A. OverbaughA. Overbaugh, who lives in a beautiful residence in San Diego at the corner of Sixth and Beech streets, overlooking the city, bay and the Pacific ocean, was born in Charlestown, New York, November, 1821; his parents were natives of the same State. His father was a farmer and owned 320 acres in the Mohawk valley, where his only living brother still resides, on the old homestead. The subject of this sketch remained at home until he was twenty-nine years of age, receiving a common school education, and engaged in the tilling of the soil. In 1850, he started out for himself into the great unknown West, going by rail to Buffalo, then by steamer to Milwaukee, and stage to Janesville, Wisconsin, then the second town in the State. He did a loaning and discount business until January, 1884, when he went to La Crosse in the western part of the State and there experienced the first excitement in a real-estate boom. He bought 120 acres adjoining the town, which he subdivided and sold in town lots. La Crosse at that time was a town of 500 inhabitants, but in 1857 numbered 5,000. The town lots sold well, but in 1857 there was a panic, owing to a free banking law which allowed every bank to issue paper regardless of responsibility, so that redemption was impossible and bankruptcy seemed to settle upon the town. Business became much depressed until the opening of the war when trade revived, increasing as the war continued. In 1869, Mr. Overbaugh came to San José, California, and again bought acre property, which he sold in town lots. In 1873 he came to San Diego and bought a lot on the corner of Ash and Second streets, and immediately built a residence, to which he moved his family in 1874.
Source: An Illustrated History of Southern California; pub. Chicago: Lewis Pub. Co., 1890.
The above biography is held at Access Genealogy. Permission has been granted to republish here.
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