Needles History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Needles arrived in North America very early:

Needles Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

• John Needles, who landed in Virginia in 1652 1

• Thomas B. Needles, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1884 2
• Belverd Earl Needles Jr., American accounting educator, Professor of Accounting at Kellstadt Graduate School of Business
• James R. "Jimmy" Needles (1900-1969), American basketball coach, the first United States Olympic basketball coach in 1936
• Sharon Needles (b. 1981), stage name of Aaron Coady, an American drag performer and recording artist
• Ira George Needles (1893-1986), American-born, Canadian businessman and academic, President of B.F. Goodrich Canada in 1951, 2nd Chancellor of the University of Waterloo (1966 to 1975), father of George William Needles
• Carl F. Needles, American physician who co-identified Melnick-Needles syndrome (MNS)
• George William Needles CM, LL.D (1919-2016), American-born, Canadian actor and teacher, best known for his many Shakespearean roles, member of the acting company of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival since its inception
• Dan Needles CM, Canadian playwright, winner of the 2003 Stephen Leacock Medal