Christian
H. Overbeck
Christian H. Overbeck has been a resident of
Clayton county since his boyhood, is a scion of one
of the sterling German pioneer families of this
section of the Hawkeye State, and he has contributed
his share to the civic and material development and
progress of the county as a successful farmer, as a
merchant and as a loyal and public-spirited citizen.
He is now living retired in the village of Luana,
where he was formerly engaged in the hardware
business, with which he continued to be identified
until 1904, when he sold the same to the present
proprietor, Rudolph J. Stoehr. Christoph Henry
Overbeck was born in the Province of Hanover,
Germany, on the 9th of June, 1843, and has been a
resident of Clayton county for more than sixty years.
He is a son of Adam and Louise (Wagman) Overbeck,
both of whom were born and reared in Hanover, where
they continued to maintain their home until 1852,
when they immigrated to the United States, their son
Christoph H. having been at the time a lad of about
eight years. The family remained about six months in
the State of Indiana and in the spring of 1853 came
to Clayton county, Iowa, and became members of the
fine German pioneer colony in and about the present
village of Guttenberg. There Adam Overbeck obtained a
tract of government land and instituted the
development of a farm, the same having comprised
forty acres. On this old homestead, which he made one
of the productive farms of the county, both he and
his wife passed the remainder of their lives--folk of
prodigious industry and sterling character, and well
worthy of the high esteem in which they were held.
They were honored pioneer citizens of this county at
the time of their death, and both were earnest
communicants of the German Lutheran church. Of their
children the subject of this sketch is the eldest;
Louisa is the wife of Bernhard F. Schroder, of
Postville, Allamakee county; and Henry resides at
Elgin, Fayette county. Christoph H. Overbeck was
reared to the sturdy discipline of the pioneer farms
and in the meanwhile did not in the least neglect the
advantages afforded him in the schools of the
locality. He soon initiated a virtually independent
career by finding employment at farm work aside from
that of the home place, and at the age of
twenty-three years he became associated with his
father in the renting of a farm which he later
purchased. To the work and management of this farm he
continued to devote his attention about 5 years, and
after selling the property he purchased a tract of
two hundred and seventy acres in Grand Meadow
township. This large landed estate he developed into
one of the model farms of this section of the State
by bringing it under effective cultivation and by
making the best of permanent improvements, including
the erection of substantial farm buildings. There he
won distinctive success in connection with
diversified agriculture and the raising of good
grades of live stock, and he continued his residence
on the farm until 1894, when, with a substantial
competency, he retired from the arduous labors and
manifold cares that had long been his portion, and
established his home at Luana, where he owns an
attractive residence and where he was for a number of
years engaged in the hardware business, though he has
lived retired from all active business since 1904, as
previously intimated in this article. His career has
been that of a quiet, unassuming, persistent and
successful worker, and his character and achievement
have been such as to make him fully entitled to the
unqualified popular confidence and esteem in which he
is held. His political allegiance is given to the
Republican party and he has long been a zealous and
earnest communicant of the German Lutheran church.
For eleven years he served as treasurer of the church
of this denomination at Luana. On the 4th of July,
1874, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Overbeck to
Miss Caroline Bierbaum, daughter of Gerhardt and
Caroline (Walker) Bierbaum, who were honored pioneers
of Clayton county. Mrs. Overbeck passed to the life
eternal on the 16th of July, 1899, a devoted wife and
mother and an earnest communicant of the German
Lutheran church. Of the children of this union the
first, Catherine, died in childhood; Caroline remains
at the paternal home; Louise is the wife of John
Goerges and they reside in South Dakota; August and
Anna are deceased; Benjamin and Margaret are twins,
the former being a substantial farmer in Monona
township and the latter being the wife of William
Loeske, of Denver, Colorado; Eleanora is deceased;
Amelia remains at the home of her father; and Emma,
Esther and Nora are deceased. On the 24th of
December, 1904, Mr. Overbeck contracted a second
marriage, when Mrs. Minnie (Springborn) Neverman
became his wife, she having an adopted daughter,
Bertha. Mrs. Overbeck was born at Garnavillo, this
county, on the 3d of June, 1858, and is the eldest of
a family of four children, the second of whom was
John, who died young; Elizabeth is the wife of Fred
Lempke, of Allamakee county; and Frederica is
deceased. John and Elizabeth (Saaso) Springborn, the
parents of Mrs. Overbeck, were born in Mecklenburg,
Germany, and came to America about the year 1856.
They became pioneer settlers near Farmersburg,
Clayton county, where Mr. Springborn developed a good
farm, to the operations of which he continued to give
his attention until a short time before his death,
his wife likewise being deceased, and both having
been communicants of the German Lutheran church.
~source: History of Clayton
County, Iowa; From The Earliest Historical Times Down to
the Present; by Realto E. Price, Vol. II; pages
313 - 315.
~transcribed by Keith Schrader
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