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THIS township was named in honor of Hon. Edward Overton, and is separated from Barclay by the Schraeder branch of Towanda creek. This stream with its small tributaries is the chief drainage. The north portion of the township is mountainous. The settlers are mostly of German and Irish descent, noted for their industry and frugality, and their farms, once covered with trees, stumps and stones, are now smooth and well-cultivated fields. Much lumbering is carried on in the northeastern part, where were built the Means and Mercur extensive sawmills. Immense quantities of tanning bark are still shipped to market. In point of territory this is the largest township in the county. It was formed in 1853, taken from Monroe, Albany and Franklin.

One of the first and most prominent families to settle here was that of Daniel Heverly, who came in 1806, and spent here the remainder of his life. He was born in 1764, and married Catharine Ott; both were Penn sylvania-Germans. Mr. Haverly came here through the solicitation of a man named Minch, who lived above Towanda. He had informed Heverly that here was a beautiful valley, more than ten miles wide, that none of the settlers had yet found. After a toilsome trip, he reached the point of destination, looked upon it and returned to Greenwood, and contracted to work on his farm. In 1810, in consequence of the work on the turnpike, Mr. Heverly took up 640 acres of land, and cleared 65 acres, which farm has passed down to his descendants to the present time. A stonecutter, named Kissell, came to Mr. Heverly's in 1810, and made an improvement on the Widow McCann farm. He was a soldier in the War of 1812.

The next person that came to the township was Leonard Streevy, who married one of Mr. Heverly's daughters, Henry Sherman, a native of Mifflin, Pa., came into the township in 1824. Jacob Hottenstein arrived in the town in 1829.

The first attempt for a gristmill was that of Daniel Heverly, Sr., on the Henry Sherman farm; but depression of money matters. caused by the War of 1812, compelled him to abandon his work before its completion. The first sawmill was built in 1820, on Black creek, by Daniel Heverly, Jr. It was afterward destroyed by fire. The first store was opened in 1856, by William Waltman.

The first school-house was built in the town in 1827. The first teacher was Anna Kellogg, of Monroe. The first church built in the town was the Roman Catholic, by Edward McGovern, in 1844. The Methodist Episcopal church was built in 1873. The Reformed and Lutheran church was built in 1855.

Overton village was platted, in 1856, by Henry Sherman, and blacksmith Joseph Mosbacker purchased the first lot. The place is pleasantly situated in the southeastern corner of the township, and has three general stores, three blacksmith shops, one wagon shop, two milliner shops and a hotel.

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