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Hugo Daily News 1952

Enoch Needham Family Celebrates Parents’ 50^th Wedding Anniversary
With Open House to Their Friends

     A half-century of life together in Choctaw county was celebrated Sunday by Mr. And Mrs. Enoch Needham with each of their seven children and 11 of their 12 grandchildren joining them when they held open house for their friends in the reception rooms of First Presbyterian church in Hugo. The Needhams, one of Choctaw county’s pioneer couples, also have five great grandchildren.
     Friends were greeted at the door by Mr. And Mrs. Needham and J.N. Leard, another Choctaw county pioneer who attended the bridegroom as best man when Mr. Needham and Miss Nettie McMurtrey were married in Cameron on June 11, 1902. Receiving with the parents were their seven sons and daughters, Mrs. Carl Askew, Mrs. Robert L. Houser and Mrs. Dugan Earhart, of Hugo; Herbert Needham, of Columbia, Missouri; Frantz Needham, of Chelsea; Enoch Needham Jr., of Stillwater; and Carroll Needham, of Freeburg, Illinois.
     The appropriately de[unreadable] table was centered in [unreadable] of a large arch of greenery, [unreadable] decorations consisted of two [unreadable] golden wedding bells and [unreadable] smaller ones symbolizing the [unreadable] children reared by Mr. And Mrs. Needham. On the sides were tea tables. On one was a miniature horse and buggy, by which [unreadable] and bridegroom figurines. This table was marked "1902" the other were figurines representing the Enoch Needham family [unreadable] 1952.
     In addition to a large number of friends and relatives from Choctaw county were these visitors: Mr. and Mrs. Arle Fulgham, of [unreadable]; Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Cope of McAlester; Mr. and Mrs Joe Murtrey, of Haileyville; Clyde Murtrey, of Cameron; Mrs. Henry, of Hartshorne; Mr. and Mrs Bill Ayres, of Hawkins, Texas; Mr. and Mrs. Sam Hackett, of Norman; Mrs. C.E. Archer, of Antlers; and Mrs. and Mrs. [unreadable] Tompkins, of Stillwater.
     Enoch Needham, who was Hugo’s first postmaster, was born at K[unreadable]ton, Tennessee. After the death of his father the mother brought the children to Ft. Smith, Arkansas where they settled in 1881 and where he was reared and educated. The family later moved to Talhina and he came to Hugo in 1901. Mr. Needham shortly became manager of the S.B. Spring property interest on the west side of the present townsite of Hugo. The following year, nine months after the establishment of the Hugo post office by the Republican administration, he was appointed postmaster here. He was re-appointed in 1904 and for a third time in 1909.
     Bailey Spring was Hugo’s first appointed postmaster, but from the beginning Mr. Needham served in that capacity, although for nine months office papers bore Mr. Spring’s signature. He then was succeeded, officially, by Mr. Needham.
     It was the year of his first appointment as postmaster when Mr. Needham married Miss McMurtrey, a daughter of Thomas H. and Mattie McMurtrey.
     In recent years Mr. and Mrs. Needham have lived seven miles southwest of Hugo on Goodland route, where he has cattle interests. They are early members of First Presbyterian church here.
     Mrs. Needham’s grandparents came to the Indian Territory from Mississippi, traveling over the historic Trail of Tears in 1850. She was born, however, in Hackett City, Arkansas. She was educated at the Indian Girls Academy at Tuskahoma and at Oak Cliff school in Dallas. She was a charter member of Hugo chapter, Order of Eastern Star, and Mr. Needham has a life membership in Hugo Chapter No. 211, A.F. and A.M.

contributed by Frank Needham
transcribed by Ron Henson