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O. Smith (1867-1941). Smith is believed to have had the house at 537 Lincoln constructed for <br />himself and his family by 1898. <br />Thirlaway Ownership of Original Parcel, 1902-1945; Date of Construction of 533 Lincoln <br />In 1902, Thomas O. Smith sold the three lots, which by then included the house at 537 Lincoln, <br />to his nephew, John Robert Thirlaway. John Robert Thirlaway (1880-1932) and his wife, Elsie <br />Giles Thirlaway (1880-1959), then lived at 537 Lincoln and raised their children (Bessie, Lucile, <br />and Giles) there. John Robert Thirlaway was born in England and was a member of the <br />Thirlaway/Smith families that emigrated from County Durham, a coal mining area, in the late <br />1800s. <br />John Robert Thirlaway operated the Thirlaway Meat Market, also known as the Thirlaway <br />Model Market, on the corner where the Louisville City Hall now stands at 749 Main St. He also <br />was one of the organizers of the First State Bank of Louisville in 1915 and was a longtime vice <br />president of the bank. In 1931, he transferred ownership of the family property (lots 8, 9, and <br />10) to his wife, Elsie Giles Thirlaway. She had been born in Louisville just two years after its <br />establishment in 1878, and her parents were among the first residents of the new town. In <br />1932, John Robert Thirlaway died by suicide near Marshall. <br />The Boulder County Assessor card that was completed in 1948 gave the date of 1935 as the <br />year of construction of the house at 533 Lincoln. Also, the County website gives the date of <br />construction as being 1935. The County has sometimes been found to be in error with respect <br />to the date of construction for Louisville historic buildings, so it is important that all of the <br />evidence be considered. <br />In this case, the date of 1935 is believed to be correct. The Sept. 17, 1936 issue of the Louisville <br />Times made a reference to the C.W. Slinkard family moving into "the new house built by Mrs. <br />Elsie Thirlaway." Also relevant is the fact that the 1909 Drumm's Wall Map of Louisville shows <br />537 Lincoln as located on Lots 8 and 9 of the property, with 533 Lincoln not yet having been <br />constructed on Lot 10: <br />2 <br />