Case-C

Born in 1794 in Ballyvennox, Londonderry, Ireland, David King was among the many Irish immigrants who moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1816 driven by a burgeoning industrial manufacturing expansion. The Panic of 1837 caused a financial crisis and major depression which motivated King to write his son John in 1843 of plans to purchase land for farming in Illinois.  In 1845 King wrote his friend James Stuart proudly detailing farm life and the fact his family was settled at Lick Creek in Sangamon County. Designed for the William Henry Harrison’s 1840 presidential campaign, this Columbia Star transferware plate depicts an idealized farm life in the “Prairie State” when families, such as the Kings, settled in Central Illinois.

Panic of 1837 Pushes Irish Family West

Plate Gifted by Betty Hickey and King Family Letters gifted by Dennis Rawlings

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