George Overall, who died 11 July, 1561 was married to Susanna __________. Their children were William, Nathaniel, Susannah, and Bishop John Overall, a noted English theologian. A Nathaniel Overall sailed from Kent in 1637 and settled in Virginia. He is considered to have been a nephew of the Bishop and the first of our Overall family in America.

      Our family records begin with William Overall (1640s-?), of Westmoreland County, Virginia who bought 900 acres of land and held deeds as early as 1660 and 1661. He was married to Jane Baldridge (1652 - 1718) before 1680 as recorded at St. Paul's Parish.Her parents were the immigrants, James and Dorothy Baldridge, whose wills were dated 1654 and 1662.

      Their son was William Overall (1680s - Jan 17, 1726), of King George County, Virginia who married Mary Jonesbefore 1702. Mary was the daughter of John and Ann Jones and probably the granddaughter of Nathaniel and Judith Jones , of Westmoreland County and the immigrants of this Jones family. Mary died after 1743. Their children were John, Mary, Sarah, Elizabeth, Frances, William, and Nathaniel.

      Little is known about the son John Overall (1701-1743 ) and his wife, Mary Elliott (1703 - 1738. Mary married in 1722 and died 16 years later on July 24, 1738. She may have been the daughter of John Foxhall.  John Overall  survived his wife by five years. After his death, both their sons, John and William, left the Virginia community where the family had lived for three generations to become pioneers in Tennessee. Their daughters were Sarah, Mary, and Bethethalam.

      William Overall must have been about 14 when his father left him a life estate in their lands in Prince William County, Virginia. However, in that same year he signed a release to his Uncle Nathaniel giving up all his rights to any property bequeathed to him by his family for £100. He was already in Frederick County, Virginia - a wilderness on the western frontier at that time. The original settlement of Jost Hite, the grandfather of his wife-to-be, was only ten years old.

      The colonies were waging war against the French and Indians at this time. There are records of his uncle, Nathaniel Overall, serving as a trooper in the Virginia Militia and his death in 1762. In later engagements of 1774, there are records of service by Paul Froman, William Overall, James Robertson and George Rogers Clark. It is not surprising that these comrades in the military would be influenced by the explorations of both Clark and Robertson in the western lands.

      William married Maria Chistina Froman, daughter of Paul Froman and Elizabeth Hite, about 1753. Their children were William, John Froman, Nathaniel, Nancy, Mary, Robert, and Christina. Maria may have died in 1780, shortly after five of their seven children had left for Tennessee.

      Nathaniel Overall (1758- 1835) and his brother Robert were among the men who made the overland journey to the Cumberland settlement after its establishment by James Robertson, their brother William and seven others in 1779. The Overall sisters, Nancy and Mary, arrived on the Donelson Flotilla in April of 1780. When the Cumberland Compact was written to establish a government, and Nathaniel and his brothers were signers. William and Robert lost their lives in conflicts with the Indians within the next dozen years, as did Joshua Thomas, the husband of Nathaniel's sister Nancy. Nathaniel was the only one of the Overall brothers to die a natural death. He was an active member of the community: acting as an estate administrator and constable; making numerous land transactions; and owning over 2,000 acres of land over a 30-year period. Several of his land dealings were with his friend and lawyer, Andrew Jackson.

      The first regular preaching in this frontier settlement was at Nathaniel's home in 1812. The Overall Campground was a meeting place for religious meetings until churches were built. The first church was built in 1831 and the third one built was still standing in 1946.

      Nathaniel married Annie Thomas, the daughter of William and Catherine (Leith) Thomas of Shenandoah County, Virginia. Their children were Mary, Robert, Nace, Abraham, John, Sarah, Lorenzo, and James.

      Robert Overall was born in Davidson County on June 11, 1785 and married his first cousin, Mary Espey  on December 24, 1815. His marriage at the age of 30 seems a little late, but at least one duty had postponed matrimony: his military service in 1814 with Capt. Robert Carson's Company of West Tennessee Militia Infantry. After his father's death, the land containing the log house built by them was deeded to him by his brothers and sisters. It was described as a parcel of land on the waters of the south fork of Bradley's Creek containing 370 acres with the exception of the boundary laid off for the campground (for religious meetings) and a quarter of an acre for a family burying ground. The Overall House, where he lived, still stands, but is unoccupied. His family included 12 children:Nathaniel, William, James, Nace, Catherine, John, Narcissa, Asbury, Louisa, Mary, Abram, and Rachel.After the death of his wife, he was listed in the census with his widowed daughter Narcissa.
             He died in 1862, probably in the cholera epidemic which was raging at that time. The Murfreesboro area was often the center of fierce Civil War battles. Troops moved frequently though the countryside so, although his grave may once have been marked, there is no sign of any monument today. It is probably near the grave of his wife in the family cemetery.

      Asbury Overall (1820 - 1901) married Lucy Smith Crutchfield (1823-1901). He was "admitted on trial" as a Methodist minister in 1843 and  preached in Cumberland and Lebanon districts until 1849. But Lucy disapproved of his "calling" and he became a planter on land they purchased near Franklin. The Civil War destroyed their livelihood and the newly freed slaves stayed on the property without being able to provide for themselves. To pay expenses, the land was gradually sold off. Only two of their children married, the others remaining to support their parents. The children were Robert, Claude, Mary Lassie, Watson, Nancy Allen ("Allie") and Mattie Love.

      Mattie Love Overall (1864-1925), the youngest and liveliest of the daughters, married James Thomas Blackwood,a Methodist minister. An active support to her husband in his ministry, she also worked for women's rights and cared for their four daughters: Lillian, Lucy, Mattie Love and Allaisse. We are fortunate to have some of Mattie Love's writings, including a lovely poem.