Newton Lacey

Newton Lacey is my great-great-grandfather. He owned the Naborhood Bakery, which was moved from it's original location in Sugarhouse to Gardner Village in West Jordan, Utah in 2000.

He was born December 27, 1875 at his family home on Larg Street in Wooten-Under-Edge, England to John and Julia Sims Lacey. Mrs. Palsar and Anna Sims, who was his great-aunt, were the midwives. Newton was the 4^th child of 13, one who was stillborn. This is his story in his own words:

“We always knew what was happening when Aunt Anna came to stay. That meant a new baby brother or sister.

My father was a wheelwright making wheels for wagons. He never made more than 18 schillings a week. (25 cents a schilling).

My mother was a milliner and had a little business from time to time. She made hats and remodeled them for people. But even with this we still had a struggle financially.

For Christmas we would get an orange or apple. No toys. Maybe a dip (a little basket filled with sawdust and a few little toys hidden in the sawdust). This would cost one penny.

Mother did most of the disciplining. Father was baptized into the Episcopal Church and was the chief bell ringer. He peeled the bells once during the week and every Sunday morning and evening. Every time someone important died he would toll one certain bell that sounded like a foghorn for five minutes. Father would ring the bells and then come home, not very often staying for service. I remember the Sexton in the Episcopal Church had a long stick and when we were not at our best he would rap us on the head. That was one of the reasons we went to the Congregational Church.

I remember Queen Victoria's 50^th coronation anniversary. We all celebrated and I was 6 years old.

We all went to public schools. It cost 2 pence or 4 pennies each week for each of us. Later the free school system came to be which was a help to us. I was a good student and always loved history. I left school at the age of 14 and went into an apprenticeship to learn the art of pastry cook. I could not get married during this apprenticeship. I received one schilling a week for the first year, two the second, three the third and four the fourth and last year.

My first job was as a pastry cook in the town of Wellingborough. Room and board was 50 cents a week.

A the age of 23 I met Annie (Sarah Ann Crisp). We were married in the Congregational Church in Wellingborough. A few years later we moved to Luton where we had our own business. But it was not too good. We had two children, one girl and one boy, Ethel [my great-grandmother] and Reginald. Then one summer Annie gave birth to another boy, but Annie didn't make it. She died a few weeks after John Harold was born.

Later, I met Cissie (Emma Elizabeth Kurr). Cissie used to bring pork pies to my bakery for me to bake. She used to get a little mad because I wouldn't charge her. Then I asked her mother for her hand and she consented. We were married December 29, 1911 in the Congregational Church. (Newton was 36 and Cissie was 29 years old). After this we worked together in the bakery until 1914.

I joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints through the missionaries and then came to America, leaving my family behind until I was sure we could make it in this new land. I went straight to Salt Lake City, Utah. Two days after I arrived I found a job at Morrison Meat Pies.

For the next year I saved all the money I could and borrowed a little and sent for my famil. Zcissie's sister Hilda came over with them. We rented a home on Angela Ave.--33^rd South—for a short time. Morrison Meat Pies went broke shortly after that and I had to seek employment elsewhere. I found a job through Brother Ball in our ward at the United Bakery. This was uptown so we had to move closer and ended up in Mr. Anderson's home on the west side. It wasn't long after that that we bought our first home on Arctic Court (4^th North and 2^nd West).

My salary was about $16 a week but we just couldn't make ends meet. We had our mortgage with Deseret Federal and they were very good to us and didn't force us to pay. They knew we were having it rough. This went on for about six months and then things started turning for the better.

Ethel was married while we lived here and Reg joined the Navy. He wasn't old enough but told them a good story. He was always a good talker. When Jack was old enough he joined the Merchant Marines.

I remember Jack bringing home a console radio fro us. He paid for it all on his own. It was a fine one, too. I was offered a foremanship at Lippman's Bakery. Two years later I invested in a little bakery of my own on 21^st South and 6^th East (609 E. 21^st S) with a big house for the family attached to it. This was in 1930. We called it the Naborhood Bakery, which is the Danish spelling.

Things were mighty slow and we were worried about things. Of course these were the Depression years. Then a Mrs. Dunford came to me and asked me to bake whole wheat bread according to her recipe. She would sell it to the Relief Society sisters. Of course she didn't know that I used my own recipe, but she didn't seem to know the difference. She worked up quite a business, which helped meout too. Clayton Dunford did the delivering. When Mrs. Dunford died her boys took over. They worked for about 8 years and then decided to go out on their own. All in all we lived there about 12 years and they were pretty good years. We moved to 2522 Chadwick St. I retired from business and worked hard to get to that point.”

Newton and Cissie lived there for several years and spent much of their time doing temple work. As they grew more elderly it was harder for them to take care of their home. They moved into a apartment on the north side of their daughter Vera's home. Cissie fell and broke her hip and passed away a few days later at the age of 84 in 1966. Newton became quite feeble but still had a sharp and witty tongue. He enjoyed visits from his family. He was a grand old gentleman who stood only 5' 1” tall. He had a good life he could be proud of. Newton passed away on May 19, 1968 at the age of 93.