Sylvan Eugene Needham Sr. was born to John Needham and Martha Rose Turner Needham, both English immigrants, in Salt Lake City, Utah, on May 25, 1878. He married Lulu Louise Holt sometime in the 1890s. Lulu began selling jewelry in 1896 in Logan, Utah. Needham joined the business shortly thereafter, thus giving his name to one of Logan's prominent businesses, S.E. Needham Jewelers. Needham Sr. ran the business until 1935, at which time his son, S.E. Needham Jr., took over. After the death of his wife in the 1940s, Needham Sr. had a number of live-in personal assistants, usually female college students, to help care for him and his home. S.E. Needham Sr. died in Logan on July 9, 1956.
From the description of Sylvan E. Needham, Sr. Photo Album, 1890-1960 (bulk 1920-1955). (Utah State University). WorldCat record id: 51308755
