George L. Overmyer

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GEORGE L., (John M.; J. G.), first son of John M. and Catharine (Long) Overmyer, was born in Longstown (now New Berlin) Pa., January 4, 1795, and was baptized in the Lutheran faith by Rev. Leist, his parents residing in the village until 1811, which gave the son George L., a fair opportunity to attend school, free schools were unknown in that age. Teachers would canvass a community and parents were obliged to subscribe, and pay a certain amount per scholar per quarter or term. If teachers would secure a sufficient number of pupils, then the school would begin and continue until the number would drop below a paying basis, and then close until some other teacher would be secured. One of his first teachers was the elder James Parks, who was appointed a Justice of the Peace March 30, 1797, and was taught later by Alexander Templeton, and Dr. James Charlton two Englishmen of high educational attainments, through which the young student was enabled to procure an education above the ordinary young men of his day and age. Financial problems contained in the text books were in sterling, pounds and shillings and pence, though the decimal system was adopted in 1786, but few text books or teachers taught that system then. In 1811 he came, with his parents to Perry county, Ohio, walking nearly the entire distance, as he assisted in driving several cows. Here he assisted his parents in clearing up the home farm, and on May 16, 1816, he married Mary Bowman, daughter of George and Catharine (Rooch) Bowman, born in Westmoreland county, Pa., September 10th, 1801. After marriage he learned the milling trade and served in a grist mill owned by his father-in-law, George Bowman, until 1827, then he, his brother Michael, and a neighbor, Daniel Hensel, moved by teams to Lower Sandusky (now Fremont). The three families first moved into a cabin on the west bank of Muscalunge creek on the south side of the Maumee Pike, lived there only a short time until they erected a cabin on the southeast quarter of Section 18, then the three families moved into it, and with the aid of their three wives and the elder children, erected a cabin for each of the other two families on their respective tracts. The three families were without a team the first year, each family had two cows, that were wintered on corn in the ear and underbrush of the forest. Their corn meal for family bread and mush, was mostly carried home from the Lower Sandusky Mills in sacks on the pioneer's shoulder, through the forest on a direct line from the settlement to Lower Sandusky crossing Muscalunge cree.: at the Bowlus sawmill nearly a mile north of the Pike. Later he bought an ox team, which served a splendid purpose for the settlement. Constructing a box onto the rear axle of the wagon, with a temporary tongue attached thereto, one would with this cart, and the ox team convey quite a grist to and back from the mill for the settlement, after clearing a field several crops were usually raised without a plow or harrow in use in the field: the soil being stirred and cultivated with the hoe.

In 1836 he sold this farm and moved several miles west onto the northeast quarter of section 11, Washington twp., which he had bought from the government in 1835. Here he resided until 1849 assisting in organizing the township, being elected as one of the first Justice of the Peace. Solemnizing many marriages in that capacity, for the settlers, was elected as the first township clerk, which office he held thirty years in succession; was a good mathematician and penman, many deeds and mortgages were by him written and are in a plain round hand and well preserved to this day.

He was a lean, spare built man, blue eyes, of a jovial, free and liberal disposition, no financier, never accumulated much of this world's goods and loosing heavily by bailing others; a Jeffersonian and Jacksonian Democrat; a member of the Lutheran church; "he and his wife lived together over fifty-four years, he dying very suddenly of paralysis of the heart August 29, 1870.

The wife and mother resided with their children and died October 18, 1879; are buried side by side in Four Mile cemetery. Had the following children:

Catharine, born in 1817; died in infancy.

Susan, born April 16, 1820; died January 8, 1887.

Elizabeth, born April 21, 1822; died April 15, 1879.

Paul, born November 20, 1824; died March 29, 1847.

Solomon B., born November 23, 1826.

George B., born February 18, 1829; died February 9, 1885.

Mary A., born March 12, 1831; died June 11, 1905.

John, born May 19, 1833; died February 8, 1900.

Noah, born January 18, 1836; died December 28, 1852.

Sarah, born May 2, 1838.

Barnhart B., born July 26, 1840.

Samuel B., born October 6, 1842; died October 9, 1864.