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 Military marker located in Altamont Cemetery |
Henry
Overturf.-As an
all-around prominent man of Grundy County, there is probably no one of its
citizens who more justly deserves the title than Mr. Overturf.
He is farmer by occupation and is making his home and base of operations
near the town of Tatesville. Together
with his agricultural interests, he has ever been mindful of the interests of
the community and has always been found ready to lend a helping hand in all
projects that tend to the upbuilding or strengthening of good local government
or the improvement of the status of his adopted county.
Several important offices have been entrusted to his care and he has
never failed to justify the confidence placed in him by the people.
Mr. Overturf
was born in Warren County, Tennessee, January 2, 1835.
His father was born in Virginia, and moved with his father to Warren
County in an early day and became one of the early settlers of that section.
Our subject’s mother was born either in White or Warren County, Tenn.,
and spent the last years of her life with the subject of our sketch.
Henry Overturf
was educated at Altamont Academy, and during the early part of his life he lived
at a number of places in and around Altamont, and was engaged in farming and
trading. In November 1861, he
joined Company A, of the Fifth Confederate Tennessee Regiment, and was appointed
lieutenant of that company. After
its organization, this regiment was known as the thirty-fifth Tennessee, and Mr.
Overturf became a
member of Company F. At Shiloh this
company sustained a very heavy loss, nineteen of its men being killed in the
space of three minutes. Our subject
participated in the battles of Shiloh, Corinth and Plum Orchard.
At Shiloh he received a slight wound in the neck, has his ear cut by a
passing ball, and three times bullets passed through his hair.
He returned home and was soon captured by the Federal troops in Dunlap,
Tennessee and was sent as a prisoner of war to Camp Chase, Ohio, and from there
was transferred to Rock Island, Ill. After
spending some eighteen months in the prison at that place, he enlisted in
Company A, Second United States Volunteer Infantry, to fight the Indians and was
sent to the frontier. He was
afterward detailed to serve in the quartermaster’s department at Fort
Leavenworth. Upon receiving
his discharge, in April 1865, he returned to Tennessee and located on a farm on
the present town sight of Gruetli, and in April 1880, he moved to his present
home in the Fifth district, Grundy County, where he now owns a fine farm.
He is a very heavy land owner, and has an interest in about seven
thousand acres of land. Our subject
has also taken a wholesome interest in local political matters and has served
the citizens of his adopted district and county in many different capacities.
He was constable for several years and was sheriff of the county for a
term of two years. He was county
surveyor seventeen years, justice of the peace ten years, has been postmaster at
Tatesville continuously since 1880, has been county coroner and held other minor
offices.
January 1, 1857, Mr. Overturf
was united in marriage to Miss Nancy Scruggs, who was born in Marion County,
Tennessee in November 1840, and a daughter of Carter Scruggs.
To this union has been born fourteen children, eight of who are now
living, and of whom we have the following record: J.H., living at Altamont; F.D.,
an engineer at Richland, Texas; E.F. is a farmer of Grundy County; W.R. is a
farmer living near Moroa, Ill.; H.B. also a farmer; Mary Lou and Nancy Edna,
both still live with their parents; and Sarah Della.
The deceased are: James, who
died in childhood; Lintchia, wife of William Stump, died at Altamont; Lucy Belle
died in childhood; Thomas Gordon and Richard M. both died in childhood; and an
infant, deceased. Socially Mr. Overturf
affiliates with the Masonic fraternity, and in 1896 he represented the lodge in
which he holds his membership at the grand lodge.
In politics he is a democrat.
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