Arrangement: chronological.

Letters to and from members of the Breese and Hume families. The correspondence addresses both personal and professional issues. There are a large number of correspondents in this series and often significant gaps between letters, so determining the context can be difficult. There are several letters dated 1864 from William Cebra Breese to his son, who was serving in the Confederate Army. In a letter of 21 August 1864, Breese gave the names and addresses of several of his friends in New York for his son to communicate with "in the event you should be taken prisoner and conveyed to some Northern prison."Later letters document the attempts of William E. Breese to sell his property in Brevard, N.C.

There are two letter-press books that belonged to William E. Breese. They contain copies of letters to and from Breese, memoranda, and financial information. There are letters discussing personal and business information in these books, as well as account information, presumably related to Breese's duties in Charleston banks.

In addition to Breese family materials there are some letters to and from the Hume family (the family of William Edmond Breese's second wife) and letters to Rebekah Nicolson Woodbridge, wife of William E. Breese, Jr. With many of the letters it is difficult to determine the connection to the Breese or related families.

Additional correspondence of William E. Breese can be found in the scrapbooks in Series 4.

Arrangement: chronological.

Legal and financial papers of the Breese and Hume families, primarily deeds, stock receipts, and other legal documents. Also included are correspondence, writings, and clippings related to the failure of the First National Bank of Asheville and the criminal trials of William E. Breese, which began in 1897 and were finally concluded in 1911.

The first document in this series is a receipt dated 25 November 1810, which describes the purchase of "a negro Slave Girl, about ten Years old, named Vina" for $300. There are many deeds from 1826-1908 for lands in North and South Carolina. There are a small number of financial materials, including the 1894 bank book of Martha Allen Edmond Woodbridge, mother-in-law of William E. Breese, Jr., and an 1880 "List of Coupons" kept by William E. Breese. Letters and other papers document attempts by William E. Breese to sell his farm and mill in Brevard, N.C.

The materials relating to the failure of the First National Bank include correspondence, writings, and legal materials. When the bank failed in 1897, William E. Breese (b. 1848), who had served as president, owed the bank a great deal of money. He was arrested along with two of the other directors and charged at different times with conspiracy, embezzlement, abstraction, and misapplication. There were six trials in all--one in Greensboro, several in Charlotte, and finally one in Asheville. Each of the early trials was invalidated and then relocated for various reasons, and it was not until 1911 that Breese was finally acquitted. Included in this series is an autograph copy of "A Sketch Giving the Defense and Vindication of William E. Breese . . . Offered for perusal to all lovers of FAIR PLAY as against The TYRANNY, PERSECUTION, and STAR-CHAMBER proceedings and methods and perfidy of OFFICERS of the Government . . .," written by Breese in 1909. Most of the letters in this series are letters of congratulation after Breese won his case.

Notes, documents, and histories of the Breese and related families. There is a folder of materials relating to William Cebra and the Cebra family. These include two 18th-century documents: one dated 1729, granting "License and Liberty to the said James Cebra to sell by retail all sorts of Strong Liquors," and another dated April 1780 that states "Lieut. William Cebra of Col. Lambs Reg of Artillery is hereby at his own request discharged from the service of the United States."

There are typed and autograph copies of the "Memoirs of the Ancient Breese Family" by William Edmond Breese, 1909, and a few notes and letters about the preparation of this history. Other family histories relate to the Digges, the Edwin, and the Van Vechten family. There are also materials relating to Robert Edmond.

Writings, clippings, scrapbooks, and some publications primarily of William E. Breese and William E. Breese Jr. Writings consist chiefly of their short humorous sketches and reminiscences. Some correspondence documents their attempts to have their writings published, but there is no evidence of whether or not they were successful. A few handwritten notes and stories are contained in the writings folder--it is unclear whether or not these were made by members of the Breese family. Also included are several speeches by William E. Breese, all of which appear to have been given before gatherings of the United Confederate Veterans. Breese's activities with this group are further documented by a small number of programs and announcements from meetings and exercises of the United Confederate Veterans. While in Charleston, Breese was also a member of the Armory Irish Volunteers.

There are two pocket diaries in this series. One is dated 1867 and contains notes and copies of poems. The other diary belonged to R. W. Hume. The date on the first page is illegible. The diary is full, written in pencil in small handwriting, often difficult to read. The daily entries are often short and descriptive, detailing the activities of Hume. The passage for 4 July reads, "Passed most of the morning at the Louvre. Had my hair cut, frizzled &c. Had a 4th of July dinner with Charlestonians almost got boozy."

Three scrapbooks and a ledger are included in this series. A scrapbook, kept by Breese in his role as chair of the Zebulon Vance Camp of United Confederate Veterans in 1895, contains notes, membership lists, and clippings. Another scrapbook contains clippings, correspondence, and writings from as early as 1863 and as late as 1899. Many of the clippings are about Breese's appointment as president of the First National Bank of Asheville. A third scrapbook, labeled "William E. Breese Jan 1st 1880," also contains some correspondence. The clippings are often of poetry, recipes, and short anecdotes. There are a few pages that contain Confederate currency. The ledger details household expenditures, 1911-1914.

Also included are eight playing cards that are printed on stiff cardboard with Confederate flags and seal on the reverse side.

Photographs of members of the Breese and other families. Almost all of the pictures are portraits. Many are labeled, although it is unclear whether or not some of these people are related to the Breese family. Pictures 56-59 appear to be promotional photos from the First National Bank of Asheville. They depict young women in fancy dresses holding large amounts of money.