The Brecks of Littleton, Massachusetts

Be it remembered that I, Joseph Breck, of Littleton in the County of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, mariner, being in a weak state of health, but of a sound disposing mind and memory reflecting on the uncertainty of this life, and being desirous to prevent, as much as possible, any perplexity or trouble in the settlement of my worldly affairs after my decease do now think proper to make this my last will and only testament in manner and form following.¹

Joseph Breck signed this on April 10th, 1822 and died on June 27th of the same year.² He was only fifty years old. Though he still listed himself as a mariner on his will, he had been retired for eight years living quietly on a farm outside of Boston.³

His beloved companion and lawful wife, Mrs Lucy Breck, was listed as the executrix of his estate. They had been married for 13 years and had six children. When Joseph died, Lucy was about seven months pregnant with their seventh child.⁴

Lucy was fourteen years younger than her husband and only 36 when he died. The will stated that she was to inherit the entire estate. At least for the length of her widowhood - if she remarried then one third of the estate would go with her and two thirds would remain to be divided evenly among the seven children.⁵

Lucy never remarried. And her widowhood lasted for more than fifty years. Her focus must have been her children. She and her six children mourned their loss at the end of June, and then less than two months later celebrated the birth of Lucy’s last child, Henry Everett Breck.⁶

For the next sixteen years, Lucy must have been able to take solace in her brood, even as the older ones began to move about the country and world. But in 1838, her eldest daughter, Lucy Ann Breck Tilden died in St. Louis, Missouri.⁷ Less than a year later, her son George died in London, England.⁸ In 1843, young Henry died⁹ and less than five months later so did his sister Amelia.¹⁰ Lucy’s son, Robert, passed away in 1858.¹¹

Of her seven children, Lucy outlived all but two of them. Her son, Joseph, and her daughter, Sarah, were each involved in administering Lucy’s estate.¹²

[Respectfully represents] Joseph Breck of the city and state of New York that his mother Lucy Breck died intestate at Littleton, in this the jurisdiction of said county on the eighth day of June A.D. 1873, possessed of personal estate to an amount over $2,000.00, and leaving as heirs himself the said Joseph Breck, and one other, namely Sarah Hagar of Richmond in the state of [Maine], sister of your petitioner...¹³

---

This is the fifth post in a set of family history profiles that I am calling #20in2020. I'll post the next one in a couple weeks.

Sources

1 Probate records 1648--1924 (Middlesex County, Massachusetts); Author: Massachusetts. Probate Court (Middlesex County); Probate Place: Middlesex, Massachusetts; Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1991 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015: download 24 March 2020

2 Probate records 1648--1924 (Middlesex County, Massachusetts); Author: Massachusetts. Probate Court (Middlesex County); Probate Place: Middlesex, Massachusetts; Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1991 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015: download 24 March 2020

3 Genealogy of the Breck Family Descended from Edward of Dorchester and his Brothers in America by Samuel Breck, U.S.A. Historical Society of Pennsylvania; https://www.hsp.org/ FamilySearch International https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/529862-genealogy-of-the-breck-family-descended-from-edward-of-dorchester-and-his-brothers-in-america-with-an-appendix-of-additional-biographical-and-historical-matter-obituary-notices-letters-etc-and-armorial-bearings : download 24 March 2020

4 Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 24 March 2020), memorial page for Henry E Breck (1822–1843), Find A Grave Memorial no. 16532388, citing Old Burying Ground, Littleton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States of America.

5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13