David R. Burbank (b. 1806 - d. Henderson, KY 1872) a Kentucky gentleman and businessman is represented here. (standing on the right) He made part of his fortune in the tobacco trade as a stemmer. In the early 1800s, all tobacco bound for export had to be seen by Kentucky state inspectors, who had the authority to burn any weed not to their standards. In 1825, the state legislature repealed mandatory inspection on tobacco bound for export. A boom resulted. Farmers delivered wagonloads of loose tobacco to the stemmeries, where tobacco was stripped from its stem and made ready for use. Fortunes were made and lost in this business.

The tobacco connection to New York City was important because tobacco was a huge export. By 1900, the Duke tobacco trust in North Carolina had concentrated the business. Those not forced out centralized their operations in factories in Henderson, K.Y. They served British factories that were outside the Duke trust.

A relative of Burbank's is represented by the column on his left. It was not uncommon for wealthy people from other states to make their home in New York. Areas outside the few large cosmopolitan cities offered little for the wealthy who wanted to consider themselves cultured.