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August E. Needham

b. 1833, d. 1908

Memorial and Genealogical Record of Dodge and Jefferson Counties, Wisconsin, publ. 1894 - Page 298-299.

August E. Needham, Watertown, Wis., a former soldier of the Civil War, was born in Massachusetts, December 19, 1833, and is the son of Joseph and Eliza (Howe) Needham, and claims Yankee ancestry of unmixed purity. He remained in his native state until the year after his majority, engaged in varied employment as long as he remained under his father’s authority, and afterwards obtained a complete understanding of the trade of a carpenter.

In 1855 he went to Wisconsin, where he pursued his business as a contractor and builder until the second year of the war, when, becoming convinced that the struggle was of greater moment than at first anticipated, he determined to enlist.

He enrolled as a soldier in Company B, 29th Wisconsin Infantry, and went into rendezvous at Camp Randall. The regiment was mustered September 27th and left the state for Cairo November 2nd. He went from Cairo to Helena where the permanent camp was made across the river and whence he participated in the several expeditions to the White River, the Yazoo River and the St. Francis River, in which he saw much service of a varied character without being engaged in actual battle.

Mr. Needham was a participant in all the varied experiences of his brigade which were of heroic character from the fact that it was composed of veteran regiments, the 29th being the only one of recent enlistment. He was on the gunboats when they made a run pas the rebel batteries in April and soon after fought at Port Gibson. At Champion Hill he saw the capture of the rebel battery which has been the subject of dispute. After the fight, his brigade was left to bury the dead and he remembers seeing 31 dead artillerymen and two officers, behind whose bodies lay 16 dead horses. During this action he acted in the capacity of Corporal to which he had been promoted and he was afterward made Sergeant. He was not in the fight at Jackson, being in the convalescent hospital, having previously been ill and in the hospital. When the regiment returned to Vicksburg he joined it there and obtained a furlough on which he went home and remained several months.

During his absence the regiment had been transferred to the Department of the Gulf and he found it in camp near Franklin, La. He passed about two months in the varied service in which the regiment was engaged, marching and skirmishing until the command went into camp at Algiers, opposite New Orleans. They remained there until January 5, 1864, going next to Decrow’s Point and returning within a month to Algiers. The regiment was next detailed to accompany the Red River expedition and Mr. Needham was in the battle of Sabine Cross Roads, where his company suffered severely, going into action with 35 men and returning with 16 able to answer at roll call.

He was in the difficult and dangerous return to Grand Ecore, going to Alexandria, to Cloutiersville, and to many points of less moment. In May he was with the force that aided in the construction of Bailey’s dam across the Red River in which service the regiment won the special commendation of the authorities.

Cross Reference: Is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery

Werlich / Needham Home

719 Market Street

Click upon to enlarge2008 images

Watertown Daily Times, 06 12 1976

An enterprising German realtor, Gustav Werlich, built this Watertown brick Mansard-roofed Second Empire style house in 1860. At that time Market St. was called Washington St., and the present Washington St. was West Washington. The change to Market St. was made in 1890. By that time the house had come into the possession of the Needham family. August Needham originally owned and operated the Toll House on the west end of the Watertown Plank Road. He later became the proprietor of the local Needham Lumber Co. Miss Nellie Needham, who taught in rural schools for 20 years, lived in this house for 60 years until her death in 1956 at age 94, the last surviving member of the family. There is some evidence that a smaller frame home occupied the site of the Needham home before Werlich built the large home. The Needhams extensively remodeled this house in 1910, adding porches on two sides and a front bay window. Both porches have straight Mansard roofs, while the one on the attic is concave. The top of the center section of the window is leaded stained glass.

The Mosers purchased the house in 1974 from Vivian Ferguson. Particular treasures, reclaimed and polished, extensively repaired and renovated, were a four-sided lantern-shaped chandelier and many beautiful and ornate brass door knobs and plates. The original kitchen was in the basement. The house has contained three apartments for over 20 years.

The City of Watertown, 1885. H. Wellge. Beck & Pauli, litho. Annotated to become WHS_005_873

Market Street of today was East Washington Street in 1872

1842

719 Market Street is one of the oldest homes in Watertown, known for over 70 years as the Needham home. Records indicate that a small frame home, the nucleus of the larger home was erected in 1842 before the Watertown brickyards began functioning and before the Watertown Plank Road was finished to bring building materials from Milwaukee.

Market Street in 1842 was called Washington Street and the present Washington Street was then known as West Washington.

The Needham family lived outside the city limits for some years and were first listed in the Watertown home in about 1880. The family lived there until 1956, when the last surviving member of the family, Miss Nellie Needham, died at the age of 94. The Needhams extensively remodeled the building in 1910, making it a large imposing residence of Watertown brick, Mansard roof, porches on two sides with elaborate fretwork trim, and the front bay window with center section of leaded stained glass.

Augustus Needham, father of the family, operated the Needham Lumber Company in Watertown.

The original lot was large, but much of this has been sold.

David and Mary Moser purchased the home in 1974 from a Vivian Ferguson and have been busy on this extensive do-it-yourself project since.

The original kitchen was in the basement.