Dorothy Hodell Brooks Family Research Collection, 1882-2016, and undated
3.5 cubic feet (in 4 boxes, 2 volumes, 2 Oversized Folders, 2 display boards, 1 Oversized photograph, 1 shadow box)
This collection, 1882-2016, and undated, contains materials related to Brooks’ research for her book, A Certain Sadness: The Untimely Deaths and Family of David and Romie Hodell in 1920s Rural Newago County, Michigan. This research mainly involved Hodell family history, focusing on the people and events surrounding the murder of her uncle, Romie Hodell, and her grandfather, David Hodell. Included in the collection are genealogies, photographs, copies of newspaper articles and telegrams, correspondence between family members, CDs of oral histories, and research notes. With rare exceptions, most of the materials were created during the 2010s and are copies of primary sources. The sources themselves date from before the murder in the 1880s to the 1990s. Some original materials are the undated pay book of David “Hotel,” {Hodell] Nina “Hotel’s” [Hodell’s] The Royal Path of Life published in 1882, and the 1922 yearbook of Hollis Hodell. There are also materials in Box 2 and 3 that are copies from other libraries, such as the Bentley Historical Library.
The 2021 addition, 1 box, .5 cubic foot, 1967-2015, and undated, contains biographical materials about Brooks’ life from birth to retirement, 1939-2015. The addition begins with her memoir, A Small Town Girl’s Life and Times, which details her life from birth to early retirement and is composed of poems and short stories that Brooks has written. This addition also contains an unbound scrapbook detailing Brooks’ experiences in Austria studying flute at the Vienna Academy of Music in 1967. During her career Brooks’ spent time working as a teacher on the Navajo Reservation in Shiprock, New Mexico. This folder contains photographs and short stories written by Brooks about her time as a teacher on the reservation. Notably, this folder contains drawings and a weaving project gifted to Brooks by her students. This addition also contains chapbooks, news articles and poems published by Brooks during her career. Most of the news articles (copies) were published by the Grand Rapids Press from 1980 to 1989. The chapbooks were published by Babbling Brooks Press and Finishing Line Press from 2011-2012 and 2015. There is a folder dedicated to Brooks’ watercolor paintings, photographs, letters and awards all done through her lifetime. Each folder in the addition contains photos taken by Brooks or of Brooks.
Processing Note: 3 cubic feet of materials, including duplicates, peripheral materials, and materials already in the archives, were removed and given back to the donor after processing. 3 Newago County history books were separately catalogued. One copy of the donor’s book, A Certain Sadnes…,2015, is included in Box 3 as per the donor agreement, and another copy is separately cataloged in the Clarke.