Elijah Overman

From WikiTree: The Overman's and the Rue's: December 20, 1845, Ephraim Overman gets certificate to Whitewater MM to marry Lydia Rue. Lydia Rue married Ephraim Overman on December 31, 1845, at the White Water Meeting House; so he had kept up his connection with the Society of Friends. On February 25, 1846, Lydia Overman got a certificate to the Mississinewa Monthly Meeting. Lydia had a daughter, Lydia, in 1846. Lydia Rue Overman died in May 1847 at the age of 18. On 6-28-1848 Ephraim Jr. and Daughter Lydia Ann received on certificate back at the White Water MM from Mississinewa MM.Ephraim Overman gets a certificate to the Mississinewa MM on 2-21-1846.

Susannah Rue married Elijah Overman on November 14, 1849, in Centre, Wayne County, Indiana. Despite being Quakers they must have married outside of the meeting. On February 17, 1850, Elijah Overman condemned his own misconduct. This restored him to the good graces of the Friends meeting. On December 18, 1852, Elijah Overman gets a certificate to the Mississinewa MM from the New Garden MM. The Mississinewa MM was in Grant County, Indiana. Susannah Rue had attended Earlham Friends Boarding School in 1847. Susanna Overman (formerly Rue) also confessed her marriage contrary to discipline on July 14, 1850. Elijah Overman and Susannah conveyed lot 5 in the Henry Rue heirs partition to Richard Rue on February 8, 1856.

In 1860 they were living near Amboy, Miami Co., Indiana. They had children: Albert (b. 1 Jan 1851); Rebecca (b. 12 Apr 1853-d. 11 Apr 1925 Vici, Dewey, Oklahoma); John R. (28 Mar 1855-d. 15 Feb 1932 Amboy, Miami, Indiana); Rachel Jane (20 Feb 1857-d. 16 Apr 1943 Winfield, Cowley, Kansas); Lindley E. (b. 3 Apr 1860-d. 14 Nov 1909 Marion, Grant, Indiana); Ludora (b. 2 Aug 1862-d. 22 May 1949 Dinuba, Tulare, California). Susannah (Rue) Overman and son Albert get a certificate from the Whitewater MM to the Mississinewa MM. Susannah Rue Overman died on 4 Dec 1866 near Amboy, Indiana.

Elijah Overman remarried to Miriam Macy on 14 Oct 1868 at the North Union Meeting House in Wabash county, Indiana. In 1870 Elijah Overman age 46, Miriam age 35, Albert age 19, Rebecca Age 17, John age 15, Rachel age 13, Lindley age 10, Ludora E. age 7 were farming in Harrison, Miami County. He lived next to his brother William Overman. The Larison's who marry into the family live nearby. They were living there in 1880. Miriam Macy Overman died in 1880. Elijah died 23 Sep 1893 in Dexter, Cowley, Kansas.

Son Albert married Martha Ann Macy on 13 Nov 1873 and had 8 children; he was the overseer of the Amboy Friends Meeting House, Miami County, in 1884 but he moved with his large family to Cowley, Kansas, and then to Stillwater, Payne, Oklahoma, in 1886 where he died in 1889.

His brother, John R. Overman married Alice Larison and they had 10 children. They stayed and farmed in Amboy, Miami County, Indiana, where he died in 1932.

His sister Ludora (Dora E.) married Frederick Spohn, had 5 children and they moved to Stillwater, Oklahoma, and then to Dinuba, Tulare county, California and had a fruit farm (Lemon Cove) where they died; he died in 1930 and she died in 1949.

Rebecca Overman married John Henry Larison and they moved to Oklahoma Territory where they were farmers in 1900, then to Missouri by 1910 where they were farmers, and then back to Dewey county, Oklahoma, where they were farmers. They had 12 children. She died there in 1925.

Her brother Lindley Edwin Overman married Sarah Ellen Larison in 1883 in Amboy MM. They had 8 children. They moved to Marion, Grant county, Indiana, and were farmers; Lindley died in 1909 age 49.

Rachel Jane Overman married Coleman L. Minor at the Amboy MM in 1878. They were farming in Harrison, Miami, Indiana in 1880 but by 1900 they moved to Grant Twp., Cowley, Kansas, where they are farming. They had 7 children. Coleman died in Dexter in 1932 and Rachel Jane (Overman) Minor died in Winfield, Cowley, Kansas, on 16 Apr 1943 at the age of 86.

Elijah's daughter Lydia had married first Henry Showen. Henry C. Showan had been disowned by the White Water MM for taking part in military operations during the Civil War but was reinstated on 10-23-1867. Because they married while he was disowned, Lydia Ann (Overman) Showen was condemned for marrying contrary to discipline. They had a daughter but both husband and child died; Mary Elizabeth Showan born 10-18-1866 died 7-10-1867 and Henry Clay Showan died 3-1869 aged 25 years 10 months. She married second a second cousin, Harmon Watson [the son of William Watson (1784-1859) and Ann Nancy Rue (1791-1849); she was a daughter of Richard Rue] , and also moved to Wabaunsee County, Kansas, by 1880 where she has 5 children. Following is a page from the 1865 Soldiers and Citizens Directory of Wayne County showing Ephraim, daughter Lydia, brother Nathan Overman, but the Joseph Holman mentioned is not a close relative.

Harmon C. Watson had served bravely in the Civil War. In the 1865 Directory Harmon C. Watson is listed as a farmer residing with Richard Rue, Wayne Township and a soldier. Harmon C. Watson had served in Company C, 2nd Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, enlisting on 13 Sep 1861, and mustered out on 4 Oct 1864. T hey had arrived at Shiloh a day after the battle and participated in the siege of Corinth. They would serve as mounted couriers in the battles of Nashville and Murfreesboro and fought bravely at terrible bloody battle of Chicamauga. He was captured at the battle of Hartsville, Tennessee; he was exchanged and returned to his division.

They joined Sherman's army in May and were engaged in a number of actions in the march on Atlanta, and in McCook's raid in the rear of Atlanta where Harmon Watson was in the saddle five successive days and nights, and his mule becoming exhausted he returned to camp on foot, subsisting nineteen days on raw corn and blackberries. He mustered out after Atlanta was occupied. . Harmon C. Watson had been received in membership by the Whitewater Monthly Meeting on 10-25-1865. There is probably a strong connection between Harmon's conversion to the Society of Friends and his living with Richard Rue after the war. Despite his conversion, Harmon C. and Wife Lydia Ann (Showan) were condemned for marrying contrary to discipline. Harmon C., husband, and Lydia Ann (Overman) Showan had: Charles c. b. 6-22-1870; Frank E. b. 12-22-1872; Lizzie Bell b. 8-30-1874, and daughter Edna (no record of date).

Harmon C. Watson and Lydia Watson move to Oregon, Holt County, Missouri, by 1890. The move to Holt, Missouri., is not random. Harmon’'s brothers had moved there in the 1850's and been successful. Harmon C. Watson died in Holt in 1896. Lydia Ann, and her daughter Lizzie B., and son Edgar asked the White Water MM to be released from membership with the Friends on 5-27-1897. Lydia Watson was listed as a widow and head of household and a farmer in Holt in 1900 census with sons Frank E. age 27, Edgar T. age 20, and Lizzie age 25. Ephraim would follow his daughter Lydia there and live with her in 1900 after the death of her husband Harmon, but Ephraim would return to Plumb, Wabaunsee, Kansas, by 1910 to live with his daughter-in-law where he died in 1912. His daughter Lydia Watson moved in with her daughter Lizzie and son-in-law John Schuler living in Jackson, Missouri, in 1910, and was there in 1920. By 1930 she had moved back to her birthplace of Amboy, Miami, Indiana, and living next to her son Charles who is a salesman in a grocery.