This kettle belonged to Caroline McGilvra Burke, wife of prominent Seattle judge Thomas Burke and daughter of early Seattle settlers John and Elizabeth McGilvra. The McGilvras first arrived in Seattle in 1861. This kettle may have been used around that time or even earlier. Prior to 1851, most kettles were created by hammering the metal over a form and dovetailing the pieces together. This kettle has dovetailing, so it shows evidence of this earlier method. In 1851 H.W. Hayden patented a new technique for creating kettles out of a single sheet of material, where a machine would spin the brass while it was being shaped.