Background note
Born into wealthy family in Boston on the eve of the American Revolution and educated there and at the Royal Military School
of Loreze, France, Samuel Breck (1771-1862) made his career as a merchant and politician. Unhappy with the high taxes in
post-war Massachusetts, Breck's father relocated his family to Philadelphia in 1792, and Samuel soon planted roots there.
On Christmas eve, 1795, he married Jean Ross, daughter of one of Philadelphia's most important merchants.
After serving as a corporal during the Whisky Rebellion in 1794, Breck took an increasingly active role in the civic and cultural
life of the city. A major benefactor of the Library Company of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Athenaeum and a founder
of the Pennsylvania Institution for the Blind, he took a particular interest in historical matters, becoming an officer of
the Historical Society of Pennsylvania., and a member of the American Philosophical Society in 1838. He was also a prominent
politician, serving in the State house of representatives in 1817-1820, the State senate in 1832-1834, and as Federalist in
the U.S. Congress in 1823-1825. His brother Daniel, a jurist and banker, also served as a congressman.
Breck died in Philadelphia on August 31, 1862, and was interred in St. Peter's Churchyard.
Scope and content
The Breck Collection is comprised of two manuscripts written by the merchant, philanthropist, and politician, Samuel Breck.
The first, "Historical Sketch of the Continental Bills of Credit, from 1775 to 1781, with Specimens thereof" (332.5 B74h),
was written in 1840, and reflects Breck's strong interest in matters of finance, banking, and paper currency. It is distinguished
by the inclusion of 153 Continental bills issued during the Revolution, including many printed by Hall and Sellers, along
with several counterfeit examples.
Although Breck states that his essay on Continental bills was read at the APS on July 3, 1840, the manuscript differs significantly
from the paper abstracted in the APS Proceedings 1 (1840): 248-251. Breck read a second paper on May 26, 1843, which was abstracted in theProceedings 3 (1843): 57-64. A revised version of the two papers, incorporating material in the manuscript, was printed in APS Historical
and Literary Committee Transactions 3 (1843): 1-40.
The "Recollections of My Acquaintance and Association with Deceased Members of the American Philosophical Society" (920 B74),
contains brief sketches some of the more prominent figures in the Society as remembered by the superannurated Breck in 1862,
along with a photograph of Breck from that period. In part, the value of these sketches lies in the intimacy of Breck's acquaintance
with their subjects, and his often anecdotal recollection. It forms a valuable companion to his Recollections of Samuel Breck, with Passages from His Notebooks (1771-1862).
Administrative information
Restrictions
None.
Provenance
Gift of Samuel Breck, 1856.
Preferred citation
Cite as: Samuel Breck Collection, American Philosophical Society.
Processing information
Recatalogued 2003.
Alternate formats
Breck's "Recollections" is available on microfilm (Film 188).
Additional information
Related material
The APS houses approximately twenty letters to or from Breck in the APS Archives and Miscellaneous Manuscripts Collections
and in the papers of Samuel George Morton and the Madeira-Vaughan Family.
The Historical Society of Pennsylvania houses several collections that contain materials by Breck, including a large collection
of his notebooks (Collection 1887).
References
Breck, Samuel, Recollections of Samuel Breck, with Passages from His Notebooks (1771-1862) (London, 1877). Call no.: B B75s.
Wainwright, Nicholas B., "The Diary of Samuel Breck, 1814-1835, 1838." Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 102 (1978): 469-508; 103 (1979): 85-113, 222-51, 356-82.
Conservation note
The "Historical Sketch" was removed from its original heavily embossed and decorated leather binding. The original boards
are stored with the volume.
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Added entries
Subjects
Adams, John Quincy, 1767-1848
American Philosophical Society
Barlow, Joel, 1754-1812
Bingham, William, 1752-1804
Breck, Samuel, 1771-1862
Brissot de Warville, J.-P. (Jacques-Pierre), 1754-1793
Chastellux, François Jean, marquis de, 1734-1788
Cobbett, William, 1763-1835
Diplomats
Hall and Sellers
Hamilton, Alexander, 1757-1804
Holyoke, Edward Augustus, 1728-1829
Knox, Henry, 1750-1806
La Rochefoucauld-Liancourt, François-Alexandre-Frédéric, duc de, 1747-1827
Lafayette, Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert Du Motier, marquis de, 1757-1834
Letombe, Philippe Joseph, d. 1833.
Louis Philippe, King of the French, 1773-1850
Morris, Robert, 1734-1806
Paper money--United States--Forgeries
Paper money--United States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783
Penn, John, 1729-1795
Physicians
Presidents
Raguet, Condy, 1784-1842
Rush, Benjamin, 1745-1813
Scholars
St. John de Crèvecoeur, J. Hector, 1735-1813
Statesmen
Talleyrand-Périgord, Charles Maurice de, prince de Bénévent, 1754-1838
United States--Biography
Volney, C.-F. (Contantin-François), 1857-1820
Washington, George, 1732-1799
Contributors
Genre terms
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