George Washington OVERSTREET

#22 -George Washington OVERSTREET
s/o #44 James C. OVERSTREET &
#45 (possibly) Polly ADKINS

nickname-none

Children with Mary RUCKMAN Elizabeth b 5 May 1867 MO d 15 Aug 1902 MO William Isaiah b 22 Jan 1869 MO d 23 June 1942 CA Lucretia b ca 1871 MO d ca 1895? AR Robert Marion b 23 Apr 1873 MO d 11 Dec 1956 CA Iva Della b 4 Jul 1874 MO d 13 Jun 1957 CA Children with #23 Mary M. Roberts #11-Lula May b 18 Dec 1890 AR or MO d 18 June 1925 MO Sherman Lee b 27 Feb 1892 MO d 30 May 1985 CA Elmer Everette b 7 Sep 1894 MO d 9 Mar 1981 CA Bertha Jewell b 6 Sep 1898 AR d Nov 1978 MO	George in 1914
b 24 Apr 1844	Vernon Co. MO
m 1st 20 Aug 1863 to Mary RUCKMAN m 2nd 26 Mar 1891 to Mary M. ROBERTS m 3rd 25 May 1900 to Mary Ellen YATES HAMMER	Greene Co. MO Stone Co. MO Stone Co. MO
d 24 Sep 1922	Stone Co. MO
bur 25 Sep 1922 McCullough Cemetery	Carr Lane, Stone Co. MO
Hair: probably black	Eyes: blue
Height: about 5' 2"	Weight: unknown

Probable Ethnicity:
Cherokee, maybe some Melungeon, Scottish

What we know:

Researching George is difficult. There are stories about him that don't come close to documentation. The documentation itself is so inconsistent, you don't know what to believe. If someone wanted to bet me something concrete on him, I would refuse to take the bet. And it's not just him--it's through his children as well.
For instance, the date of George's birth. His tombstone says 1842. His military papers cite 1844. The 1860 Lawrence County Federal Census shows him as 12. His son, Sherman, was informant on his death certificate, and he told the doctor 1843, born in AR. The only thing consistent there is the 24 Apr part. Because the 24 Apr 1844 date is from his military records, that's the date I use.
It gets worse. He claimed to be 17 when he enlisted in the 1st AR Cavalry Jul 1862. He was 17 when he married Mary Ruckman over a year later. No census shows his age consistently; 12 in 1860, 30 in 1870 Lawrence Co. MO, 33 in 1880 Lawrence Co. MO. He is in Stone Co. by the 1890 Special Veteran's Census, but in Carroll Co. AR or Barry Co. MO records afterwards. He performed many marriages in the Eastern District of Carroll Co. AR as a preacher; he performed his daughter Lula May's marriage in Stone Co., but apparently few others. I've not been able to check Barry Co.'s records.
The only wife whose grave we can find is his last wife, Mary Ellen Yates.
The wives are another problem altogether. The three wives I've documented are all named Mary. An elderly couple by the name of Kimberling told my uncle during the 1970s that GWO had 5 wives. Who were the other two? A possible suspect is the Mary CORNELIOUS who is 15 and living with GWO and his 1st wife in the 1880 census. GWO had moved by that time, away from the Ruckman family he lived near for roughly 20+ years, to another township in Lawrence County. It's possible the Mary in 1880 is not Mary Ruckman, but Mary Ruckman is not buried in the Ruckman cemetery, and there's no marriage record for GWO in Lawrence County at all. Nor in Dade, nor later Greene Co. records. And there were death records kept in Lawrence Co. during the 1880s--if they were all recorded, I don't know. No Mary Overstreet is buried there, either, from what I've been able to find. Not one of these Overstreets are buried in Lawrence County, either...if they are, they are well-hidden.
During the Civil War, George was a bugler for the 1st AR Union Cavalry. Even his military records are dated inconsistently. He is listed on his cards as being AWOL 31 Oct 1863. He returned to duty 23 Dec 1863. In Oct 1864, there was a pay stoppage for lost ordinance, whatever that means.
In Jan and Feb 1865, he was serving in Huntsville, Madison Co. AR, on "detached duty" when he was arrested for desertion. That May, he was sentenced to one year hard labor in Little Rock. There was a subsequent order for confinement in Columbus, OH. He was released 11 Dec 1865 and ordered to report to the Provost Martial of MO.
A letter in his file from his commanding officer states that GWO had gained permission for a short leave to visit his wife--his company was apparently near his home at the time. His horse was stolen, and by the time he reported back, his unit had moved on. So he joined another unit, served with it until he caught up to his first unit and rejoined it. It is never quite clear in any of the records if he was arrested for desertion from his first or second unit, nor is it made obvious by the letter. The letter also has the date of the absence as being in 1864, not 1863. Unless there was 2 times he was AWOL, the first time was overlooked and he was arrested for deserting the 2nd unit is what it seems to be.
As for George's ethnicity--his cheekbones and stature point to obvious Indian heritage. Whether it is Cherokee or not, there's no telling at this point. The inconsistent dates, the lack of any real proof or evidence, and the 1840 law stating that no "person" of any Indian "persuasion" could live legally in the state of MO or AR are all rather decent clues to George's parentage. His father, James C. OVERSTREET, was married in Van Buren Co. MO (now Cass Co.), and the "C" is consistent with another full Cherokee ancestor of mine, Henry C. Clinkenbeard. Every record you can find on James has that C, which is why I believe that marriage to Polly Adkins (see their page) is probably GWO's parents. Adkins is considered a common Melungeon surname. James' arrival in northern MO during the late 1830s seems to point to non-Cherokee heritage. There were other tribes in the area, especially the Osage, but GWO wasn't tall enough to be of that tribe--they were noted for having exceptionally tall men, the majority being well over 6 feet in height. Grandma says that her brother Elmer's height, however, came from the Overstreets; it sure didn't come from the Macomb side. They were all little Scottish men.
Yes, more research is definitely needed.
An interesting fact to note: all of George's known sons moved to Butte Co. CA; William went first to NV, but then went onto CA, with Robert moving his family out to Butte Co. after the 1910 Census in Stone Co. MO. Iva Della and her family also moved to CA; the other girls stayed in MO, calling Stone Co. home. Lucretia and Iva both married into the AMBROSE family; William married Mary JOHNSON in Stone Co., and Robert married Susan EDWARDS, whose parents were EDWARDS and ANDOE.

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