Hooker, Horace B., 1837-1914
Biographical Note
Born on December 7, 1837, Horace B. Hooker was the son of Horace and Helen Wolcott Hooker. Wolcott studied engineering under Colonel Josiah W. Bissell before joining Hooker, Farley & Company, his father's nursery business in Brighton, New York. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Hooker organized Company C of the 8th New York Cavalry, and he initially served as a lieutenant in the company. Soon, however, Hooker was called upon by brother-in-law and former mentor Josiah Bissell to join the colonel's Engineer Regiment of the West (later the 1st Missouri Engineers). Again serving as a lieutenant, Hooker commanded companies and detachments which were largely engaged in repairing railroads and bridges. Following the war, Hooker established an office in Marietta, Ohio, and worked in the petroleum industry for a short time before returning to Rochester, where he established a nursery business with his father-in-law, Elon Huntington. Later, Hooker and his son Harry established a large Rochester contracting firm, H. B. Hooker & Son. Hooker married Susan Pamelia Huntington (1841-1928) on November 14, 1861, in Rochester, New York. The Hookers had eight children and were the grandparents of Blanchette Ferry Hooker, wife of John D. Rockefeller III. Horace B. Hooker died on August 25, 1914, in Rochester, New York.
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Horace B. Hooker Letters
The collecton conains typed transcript photocopies of the American Civil War letters of Horace B. Hooker, lieutenant serving in the Engineer Regiment of the West. Accompanied by photocopied typescript of "Personal Recollections of the Civil War," written by Hooker's wife Susan in 1907.