Welcome to all visitors, and hi, cousins!

Hello! I am a direct descendant of Abraham Overholt (1784-1870), a Mennonite of Swiss ancestry who augmented his position as the family weaver by tending the family "still." Abraham became famous for his Pennsylvania rye whiskey, sold as Old Farm and Monongahela, originally at West Overton, East Huntingdon Township in Westmoreland County, Western Pennsylvania. Beginning with a log cabin distillery and a reputation for excellence, Abraham expanded the business over the course of his lifetime, until the name A. Overholt & Co. was synonymous for fine whiskey. Abraham built a second and more famous distillery at Broad Ford, on the banks of the Youghiogheny River, and it was there (years after the master distiller's death) that the brand name Old Overholt was coined.

While Abraham's whiskey is a notable chapter of the family saga, there is so much more to be aware of regarding our formative years that touches upon pivotal events in European history, church history, and the history of Colonial America. From the time our ancestors left their mountain in Switzerland, to the time their descendants established Mennonite communities in William Penn's colony, to the time Henry Oberholtzer led his train of Conestoga wagons beyond the Allegheny Mountains -- the story of the Overholt Family provides many fascinating subjects of study and research.

This GeoCities web site, dedicated to Abraham Overholt and the Extended Overholt Family, seeks to highlight those pioneers who settled the "wild country" west of the Allegheny Mountains, who cleared the land and built log cabins, and as they sowed the fields with grain, sowed the seeds of a large part of Western Pennsylvania history. I have set before me the task of doing my part to remember and commemorate their frontier spirit, their hard work, and all that yet remains of their combined effort to create something worthwhile. Sadly, the Overholts lost West Overton and the whiskey business, too. It was a tragedy precipitated by the meteoric rise of Henry Clay Frick (a grandson of Abraham Overholt), who needed coal to feed thousands of beehive coke ovens.

The Industrial Revolution could easily be blamed for everything, but that would be an oversimplification. The truth is more complicated, for much of the innovation implimented by the Overholt Family at West Overton and Broad Ford enabled the birth of that revolution. Eventually, a diaspora occurred as the family split up, some traveling further westward and elsewhere, until the name "Overholt" came to be written in the histories of just about every state in the Union, including Hawaii.

Today, through Internet search engines, we can find hundreds of descendants of the original Oberholtzer families that took root in Bucks County, Eastern Pennsylvania. Other branches (established lines and unestablished lines, in genealogical terms) settled throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Virginia. Several Canadian lines took root in Ontario, and I have received e-mail from a few of their descendants. Some branches of the family still spell their surnames Oberholser or Oberholtzer, or use Overholt, Overholtz, Overholts, or some other spelling. But we are all the Extended Overholt Family now, no matter where we presently call home.

I have heard from a distinguished Overholt cousin who is living and working in Hong Kong, China. I have heard from American GIs stationed in Europe, who are living near the towns in Switzerland and Germany, from where the Oberholtzers immigrated to America and William Penn's colony. Many cousins have written with a friendly "hello" and took the time to share personal stories and bits of interesting family history, some of which are found in my web pages. Since I published my first articles, many people (long-lost relatives and those who are interested in Overholt Whiskey) have expressed their appreciation of my work, often because they previously knew little or nothing about our family origins or historical significance. The "thank you" notes have been, and continue to be, a real blessing. I remain so glad I began this Internet adventure!

If all goes well, this page will serve as a signpost for even more long-lost relatives, enabling us to become even more aware and reacquainted with each other. As my web-building skills sharpen, appearances may change, but the intent will always stay the same: I want to highlight as much of our story as possible, and encourage all of us to pay attention to what is happening at West Overton and Broad Ford. As I am able to do so, I will strive to generate interest in the Abraham Overholt Homestead and West Overton (now called West Overton Village and West Overton Museums), and in the future reclamation and renovation of the A. Overholt & Co. Distillery at Broad Ford.

~~ See Table of Contents Below ~~

You are invited to visit my other web pages (see below) for more history and some photographs of today's West Overton. I have accumulated quite a lot of pages now, but I hope you will consider your time well-spent! You will find a series of InterOverholt Memos, Feature Articles and Research Entries, which may turn out to be valuable resources for current and historic information, hopefully of interest to the Extended Overholt Family.

GenForum has a page for the surname "Overholt" that I hope you will visit.
Click on the following link and add your own note to the many entries you'll see there!

Visit GenForum's Overholt Family page.

~~ TABLE OF CONTENTS ~~

~~ Background ~~
Originally at Hometown AOL

** Updated & Renovated January 5, 2005 **

The Overholt Family
Introduction;
Life Stories;
First Visit to West Overton (1984).

The Overholt Family Tree ~~ Karen's Branches, Page One
Introduction;
Family Tree.

The Overholt Family Tree ~~ Karen's Branches, Page Two
The Overholt Family and West Overton, PA;
4 Photos of West Overton.

The Overholt Family Tree ~~ Karen's Branches, Page Three
The Overholt Family and West Overton, PA (continued);
4 Photos of West Overton.

~~ InterOverholt Memoranda ~~

InterOverholt Memo (4-28-2000)
Discovery of My Uncle's Family;
April 14th Visit to West Overton;
Proposal For a Future Project.

InterOverholt Memo (5-12-2000)
Unclaimed Property in Pennsylvania.

InterOverholt Memo (8-4-2000)
Busy Summer Months;
News of Two Family Reunions;
Upcoming Events at West Overton.

InterOverholt Memo (8-13-2001)
So Much to Do . . . and So Little Time!
A New Look for the Old Web Site;
New Web Pages Added;
Regarding Old Overholt Whiskey;
Controversy Over Frick Archives;
First Contact With the Riffle Family;
Highlighting The Oberholtzer Book;
Endangered Trees in Pennsylvania.

InterOverholt Memo (11-10-2003)
Autumn Greetings;
Falk School Loses Its Theater Arts Program;
Actors Civic Theater Does Godspell, Junior;
Becoming A Playwright;
New Web Pages Now Online;
A New Look For Some Old Pages;
First Contact! With Linda & John Lipman;
Update for Lion Found Bottle (In A Portrait);
Two Updates for Balach Found Bottle;
Future Plans For Karen's Branches.2.

InterOverholt Memo (1-5-2005)
Critchfield Family Portrait;
From Season's Greetings to Happy New Year;
Evaluating the Past Year in Light of Past Years;
Ghosts of Christmases Past;
Changes for Karen's Branches;
Fire at Broad Ford Overholt Distillery;
Meeting John & Linda Lipman;
Meeting Rick Sebak;
New Web Pages & Those On the Way;
A Belated Christmas Card to Everybody

InterOverholt Memo (12-26-2005)
Best Wishes to All & Happy New Year 2006;
My, How Time Flies!;
Registering A Trademark;
Background Story;
Going Into the Whiskey Business;
Letter From the PA Liquor Control Board;
The Story Continues On the American Whiskey Trail;
The Samuel Dillinger Distillery;
Living With Scleroderma;
Creating The Extended Overholt Family Foundation;
Conversation at West Overton;
Spilling the Beans About the "Original Recipe;"
Spilling the Beans About My Trademark Application;
A Quick Tour of Abraham's House;
David C. Overholt & The National Trust For Historic Preservation;
My Plan to Start a Small Family Foundation;
Hoping All Goes Well

West Overton News 2007b
News Stories from July 27 Back to January 17.

West Overton News 2006
News Stories from December 17 Back to January 18.

West Overton News 2005
News Stories from December 14 Back to January 2.

West Overton News 2004b
News Stories from December 18 Back to June 29.

West Overton News 2004
News Stories from June 29 Back to January 4.
[plus special article from November 2003]

West Overton News 2003
News Stories from November 16 Back to January 16.

West Overton News 2002
News Stories from December 8 Back to January 11.

West Overton News 2001
News Stories from December 8 back to August 16.

West Overton News 2000
News Stories from December 17 back to October 28.

~~ Karen as Author ~~

Photos of A Tale of Stone Soup

~~ Jacobs Creek ~~

Winifred Paul and Along the Banks of Jacobs Creek
Highlighting Author Winifred Paul and Her Book;
A Letter From Winifred Paul;
Contacting John B. Roose;
The Town of Jacobs Creek, PA;
The Jacobs Creek Watershed Association.

~~ NPS Report on West Overton (1985) ~~

West Overton Ranks as a Landmark in 1985
This National Park Service Report led to
West Overton's rank as a Landmark (1985).

~~ HABS Report on West Overton (1990) ~~

Introduction to HABS Report on West Overton
Illustrations from HABS Report;
Photographs of Pertinent Individuals.

HABS Report, Page One
Excerpts from HABS Report, pp. 1-12;
Karen's Notes.

HABS Report, Page Two
Excerpts from HABS Report, pp. 12-26;
Karen's Notes;
Timeline.

~~ HABS/HAER Report on Broad Ford (1990) ~~

HABS/HAER-Broad Ford
America's Industrial Heritage Report on
The Overholt Distillery at Broad Ford (1990).

~~ Broad Ford Safari ~~

Broad Ford Safari
Introduction;
Photographs & Notes.

Changing the Course of History
Nomination of Broad Ford for Endangered Status;
Notification Letter from Preservation Pennsylvania.

Broad Ford in the News
News Stories from December 18, 2004 back to October 16, 2004.

** NEW ** ~~ Broad Ford Seasons ~~ ** NEW **

Broad Ford Geocacher
Photographs by Geocacher "JimBat"
Living Green
Old Overholt Distillery Swinging Bridge Cache
Geocaching - A Short Introduction

Broad Ford Autumn
Photographs by Jeffrey Antol
Brittle Leaves Underfoot
When Yellow Brick Looks Burnt Orange
Off the Beaten Path

Broad Ford Winters
Classic Photographs
Frozen Hush of Winter
Broad Ford's Youghiogheny River
History in Black and White
Brian Krummel's Forgotten Bridge

~~ Deep Run ~~

Last Remains & Family Plots
Reading Headstones at Deep Run;
Deep Run Photographs by John Lipman;
Drawing of Old Mennonite Church of Deep Run, PA;
Searching the Pages of A. J. Fretz & Barbara Ford;
Excerpts From the Rev. A. J. Fretz;
A Tale of Two Churches;
Map of Deep Run Churches;
The Lipmans Visit Deep Run ~~ And Take Pictures!
Marking the Passage of Time.

~~ Aerial Photographs ~~

Broad Ford Views
Aerial Photograph of Broad Ford Overholt Distillery
Aerial Photograph of Samuel Dillinger Distillery
Aerial Photograph of West Overton Village

~~ Samuel Dillinger ~~

The Overholt-Dillinger Connection
Was Dillinger Whiskey Another Overholt Whiskey?
Samuel Dillinger;
The Dillinger Obelisk;
Sam Komlenic Discovers the Dillinger Monument;
The Overholt-Stauffer-Loucks-Dillinger Connection;
The Loucks-Dillinger Connection;
From Public Squares to Pike Journeys: The Story of the Wagoners;
The Hixson-Dillinger Connection;
The Baer-Dillinger Connection;
The Dillinger Connection to Coal Mining & Coke Works.

~~ Our Family Cemeteries ~~

Alverton Cemetery
30 Photographs & Genealogical Data

Mount Pleasant Cemetery
8 Photographs & Genealogical Data

** NEW** ~~ Sons & Grandsons ~~ ** NEW **

Sons & Grandsons of Westmoreland County, Part 1
Articles & portraits from old history books, newspaper articles, etc.
Abraham Overholt - Henry Stauffer Overholt
Jacob Stauffer Overholt - Christian Stauffer Overholt
Abraham Overholt Tinstman - Benjamin Franklin Overholt
Abraham Carpenter Overholt - Ralph Overholt
Martin Overholt Overholt - James E. Tinstman
Henry Vinton Overholt
Big Fire At The Overholt Distillery (1905)

Sons & Grandsons of Westmoreland County, Part 2
Articles & portraits from old history books, featuring:
Samuel Dillinger - The Overholt Family
The Stoner Family - The Fox Family
The Kline Family - The Loucks Family
Peter Stauffer Loucks - Col. Israel Painter
John W. Painter - Joseph Lippincott
William J. K. Kline, M.D.- Dr. Nicholas L. K. Kline
The Markle Family

Sons & Grandsons of Westmoreland County, Part 3
Articles & portraits from old history books, featuring:
Gen. Joseph Markle - Cyrus Painter Markle
Shepard B. Markle - Shepherd Brown Markle
Cassius Clay Markle

~~ Overholser Family Association ~~

August 5, 2006 - Overholser Family Association 100th Anniversary
Tales of Last Year's 100th Family Reunion
From July 26, 1906 to the Present
Photos From the 100th Reunion
The Upcoming 101st Family Reunion of the OFA (August 4, 2007)
Maps For Finding Your Way There
Updated ** Purchasing The Oberholtzer Book ** 1-14-08
Postscript