December 19, 1904

UNCLE JEP LACY IS DEAD

Man Who Had Spent a Long and Useful Residence in Sidney Passed Away at His Home Last Evening

Uncle Jep Lacy died at his residence in this city at 10:45 a.m., Monday evening, Dec. 19. Mr. Lacy was one among the oldest residents in this community, and a more extended notice will be given in our next issue. The funeral will not be held until Saturday or Sunday, awaiting the arrival of absent members of the family. Mr. Lacy was over 80 years of age and a resident of this county for more than half a century.
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Jeptha D. Lacy, who died at his residence in this city on Monday morning, Dec. 19, 1904, was one of the oldest residents of this county. Mr. Lacy was born in Christian County, Ky., July 13, 1823, and in an early day emigrated to Quincy, Ill., where he was married to Sarah A. Stone in 1849. To them were born five children, two of whom died in infancy.
Mr. Lacy came to Fremont County in 1852, and entered a tract of government land, his patent being signed by President Franklin Pierce. The town of Sidney was laid out about this time, or rather, the next year.

Mr. Lacy's farm was about four miles northwest of the new town. He followed farming principally, in which occupation he was successful, and at one time was a large land owner. He also ran a sawmill on the Missouri bottom for a number of years, when there was a plenteous growth of timber along the mighty river, and afterwards operated a grist mill. For some years immediately following the war he was engaged in the mercantile business in Sidney.
He was an ardent Methodist, and is credited with having built the brick Methodist Episcopal Church in Sidney, which was dedicated in 1865, and gave place two years ago to the present church, which occupies the same ground. He was also interested in the effort to establish a Methodist seminary here, and the school was carried on for a couple of years, when the project was abandoned.

For the past thirty five years "Uncle Jep" has made his home in Sidney. During a part of that time he was engaged in farming, but retired from active business some fifteen or twenty years ago.  He was a man of strict integrity, industrious, energetic and generous hearted. Everybody was his friend. It is said that his only fault was that he was "too good to his friends."  He has been a member of the I.O.O.F. lodge for a good many years, and his lodge brethren will take part in the funeral services, which will be located by Rev. Enoch Hill, pastor of the M. E. church, of which he w as a charter member. He was a devoted and consistent Christian.  He leaves a wife and three children: Theodore, Emma and Mary, now Mrs. M. Liggett, all of whom reside in Washington. Sidney mourns with them for the good old man who is gone.  The funeral services will be held at the M. E. church at 2:30 o'clock Sunday afternoon.