures and baronage

A cultured and practical businessman, Brum dedicated his life to the "development of industry, agriculture, vineyards and noble exploration of all the sources of wealth in Faial and Pico". After his first voyage abroad he created the ''Quinta da Silveira'' (Estate of Silveira) in Santo Amaro, which became "one of the richest and more beautiful properties in the Azores, rivaling the decanted gardens of São Miguel". In fact, Brum "was to the islands of Faial and Pico, what for the island of the Archangel ão Miguelwere the Cantos and the Jácomes Correias, his friends and correspondents." Powdery mildew and

phylloxera Grape phylloxera is an insect pest of commercial grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America. Grape phylloxera (''Daktulosphaira vitifoliae'' (Fitch 1855) belong to the family Phylloxeridae, within the order Hemiptera, bugs ...

spread to the Azores in 1852 and 1873, respectively, destroying vineyards and ruining the livelihoods of poor inhabitants of Pico and rich property owners of

Horta Horta may refer to: People * Horta (surname), a list of people Places * Horta, Africa, an ancient city and former bishopric in Africa Proconsularis, now in Tunisia and a Latin Catholic titular see * Horta, Azores, Portugal, a municipality an ...

alike. Battling against this, Manuel Maria introduced new castes to Pico including American grape varieties. His initiative provoked a renaissance in Pico's wines, as other winegrowers adopted new castes, resulting in new wines. During the course of this conversion, Manuel Maria spent much of his fortune—even selling off his estate for a time—but succeeded in recuperating his investment and buying back his property. Recognizing Brum's contribution to the people of the

Faial-Pico Channel The Faial-Pico Channel ( pt, Canal Faial-Pico) is an long channel that separates the islands of Faial Island, Faial and Pico Island, Pico in the central group of the archipelago of the Azores. The strait is divided into various depressions, calder ...

, King Carlos I of Portugal on a 1901 visit to the Azores granted Brum the title of third Baron of Alagoa, a title that had been extinguished with the death of his brother

José Francisco da Terra Brum II José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacu ...

in 1844.

Later life

Brum was involved in various philanthropic works and construction projects. On 28 November 1859 he was one of the founders of the fraternal ''Sociedade Amor da Pátria'' (Love of the Fatherland Society), serving as its president for several years. He was also president of the board of the ''Caixa Económica Faialense'' (Savings Bank of Faial) and responsible for construction of the road along Vista Alegre. He had no direct descendants, leaving his house along Areia Larga, estate in Alagoa, and various vineyards, furniture, dinnerware, and boats to António da Cunha de Menezes Brum and José Bettencourt V. Correia é Ávila, his workers José Pereira and José Francisco de Medeiros, and his servants Ricarda Luísa and Constança Margarida, with the rest of his fortune being equally divided between his nephews. His funeral took place on the afternoon of 12 July 1905. His body was escorted by directors from ''Amor da Pátria'', ''Luz e Caridade'' ("Light and Charity"), and the ''Asilo da Infância Desvalida'' (Asylum for Destitute Children), the lattermost of which he was protector and president.

References

Notes

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Terra Brum, Manuel Maria da Terra Brum People from Faial Island Azorean nobility 1825 births 1905 deaths Portuguese nobility