Event Title
On The Banks of The Rapids: The Story of Irish Immigrants in West Michigan from 1835 to 1870
Presentation Type
Oral and/or Visual Presentation
Presenter Major(s)
History
Mentor Information
Kathleen Underwood
Department
Women and Gender Studies
Location
Kirkhof Center 2215
Start Date
10-4-2013 12:00 AM
End Date
10-4-2013 12:00 AM
Keywords
Historical Perspectives
Abstract
My project is a social history of Irish immigration to Grand Rapids with specific focus on their impact to infrastructure, political contributions and the rise of the furniture industry. Baxter recorded the arrival of the first Irish Immigrants in 1835. By the 1870 US Census, they comprised 11% of the area's population. This project draws on census records, parish documents, furniture company records, public records, and early historical accounts. The Irish who came to Grand Rapids were a mixture of educated and affluent individuals as well as unskilled workers willing to tackle any job. They also worked tirelessly on community building, infrastructure and contributed to the local furniture industry which secured Grand Rapids' economic future in the 19th century. The importance of this study is two-fold: it enriches the history of West Michigan by providing an analysis of Irish immigration to the area, and it increases our understanding of what historian's call the lumber frontier.
On The Banks of The Rapids: The Story of Irish Immigrants in West Michigan from 1835 to 1870
Kirkhof Center 2215
My project is a social history of Irish immigration to Grand Rapids with specific focus on their impact to infrastructure, political contributions and the rise of the furniture industry. Baxter recorded the arrival of the first Irish Immigrants in 1835. By the 1870 US Census, they comprised 11% of the area's population. This project draws on census records, parish documents, furniture company records, public records, and early historical accounts. The Irish who came to Grand Rapids were a mixture of educated and affluent individuals as well as unskilled workers willing to tackle any job. They also worked tirelessly on community building, infrastructure and contributed to the local furniture industry which secured Grand Rapids' economic future in the 19th century. The importance of this study is two-fold: it enriches the history of West Michigan by providing an analysis of Irish immigration to the area, and it increases our understanding of what historian's call the lumber frontier.