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Title |
Breck Family papers |
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Reference Code (ID/Accession #) |
RG 1718 |
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Name and Location of Repository |
Broadus R.Littlejohn, Jr. Collection, Special Collections, Sandor Teszler Library, Wofford College, Spartanburg, S.C. |
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Dates of creation |
1845 - 1851 |
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Extent |
9 items |
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Creator(s) |
Joseph Breck (July 15, 1808-Sept. 7, 1879) Samuel Breck (Nov. 16, 1806-Sept. 28, 1876) Enoch George Dial (Oct. 16, 1817-Apr. 2, 1896) Thomas Dawes Eliot (Mar. 20, 1808-June 14, 1870) John A. Kasson (Jan. 11, 1822-May 18, 1910) Asahel Peck (Sept. 1803-May 18, 1879) Laban Morey Wheaton (Sept. 14, 1797-Jan. 17, 1865) |
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Administrative/Biographical History |
Brothers Joseph Breck (July 15, 1808-Sept. 7, 1879) and Samuel Breck (Nov. 16, 1806-Sept. 28, 1876) descendant from a family which had been in Massachusetts since the 1630s. When both were three and younger, their father, Capt. Samuel Breck (Feb. 27, 1778-Mar. 20, 1809), was killed in an accident. His ship was docking at Boston’s Long Wharf after a successful business run to France and a mast broke and fell on him. They were raised by their mother Ruth Church Magoun Eaton (Jan. 28, 1782-Jan. 27, 1817) who died less than a year after her marriage to Thomas Easton (Aug. 1781-Dec. 9, 1824). By 1850, Joseph Breck (July 15, 1808-Sept. 7, 1879) was a man of means living in Chelsea, Boston, MA. In later life, he became active in real estate and banking. His occupation is given in the census as “None” but he was $10,000.00. The 1860 census gives “Ferry Agent” as Joseph’s occupation. His real estate holdings were valued at $22,500.00 with a personal estate valued at $2,500.00. By 1870, his real estate value dropped to $14,600.00 while the value of his personal holdings increased to $8,500.00. Samuel Breck (Nov. 16, 1806-Sept. 28, 1876) left Boston when young, moving to Middleboro (where he studied law) after graduating Harvard in 1831 and became an attorney. He lived and practiced law in Weymouth Landing, and Taunton (where he also ran a newspaper supporting the Liberty Party), and Baltimore. From at least 1855, set up shop in Bridgewater, MA and lived there until his death. He was remembered for being a well-known and respected attorney as well as a patriot and a devotee of fine literature. Enoch George Dial (Oct. 16, 1817-Apr. 2, 1896) was a member of a pioneer family which moved to Ohio from North Carolina in 1803. An 1843 graduate from Miami University, he taught there following his graduation until offered a position at Ohio Wesleyan. In 1845, he left there to assume the presidency of Springfield Female College, holding that position for four years. During this time, he read law on the side and was admitted to the bar. He served as Clark County Probate Judge from 1870 through 1876. He later served in the Ohio Legislature. The firm of Eliot and Kasson consisted of Thomas Dawes Eliot (Mar. 20, 1808-June 14, 1870) and John A. Kasson. Eliot belonged to an old and prominent Massachusetts family. Named for his maternal grandfather (a judge on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court) Eliot received an education not usually available to those outside his class, graduating from what is now known as George Washington University in 1825. He was admitted to the bar in 1831. Politically, Eliot was initially a member of the Whig party. Later, became a Massachusetts state Senator and served six terms in the U. S. House of Representatives. He served as a delegate to the Free Soil Party convention in 1855. He then became a Republican, which he remained. Retiring from politics in 1868, he practiced law in New Bedford until his death. He is the great-uncle of the poet T. S. Eliot. John A. Kasson (Jan. 11, 1822-May 18, 1910), Eliot’s brother-in-law, was a Vermont native and graduate of the University of Vermont. After practicing law in New Bedford, MA, Kasson moved west to exploit the opportunities available in the West. Settling in St. Louis, he married Caroline Eliot in 1850. He served in the Iowa legislature and six terms in the U. S. Congress. Fed up with the long separations these posts required, his wife divorced him. Unlike most politicians of the era, he survived the scandal it created with ease. Having a natural flair for diplomacy, he served every president from Lincoln to Theodore Roosevelt and some of the postal treaties he negotiated with various European states are still in effect. Kasson became Envoy Extraordinary Minister Plenipotentiary (Austria) in 1877. He was recalled in 1881. The years 1881 to 1884 were spent as U. S. Representative from Iowa. In 1884 he became Envoy Extraordinary Minister Plenipotentiary (Germany) 1884 serving only until the following year. A historian called Kasson “the great survivor of nineteenth-century Iowa politics.” Laban Morey Wheaton (Sept. 14, 1797-Jan. 17, 1865) was a prominent citizen of Norton, MA. Educated at prominent New England academies, he graduated from Brown University in 1817. In 1829, he married Elizabeth Baylies Chapin (Sept. 27, 1809-June 2, 1905). Their adopted son died less than two weeks after his eighteenth birthday. He served three terms as Norton’s representative in the Massachusetts General Assembly, twice on the Governor’s Council, and, in 1859, it was reported he was the town’s wealthiest resident. He was also a director of Attleborough Bank and a life member of the American Bible Society. Wheaton served as a trustee and benefactory of Wheaton Female Seminary (now Wheaton College) which his father founded in 1834 as a memorial to Laban the younger’s recently deceased sister. In 1905, his widow died leaving her substantial estate, including the Wheaton mansion (now home to the college’s president), to Wheaton Seminary. |
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Scope and Content |
Routine legal and family correspondence regarding financial affairs, family news, debt collection requests, seeking appointment, scheduling a convention, etc. |
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System of Arrangement |
Chronological |
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Conditions Governing Access |
Researchers will comply with Archives and Special Collections Use and Handling Guidelines. |
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Physical Access |
Accessible by appointment at Archives and Special Collections reading room. Contact the Special Collections Librarian. No restrictions. |
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Technical Access |
Content is not available in digital format. |
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Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use |
Content in public domain. Photography and copies allowed. |
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Language(s) and Scripts of the Material |
English |
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Custodial History |
Unknown |
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Immediate Source of Acquisition |
Broadus R. Littlejohn, Jr., collector |