about…
When we moved in to 318 Met Ave, we were told the story of Albert Fox - he of the Fox Studios fame. Albert owned the house, and travelled often down to NYC for business. Having Clarendon Hills station so close was therefore beneficial. At some point, one of his films (the first talkie) was a bust, and he had to make money, so he decided to cut the house in two, and sell the other half.
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One of our most curious friends, Liz Graham Meredith, just did not believe this story, and so began the inveistgation into this beautiful structure, and the discovery of real life stories, so much more interesting than the movies.
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It is difficult doing historical research on families, without contact with the families. Pretty much everything thing has been pieced together from ancestry websites, searching of newspapers, following throw-away mentions in articles, and also from the City of Boston Archives.
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There have been a few direct contacts, however... One day coming back from work, I saw a group gathered at the corner of Met Ave and Maynard. After 5 minutes inside the house, I heard a knock on the door, and there was a man who introduced himself as Don Doyle. He had relatives of Lawrence outside, who knew Ruth. Could they come in and look around?
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We had a wonderful hour or so, looking around the house, and I am grateful to Mary Anne Doyle, the niece of Ruth, who sent on part of her autobiography, with key details to the Carroll part of the story.