19 Irving Street

1890 In 1890, the Lawrence heirs sold Lot No. 96 in the Lawrence Estates to Cherrie M. Taylor (MLR 2010/147). This is the lot on which 19 Irving Street was later built. There was no mention of buildings in the deed, and there was no listing for a voter at this location until 1914. Cherrie's husband was Walter R. Taylor, and he was listed in the city directories for 1890 to 1907 as living elsewhere in the city, and then disappeared from the directories.

1913 Cherrie M. and Walter R. Taylor sold the lot to Hattie B. Butman (MLR 3829/39). There was no mention of buildings in the deed. Hattie Butman was the wife of Fredrick Butman, and the Butmans were responsible for the development of many houses in the area. The Butmans were not builders, but real estate developers, who often bought a lot, had a house built on it, lived in it for a year or two, and then repeated the process on another lot. Often, two or three houses were developed on adjacent lots and were very similar architecturally. Examples of this include Nos. 80 and 82 Lawrence Street; Nos. 30, 36, and 40 Summit Street; and Nos. 50 and 58 Tomlin Street. It appears that Nos. 17 and 19 Irving Street followed this pattern. Fred Butman appeared in the annual listing of voters at this address in 1914 and 1915, and he was the first person to be listed at this location. Therefore, No. 19 Irving Street was probably built for the Butmans in 1913-1914. Although the neighboring house, 17 Irving Street, was built for the Butmans in 1909-1910, the two houses appear to have very similar gable to the street, Gambrel designs.

1915 In 1915, Hattie Butman sold the lot "with buildings" to Melvin Parker (MLR 3971/241). Parker appeared in the 1915 city directory as a watchmaker, who worked for a jeweler in Boston and lived on Lawrence Street, and in the 1917 directory as living at 19 Irving Street. Melvin and his wife, Mary, were already elderly when they bought the house; Mary died about 1927; and the Parker's daughter and her husband, Georgia K. and Paul Johnson, moved in with Melvin. Melvin died in 1932, but the Johnsons continued to live in the house until 1943. Paul Johnson worked as a railway mail clerk.

1943 Georgia K. Johnson, as executor of Melvin Parker's estate, sold the house to James W. and Eleanor M. Ahlman in 1943(MLR 6682/468). James Ahlman was a shoe salesman, and the Ahlmans lived there together until James died about 1976. It appears that Eleanor remarried someone named Arcade J. Maillet in 1978.

1978 In 1978, Arcade J. and Eleanor M. Maillet sold the house to David R. and Dorothy M. Barth (MLR 13576/678, see also 13125/159 and 9937/119). David Barth was a technician at the Waltham Chemical Company, and the Barths still live there.