John Hooker (1816-1901)

Lawyer John Hooker married Isabella Beecher in 1841. With his brother-in-law Francis Gillette, he purchased 140 acres known as ‘Nook Farm’ in 1853. John and Isabella raised three children in Nook Farm. A graduate of Yale, John spent his early adulthood in the abolitionist movement and was an advocate for women’s right to vote. Hooker served as a congregational deacon; but intellectually curious, he accepted the Spiritualism belief that it was possible to communicate with spirits.

Designed by Octavius Jordan, this Gothic-style house was built for John and Isabella Beecher Hooker (Stowe’s sister) at the corner of Forest and Hawthorn Streets. The home quickly became a popular spot. Samuel and Olivia Clemens leased the house from 1871-1874 while the Hookers were abroad. The Hookers sold their home in 1885, moving in with son Edward on Farmington Avenue. The single family house has been converted to apartments.

Isabella Beecher Hooker (1822-1907)

Isabella Beecher, who married John Hooker in 1841, may have been the most liberal Nook Farm neighbor. She was a founder of the National Woman’s Suffrage Association and the Connecticut Woman’s Suffrage Association. Like many residents, Isabella explored Spiritualism and held séances to reach departed family and friends. Spiritualism was connected to other progressive political and social reforms, and an attempt to scientifically prove that human spirits continued after death.

Mary Hooker Burton (1845-1886)

Eldest daughter of John and Isabella Beecher Hooker, Mary married Henry Eugene Burton (1840-1904) in 1866. The couple had one surviving daughter and an unhappy marriage. They were separated by 1883. Mary was residing with her parents when she died of consumption at age 41.

Alice Hooker Day (1847-1928)

Second daughter of John and Isabella Beecher Hooker, Alice Hooker married lawyer John C. Day (1835-1899) in 1869. The Days lived in Europe for many years, but frequently returned to Hartford and regularly visited their Nook Farm relatives. John and Alice leased the Clemens House while that family was in Europe from 1895-1896.

Edward “Ned” Hooker (1855-1927)

Son of John and Isabella Beecher Hooker, Ned grew up in the neighborhood. He was a teen-ager when the Stowes first moved to Forest Street. He became a homeopathic doctor and looked after both Calvin and Harriet Beecher Stowe in their old age.

Katharine “Kathy” Seymour Day (1870-1964) & Alice “Allie” Hooker Day (1872-1926)

Kathy & Allie were Alice Hooker Day’s daughters and Isabella Beecher Hooker’s granddaughters. As young girls, the sisters spent much time in Nook Farm, but moved to Europe in their late teens. Kathy Day studied art in Paris and New York before settling in Hartford when she purchased the Stowe House in 1924. Her many preservation projects include the Mark Twain House, the Chamberlin-Day House (named in her honor) and the Harriet Beecher Stowe House. Alice married Percy Jackson in 1909. Like her grandmother Isabella Beecher Hooker, she became a woman’s rights activist.