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Introduction
The upcoming family exhibit for 2025-2026 will largely feature materials related to Helen Hooker O’Malley and generations of her ancestors from the Huntington and Hooker families. This exhibit is co-curated by Jessica Latcher-Feldman, Cormac O’Malley, and Sarah Tierney. This portion of the exhibit will explore the role of the family historian and how familial relationships evolve over generations. As a co-curator this project has an interesting balance between listening to a living direct descendant of the subject matter, and honoring their vision for the exhibit; and allowing the materials within the archive guide the narrative. Helen Hooker O’Malley was an American artist born to the wealthy Huntington-Hooker family in Greenwich Connecticut. Helen broke the mold for young women in her society, instead of pursuing academics, Helen traveled and became an artist. Her son, Cormac O’Malley is a co-curator for the exhibit and is loaning her artistic works to the University. Mr. O’Malley has dispersed his mother’s materials across the United States and Ireland, and has worked hard to teach about her life and document her story. It has been interesting to work with him and use his detailed knowledge base for the exhibit. The Rare Books and Special Collections Library holds a vast manuscript collection from the Huntington-Hooker families that span from the 1830s to the mid 20th century. As the generations go back, less information about their lives is available, and it is interesting while doing research to have an abundance of information on one aspect of the exhibit, and then have to use deeper archival research to understand another part.
The Huntingtons and the Hookers were families living in Rochester, NY. In 18-- Susan Huntington married Horace B. Hooker, the family that they created was close-knit and artistic. Horace enlisted in the Union Army during the Civil War, and there are hundreds of letters between him and Susan during his deployment. These letters are rich in detail of the life of a Union soldier and a 19th century woman during wartime. These letters show how families communicate, remain close, and stay hopeful during times of war and hardship. Beyond written correspondence, there is a large collection of creative writing pieces and artwork from the Huntington-Hooker children. Horace and Susan’s son, Elon Hooker, is the father of Helen Hooker O’Malley.
This collection is broad in its subject matter, form, and time span, it will be challenging to present the materials to a public audience without prior knowledge in a way that is engaging and understandable. The multi-media forms will be a strength in the exhibit due to the visual interest. Ephemera items are some of my favorite materials, they show what people from the past valued and collected, often revealing they are not much different than we are now. The child drawings and writing fragments give a glimpse into the mind of 19th and early 20th century childhood, and how they interacted with their family members. In this collection there are diaries from Alcestra Hooker spanning almost her whole life, from when she was a teenager until she was elderly. These diaries give a glimpse into almost all stages of her life, allowing many viewers of the exhibit to find something to relate to.