Emil and Julia Thomas Bakery
Posted: Wed Sep 25, 2013 2:42 pm
Emil Thoma (Thomas) and Julia Kaln were married in Colorado City, Texas in 1883. They left Texas and came indirectly to Phoenix. Emil was a meat cutter and butcher while Julia was a baker and made candy items. Shortly after arriving in Phoenix Emil Thomas entered into a rent agreement with Alexander Steinegger in which Steinegger would rent a store on Washington Street (156 E. Washington) in downtown Phoenix to Emil to run a Bakery and Ice Cream parlor. Emil also sold oysters, fresh fruit, sandwiches and soda water at the store.
Alexander Steinegger married Emil Thomas's sister Caroline. Emil and Steinegger were brothers-in-law.
When Emil W. Thomas abandoned Julia he headed for Centralia, Washington leaving Julia with the bills of their bakery and to carry on herself. The business arrangement for the bakery candy, oyster and ice cream parlor that Emil and Julia operated was between Emil Thomas and his brother in law, Alex Steinegger, not with Julia.
As soon as Emil left town, Alexander Steinegger arranged to have someone else lease the store space from him. Julia Thomas was forced to vacate the premises and look for a different location for the ice cream, oyster parlor, confectionery and bakery.
The store Emil Thomas and Julia rented from Steinegger and operated together was located on Washington Street between 1st and 2nd street ( 156 E. Washington ) Block 20 on the North side of Washington Street.
After Emil abandoned Julia, Julia found another location, a store owned by a local businessman. This store was located on Washington Street between Central and 1st street ( 24 E. Washington ) Block 21 on the North side of Washington Street. Just 1 block west of her previous location.
But the lease for the new store did not include a bakery, ice cream, fruit and oyster parlor which was the business Julia was engaged in. Instead, it was a restaurant, the Star Restaurant. It is unclear if Julia sub leased this business to someone else or if she operated the restaurant herself. The business directories for Phoenix do not show her as proprietor at this location. The business remained the Star Restaurant.
From Sims Ely’s book, The Lost Dutchman Mine. Chapter 7, page 91.
“ Mrs. Thomas had been trained as a baker, and soon after she and her husband came to Phoenix, they started a home bakery. The Thomas bread became quickly popular in the little city, and the business prospered, even though Charley Thomas soon dropped out of the picture and disappeared. Ambitious and daring, Helena Thomas took a lease on a frame building which fronted North on Washington – an east west street – half a block East of the intersection of Washington and Central, which was the business center. ”
“An alley along the Easterly side of the building bisected the block. On these premises she had a partition erected which divided what became the bakery and the business office from a retail section.”
This would be at 33 E. Washington Street on the South side of Washington street in Block 22 of the city of Phoenix. The store, was owned by a man named Phillips who rented (sub-leased) the store to others to run their business. The alley along the easterly side of this building was known as, Cactus Way.
MJ McKeligan owned the building housing “Archer’s saloon” next door to the west of Phillips store. McKeligan sub-leased the saloon to proprietor A.M.Archer who was also the bartender.
This information by Ely is exact and precise and detailed. Not a general location such as, on Washington east of Center Street. Ely was extremely specific of the location. If he hadn’t been sure or didn’t know the location, he would have just given it a general location description. But instead he detailed it right down to the alley that ran by the east side of the business.
Why did Ely do this ? So many things in his book are “general” in nature and he chooses this to become exacting and precise over.
It’s because this is exactly where Julia ws working with her bakery and confectionery after Emil left town and she was forced out of Steinegger’s store.
Julia held the lease on the “Star Restaurant” but she also was the proprietor of the bakery and confectionery that Ely so precisely describes on page 91 of his book.
Where did Ely get this information ?
The Bensol Business Directory for the City of Phoenix, Meyer's Directory, and business ad’s appearing in the Phoenix Gazette Evening and Saturday Review newspaper. The Directories and ad’s do not say Julia held the lease on the building on the south side of Washington, just that she was the proprietor of the business.
Charles and Dominick Donofrio had been in business selling fruit in Phoenix. Emil Thomas had an arrangement with the Donofrio’s to sell their fruit in his bakery and ice cream parlor. The Donofrio’s began making candy from the prickly pear fruit and selling it along with oranges, lemons and grapefruit. Charles Donofrio held a lease option on the Phillips store at 33 East Washington Street, the store Ely describes as being Julia’s bakery and confectionery.
City directory and advertisements in the Phoenix Gazette and Saturday Review show Julia located at this address selling bakery items, candy, oysters, ice cream and fruit in the summer and fall of 1891. These are my personal opinions based on what I have been able to read and learn.
Alexander Steinegger married Emil Thomas's sister Caroline. Emil and Steinegger were brothers-in-law.
When Emil W. Thomas abandoned Julia he headed for Centralia, Washington leaving Julia with the bills of their bakery and to carry on herself. The business arrangement for the bakery candy, oyster and ice cream parlor that Emil and Julia operated was between Emil Thomas and his brother in law, Alex Steinegger, not with Julia.
As soon as Emil left town, Alexander Steinegger arranged to have someone else lease the store space from him. Julia Thomas was forced to vacate the premises and look for a different location for the ice cream, oyster parlor, confectionery and bakery.
The store Emil Thomas and Julia rented from Steinegger and operated together was located on Washington Street between 1st and 2nd street ( 156 E. Washington ) Block 20 on the North side of Washington Street.
After Emil abandoned Julia, Julia found another location, a store owned by a local businessman. This store was located on Washington Street between Central and 1st street ( 24 E. Washington ) Block 21 on the North side of Washington Street. Just 1 block west of her previous location.
But the lease for the new store did not include a bakery, ice cream, fruit and oyster parlor which was the business Julia was engaged in. Instead, it was a restaurant, the Star Restaurant. It is unclear if Julia sub leased this business to someone else or if she operated the restaurant herself. The business directories for Phoenix do not show her as proprietor at this location. The business remained the Star Restaurant.
From Sims Ely’s book, The Lost Dutchman Mine. Chapter 7, page 91.
“ Mrs. Thomas had been trained as a baker, and soon after she and her husband came to Phoenix, they started a home bakery. The Thomas bread became quickly popular in the little city, and the business prospered, even though Charley Thomas soon dropped out of the picture and disappeared. Ambitious and daring, Helena Thomas took a lease on a frame building which fronted North on Washington – an east west street – half a block East of the intersection of Washington and Central, which was the business center. ”
“An alley along the Easterly side of the building bisected the block. On these premises she had a partition erected which divided what became the bakery and the business office from a retail section.”
This would be at 33 E. Washington Street on the South side of Washington street in Block 22 of the city of Phoenix. The store, was owned by a man named Phillips who rented (sub-leased) the store to others to run their business. The alley along the easterly side of this building was known as, Cactus Way.
MJ McKeligan owned the building housing “Archer’s saloon” next door to the west of Phillips store. McKeligan sub-leased the saloon to proprietor A.M.Archer who was also the bartender.
This information by Ely is exact and precise and detailed. Not a general location such as, on Washington east of Center Street. Ely was extremely specific of the location. If he hadn’t been sure or didn’t know the location, he would have just given it a general location description. But instead he detailed it right down to the alley that ran by the east side of the business.
Why did Ely do this ? So many things in his book are “general” in nature and he chooses this to become exacting and precise over.
It’s because this is exactly where Julia ws working with her bakery and confectionery after Emil left town and she was forced out of Steinegger’s store.
Julia held the lease on the “Star Restaurant” but she also was the proprietor of the bakery and confectionery that Ely so precisely describes on page 91 of his book.
Where did Ely get this information ?
The Bensol Business Directory for the City of Phoenix, Meyer's Directory, and business ad’s appearing in the Phoenix Gazette Evening and Saturday Review newspaper. The Directories and ad’s do not say Julia held the lease on the building on the south side of Washington, just that she was the proprietor of the business.
Charles and Dominick Donofrio had been in business selling fruit in Phoenix. Emil Thomas had an arrangement with the Donofrio’s to sell their fruit in his bakery and ice cream parlor. The Donofrio’s began making candy from the prickly pear fruit and selling it along with oranges, lemons and grapefruit. Charles Donofrio held a lease option on the Phillips store at 33 East Washington Street, the store Ely describes as being Julia’s bakery and confectionery.
City directory and advertisements in the Phoenix Gazette and Saturday Review show Julia located at this address selling bakery items, candy, oysters, ice cream and fruit in the summer and fall of 1891. These are my personal opinions based on what I have been able to read and learn.