537 LaFarge Ave History - Laserfiche WebLink

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The next year, in 1939, the Mancinis sold the lots to Jeremie Henri Marcellin Lucas and Marie Coet Lucas, who were also from France. (Jeremie's name was sometimes spelled as "Geremie.") The Assessor Card for 537 La Farge, dated 1948, states that the house was constructed in 1939. This date is repeated on the Boulder County website. Boulder County has sometimes been found to be in error with respect to the date of construction of Louisville buildings, so it is important to look to other evidence of the construction year. By all accounts, the 1939 date is correct and there is no evidence of the house having been constructed in a different year. Moreover, Jeremie and Marie Lucas in 1939 granted a deed of trust to J.J. Steinbaugh (a Louisville builder and lumber/hardware company owner) for $433.76, secured by the property at 537 La Farge. Evidence of a deed of trust like this has sometimes been found to have accompanied house construction in Louisville. Jeremie Marcellin Lucas (1888-1963) and Marie Coet Lucas (1890-1946) were both born in the coal mining country of northern France, as were many of the members of Louisville's French community. Jeremie was born in Marles-les-Mines, Departement du Pas -de -Calais, Nord Pas - de -Calais. Marie was born in Camblain-Chatelain, Departement du Pas -de -Calais, Nord Pas -de - Calais and came to Illinois with her Coet relatives. Jeremie and Marie each arrived in the U.S. in around 1908 and they married in Springfield, Illinois in 1909. Jeremie worked as a coal miner in Illinois. During the Depression, coal miners in other parts of the U.S. where mines were cutting back or closing for economic reasons sought work in locations such as Louisville where coal mines were still open. This led to an influx of French coal -mining families to Louisville from Illinois and Kansas. Jeremie and Marie Lucas arrived in Louisville in 1937 as part of this migratory pattern. Marie's Coet relatives in Illinois also moved to Louisville at around the same time. Jeremie continued working as a coal miner in Louisville. Jeremie and Marie Lucas's children were Marie (1910-1991), Celeste (1913-1998), Zoe (1919- 2009) and Jeremie (born 1925). Jeremie served in World War II while his parents were living at 537 La Farge. While the house at 537 La Farge was not in the heart of Louisville's Frenchtown neighborhood, which was in the vicinity of Rex and Parkview between Roosevelt and County Rd., the Lucas family may have selected the location for their new home in part because of its close proximity to Frenchtown. Many French families chose to live near to the Frenchtown neighborhood. More information about Louisville's French families can be found in the article entitled "Being French in Louisville" from the Spring 2016 issue of The Louisville Historian, accessible here: https://www.louisvilleco.gov/home/showdocument?id=9908 . 2