The following information was assembled from numerous sources and cannot be used directly as proof of Qualifying Service or Lineage.
It is considered a research aid and is intended to assist in locating sources that can be used as proof.
John Overton was born on 12 January 1747 in the hamlet of Coram, Brookhaven, Suffolk County, New York, the child of David Overton and Anna Hulse, who died in childbirth in 1747.
Together with his father and brothers, John signed the Brookhaven Association on 8 June 1775. John and his brothers enlisted in the 7th Company, 1st Regiment of the Suffolk County Militia, in April 1776 and probably saw action in the Battle of Long Island the following August.
He married Lois Hammond in about 1774. Among their known children were:
Anna was born in 1776 and married Joseph Davis.
Noah was born on 9 March 1784 and Elizabeth Bayles.
Elizabeth was born about 1786 and married Henry Newton.
Joshua was born on 5 December 1788 and married Ruth VanVelsor.
Messenger was born on 31 May 1789 and married Ruth Porter.
Charles was born in 1793 and married Anna Dayton.
Methuselah was born on 10 January 1795 and married Sarah Ann Still.
After the battle, when the British occupied much of Long Island, and John, his wife, and their newborn daughter Anna were evacuated to Connecticut as refugees. After the conclusion of the war, they returned to Coram, where their other children were born.
The Patriot died before 8 January 1807 and is buried in the Baptist Cemetery of Coram, New York.
Sources:
Mather, Frederic Gregory. 1913. The Refugees of 1776 from Long Island to Connecticut. University of California.
Seversmith, Herbert Furman. 1953. Colonial Families of Long Island, New York, and Connecticut, being the ancestry and kindred of Herbert Furman Seversmith. American Society of Genealogists.
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Additional Information:
DAR cites - This patriot has a residence in Long Island, NY. Given the political and economic climate of Long Island during the American Revolution, please be aware of possible service problems.