John Franklin Overton was born in Maury County, Tenn., and came to Texas in 1845 with his wife, Jane Jameson Overton, and his mother, Susan Alexander Overton. He received land grants totaling 1600 acres. After his wife died in 1849, he married Mary D. Walker in 1852, and they had 11 children. During the Civil War he sold supplies to the Confederacy and was addressed as "Colonel." In 1871 he donated land to the International Railroad Company, and the town of Overton, 8 miles northeast, was named in his honor.