John Overton (judge)

Early life and career

Overton was born on April 9, 1766, in Louisa County, Virginia. His parents were James Overton and Mary Waller. In 1787, he began his law career and moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 1789, to practice law at the Davidson County court. He was elected to succeed his friend Andrew Jackson as a member of the Tennessee Supreme Court in 1804, where he served as a judge until 1810. His elder brother Thomas Overton served as Jackson's second in his duel with Charles Dickinson. In 1819, he founded Memphis, Tennessee on land he owned with Andrew Jackson and James Winchester.

He was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1820.

Overton engaged in the slave trade and became one of the wealthiest men in Tennessee. In 1830 a farmer and slave owner named Eleazer Hardeman repudiated his son Seth Hardeman's purchase of a slave named Elbert from Overton, writing that he was "determined never to. . . encourage any man in the slave trade." Whether this was a moral stance or a negotiating tactic is unclear since Elbert "was considered a poor investment owing to his chronic rheumatism." Emily Berry was sold by Overton in Memphis. Her children Mary, Martha, Billy and Minerva were looking for her years later.

People He Enslaved

According to the Nashville Public Library’s Enslaved and Free People of Color Database, John Overton is recorded as having enslaved the following people. Their ages, when known, and the year the record was created are included.

• March (20) – 1794
• Little Betsey (40) – 1835
• Little Julia (22) – 1835
• Little Lewis (33) – 1835
• Little Sam (35) – 1835
• Margaret (3) – 1835
• Maria (0) – 1835
• Martin (8) – 1835
• Mary (33) – 1835
• Mary (8) – 1835
• Matilda (13) – 1835
• Matilda (36) – 1835
• Matthew (2) – 1835
• Ned (2) – 1835
• Old Polly (50) – 1835
• Oliver (10) – 1835
• Philis (60) – 1835
• Richard (4) – 1835
• Robin (70) – 1835
• Sarah Ann (5) – 1835
• Stephen (60) – 1835
• Tom (20) – 1835
• Washington (17) – 1835
• William (15) – 1835
• Lewis (30) – 1835
• Joicy (45) – 1835
• Henry (30) – 1835
• Haywood (5) – 1835
• Abraham (38) – 1835
• Abraham (9) – 1835
• Anthony (40) – 1835
• Augustus (8) – 1835
• Barbary (38) – 1835
• Ben (7) – 1835
• Betsey (36) – 1835
• Billy (26) – 1835
• Bob (35) – 1835
• Brusilla (60) – 1835
• Charles (14) – 1835
• Daniel (21) – 1835
• Dolly (60) – 1835
• Elbert (45) – 1835
• Eliza (24) – 1835
• Eliza (34) – 1835
• Emily (11) – 1835
• Foster (6) – 1835
• Franklin (13) – 1835
• Hannah (6) – 1835
• Harry (60) – 1835
• Zeck (35) – 1835

Personal life

He was married to Mary McConnell White, the daughter of Knoxville founder, James White.

He died April 12, 1833, at Travellers Rest, his Nashville home.

Legacy

Overton Park in midtown of Memphis was named after John Overton.

The Overton Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons on the historic courthouse square in Rogersville, Tennessee was named after John Overton and is the oldest continuously operating Masonic lodge in the state of Tennessee, and has been operating from the same building since circa 1840, and is a contributing property to the Rogersville Historic District.

Living direct descendants include the Overton family in Nashville, who live very close to Travelers Rest. Perkins Baxter Overton grew up playing on the Travelers Rest grounds and is the great-great-great-grandson of Judge John. His son Thomas Perkins Overton also has a son named John Overton. Another Overton descendent is geologist William R. Dickinson.

References

References

1. "John Overton". MemphisHistory.org.
2. Samuel G. Heiskell, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=HuwTAAAAYAAJ&dq=knoxville+sevier+blount+1791&pg=PA68 Andrew Jackson and Early Tennessee History]'' (Nashville: Ambrose Publishing Company, 1918), p. 53.
3. (1880). "History of Davidson County, Tennessee, with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers. By Prof. W. W. Clayton".
4. "TN Encyclopedia: John Overton". The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture.
5. "Memphis History and Facts". Memphis Public Library.
6. [http://www.americanantiquarian.org/memberlisto American Antiquarian Society Members Directory]
7. "John Overton {{!}} Tennessee Encyclopedia". Tennessee Encyclopedia.
8. Hardeman, Nicholas Perkins. (1977). "Wilderness calling : the Hardeman family in the American westward movement, 1750-1900". Knoxville : University of Tennessee Press.
9. (October 1, 1885). "The Southwestern Christian Advocate".
10. ["National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Greenlevel"]({{NRHP url). [[National Park Service]].