Person:John Overholser (1)

JOHN OVERHOLSER (ca 1764, Bedford Co PA - 1842, Montgomery Co OH) and SUSANNAH SNIDER (? - Dec., 1849, Montgomery Co OH)

John Overholser was born around 1764, probably in Morrisons Cove in northern Bedford Co PA, the son of Abraham and Catherine Overholser. His parents are proven by the will and estate records of Abraham Overholser (Bedford Co PA File 793-17A). John married Susannah Snider, probably in Bedford Co PA in the mid-1780s. Susannah was the daughter of Jacob and Margaret Snider (or Snyder) of Back Creek, Berkeley Co VA (now WVA). Her parents are proven by an 1805 listing of partial payments from the estate of Jacob Snider. John Overholser is shown as receiving 22 pounds, 8 shillings, an amount similar to that received by known husbands of some of Jacobs other daughters. Johns older sister, Susanna Overholser, had married Susannahs older brother, John Snider, a few years earlier.

John Overholser appears on the 1788, 1789, 1791, 1792, and 1793 Woodberry Twp Bedford Co tax lists and in the 1790 Bedford Co census. The 1789 tax list shows his age as 25, so he was probably born about 1764. In late 1794 or 1795, John sold his Woodberry Twp land and John, Susannah, and their children moved a few miles west to Quemahoning Twp in the part of Bedford Co that became Somerset Co on April 17, 1795. John appears in the 1796, 1797, 1798, 1799, 1800, and 1801 Quemahoning Twp tax lists and in the 1800 Quemahoning Twp census. The Overholsers lived in the part of Quemahoning Twp that became Conemaugh Twp in Feb., 1801. John appears in Conemaugh Twp tax lists in 1802, 1803, 1805, and 1806. He does not appear on the 1807 Conemaugh Twp tax list.

John. Susannah, and 8 children moved to Montgomery Co OH probably in 1806 or 1807. The first evidence that the family was living in Montgomery Co is an 1809 personal property tax list which shows John Overholser as a resident of Madison Twp with 2 horses and 4 cows. Their ninth child, Barbara, born in Dec., 1807, told census takers in 1850 through 1880 that she was born in Ohio, so the family was probably in Ohio by 1807. John purchased the northeast quarter of Section 30, Township 4, Range 5, in Madison Twp, Montgomery Co OH, and John and Susannah lived there until their deaths. This land was originally claimed by Jacob Stutsman in 1805 and later assigned to John Overholser.

John Overholsers will was written Nov. 14, 1840, amended on Jan. 18, 1841, and probated on Sept. 2, 1842, so he probably died in 1842. The estate was not settled until after Susannahs death. The probate records contain a receipt for a coffin for Susannah Overholser that was made on Dec. 9, 1849, so Susannah probably died in early December, 1849. I have not yet discovered where John and Susannah are buried.

John Overholsers estate received payments for his land in installments over 5 years. His heirs received payments in October, 1850, 1851, 1852, 1853, and 1854. The total payment to each of his children was $206.59. In situations in which one of his children had died, their share was divided equally among their children. The receipts for all of those payments, along with Montgomery County census, marriage, and cemetery records, were excellent resources to sort out John and Susannahs children. I have identified 10 children. They are:

ABRAHAM OVERHOLSER - born about 1787, PA, died 1819 Darke Co OH married Aug. 11, 1811, Mtgy Co OH, 3 children CATHARINE MILLER - born about 1791-2, KY, daughter of David Miller and Magdalena Maugins. Catharine married (2) Oct. 9, 1821, Jacob Overholser (1769-70 - 1850), son of John Overholser and Mary Chronister of Reading Twp, Adams Co PA. He had married (1) Elizabeth ____ who died in 1820/21. Catharine was age 68 living with her daughter and son-in-law, Susan and John Cable, in Neave Twp, Darke Co OH in the 1860 census. I dont know when she died.

JACOB OVERHOLSER - born Aug. 3, 1789, PA, died Aug. 29, 1864, Mtgy Co OH married April 23, 1818, Mtgy Co OH, 10 children CATHARINE BENNET - born March 31, 1800, died June 8, 1867, Mtgy Co OH, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Bennet

CATHARINE OVERHOLSER - born April 20, 1796(?) PA, died Oct. 1, 1856, Mtgy Co OH married (not in Mtgy Co OH marriage records) 5 children JACOB SHOVER - born Jan. 28, 1783, died Sept. 13, 1863, Mtgy Co OH (According to cemetery inscriptions, Catharine was born 6 = months after her sister, Margaret. This is impossible, so one of their cemetery inscriptions must be wrong. With this birth date, Catharine would have been only 35 years old when her son, Sebastian, was married, and she is listed as 58 years old in the 1850 census, which would make her birth year 1791 or 1792. I will assume the cemetery inscription is wrong and place her before Margaret in order.)

MARGARET OVERHOLSER - born Oct. 4, 1795, PA, died March 28, 1847, Mtgy Co OH married Dec. 8, 1817, Mtgy Co OH, 4 or 5 children JOSEPH WAGNER/WAGGONER - born 1779-80, died April 9, 1855, Mtgy Co OH, son of Philip Wagner and Margaret Andrews

SUSANNAH OVERHOLSER - born Jan. 20, 1798, PA, died Feb. 26, 1870, Darke Co OH married Aug. 16, 1818, Mtgy Co OH, 11 children JACOB MARTIN - born Aug. 11, 1798, Salt Lick Twp, Fayette Co PA, died Dec. 18, 1871, Darke Co OH, son of Johannes (John) Martin Jr. and Appolonia (Abigail) Bucher

MARY OVERHOLSER - born Oct. 10, 1800, PA, died April 13, 1848, Mtgy Co OH married Sept. 10, 1821, Mtgy Co OH, 11 children JACOB FLORY - born Dec. 17, 1797, PA, died July 13, 1867, Mtgy Co OH, son of Joseph Flory Sr. and Elizabeth Beeghly

ELIZABETH OVERHOLSER - born Oct. 8, 1803, PA, died May 2, 1889, Mtgy Co OH married Feb. 2, 1826, Mtgy Co OH, 13 children JOEL WAGOMAN - born May 9, 1803, Somerset PA, died Nov. 18, 1878, Mtgy Co OH, son of Christian Wagoman and Margaret Cover, "Dunkard minister"

HANNAH OVERHOLSER - born 1805, PA, died 1839, Mtgy Co OH married July 29, 1828, Mtgy Co OH, 6 children MICHAEL P. MILLER - born 1802, died 1875, Mtgy Co OH, son of David Miller and Hannah Pfoutz. He married (2) Oct. 30, 1839, Lydia Lantz, and (3) Jan. 2, 1848, Barbara Hocker.

BARBARA OVERHOLSER - born Dec. 22, 1807, OH, died July 27, 1882, Mtgy Co OH married Dec. 4, 1857 (his second) no children PETER FILBRUN - born Aug. 4, 1797, Neckerhausen, Baden, Germany, died Dec. 12, 1873, Miami Co OH, son of Johann Michael Filbrunn and Anna Elisabetha Rehn. He married (1) Elizabeth Harshbarger (March 2, 1799 - Sept. 11, 1856)

DANIEL OVERHOLSER - born Aug. 12, 1809, OH, died July 18, 1885, Elkhart Co IND married March 31, 1836, Mtgy Co OH, 8 children DOROTHY SALA - born Dec. 25, 1816, OH, died Sept. 26, 1891, IND

(All of these children, except for possibly the last two were born in Bedford Co. PA . Most of the children probably died in OH except for Samuel & Daniel (Carroll Co. IN)