The Washington herald., 1907-02-03
PASSING OF NOTABLE FAMILY
Mrs. Isabella Beecher Hooker Last
of the Famous Beechers.
Made n Strong Impress on TheO-
logical and Literary Life-TheiF
Wide Mental Range.

Frm the Boston Transcript
The death Of Mrs. Isabella Beecher
Hooker. Of Hartford. marks the passing Of
"A remarkable family. She was the young
est daughter and last surviving child Of
the late Rev. DIT Lyman Beecher. and
By no means the least gifted of a rarely
gifted household. The head OF il ranked
with the greatest Of the New England
.clergymen Of the old school. not excepting
Edwards or Bushnell. The son Of a black
smith. he was powerful Ia mind and body
Like the famous missionary. Or. Judsou.
he was three times married. his wives
being all women OF strong character. and
TO these unions thirteen children were
born. most Of whom attained not only
maturity, but fame. All his sons became
Congregational clergymen and eminent in
that profession. While the best known in
his life and best remembered since his
death was Henry Ward Beecher, there
were besides William. Henry. Edward
George, Charles, Thomas Kinnicut. and
James Chaplin, all prominent in the the0-
logical circles Of their day
The daughters were Caroline Esther
Harriet Beecher stowe perhaps the most
famous among American literary women;
Mary Beecher Perkins. and Mrs. Hooker
The latter while the youngest daughter
was not the youngest child. Thomas Kin
.nicut and James Chaplin having been born
later, though diving mu5h earlier The
eldest -aember Of the family was Caroline
Esther a distinguished educator in Hart
ford. at whose school her sister Isabella.
twenty-five years her junior. received
much OF that strong. mental development
that gave her such marked intellectual
power during her long and fruitful life.
AS a champion Of the rights of her sex she
ranked with those other famous women
whose lives were devoted to that cause.
among them Susan 3. Anthony, Lucy
Stone. and Elizabeth Cady stanton.
While she possessed some of the uncom-
promising chara cteristics Of her renowned
father and several Of her brethren. she
nevertheless combined with them rare per
s0ual charm She was an eloquent and
I persuasive speaker and possessed of I'M
usual gifts in conversation. She. like
F her famous sister. Mrs Stowe. was hap
PLY married, her husband being John
Hooker. whose ancestry OF which be
was worthy, went back to the Hooker
whose mama IS SO Intimately idenUUeu
with the early history Of the Connecticut
colony and in the work IN which both her
head and her heart were so strongly
enlisted she found IN him an inspiration
and q helpmset
Probably no other single family I'm
/ America in the last hundred years has
/ left such strong personal impress upon
its theology and literature as the Beecher
family. The traditions and anecdotes
! concerning it are many. Dr. Lyman
Eeecher used, it is said. as an offset 10
the fatiguing enthusiasm that he put
I into his religious work, TO ind his bal
anCe in playing Aud Lang Syne" on his
violin or dancing the double-shuffle in his
parlOr. The mental range of the family
comprehended the lighter as well as the
/ profounder vein, The father of it pos
sessed a rugged wit. which became more
subtle and keener in his son Henry Ward.
and no one who Is familiar with Sam
Lawson, OF Oldtown needs further proof
of the authors sense of humor or keen
ness of insight into New England hui
man nature More recent generations
are carrying the name honorably forward
or making good use Of talents Inherited
under other names but a remarkable
chapter in family history closes with the
death Of Mrs. Hooker.