Henry Overholser and Anna Ione (Murphy) Overholser

Their final resting place pictured below at Fairlawn Cemetery

Edward and Henry Ione Overholser Perry and her husband, David Jay Perry are also buried there.

Henry Overholser (death articles on page 2) link at bottom of page.	OVERHOLSER, HENRY (1846-1915) Ohio-born Oklahoma City businessman Henry Overholser became wealthy through varied business successes in Indiana, Colorado, and Wisconsin before arriving in Oklahoma City a few days after the Land Run of 1889 into the Unassigned Lands. His arrival in the new town was preceded by the arrival of several carloads of prefabricated wood-frame buildings he had purchased in Michigan to sell in his new home. For the next twenty-six years this entrepreneurial spirit pervaded Overholser's ventures in Oklahoma. Within a few days of arriving, Overholser erected six business buildings on lots he purchased on Grand (now Sheridan) Avenue, and within a month he was elected president of the new Board of Trade, precursor to the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce. Twice running unsuccessfully for mayor, he was elected to the Oklahoma County Commission in 1894. Overholser used his skill and wealth to encourage new business by investing in capital improvements and by creating agricultural services to draw farmers to the new town. In 1895 he and C. G. Jones organized the St. Louis and Oklahoma City Railroad, which began service in 1897 and linked Oklahoma City to Tulsa, Kansas City, and St. Louis via the Frisco line. At about the same time Overholser was instrumental in promoting a streetcar line for the city. At the turn of the century the local economy was booming and the population had tripled, due in large part to his efforts. He was a firm believer in providing services and entertainment for the public. In 1889 he built the Grand Avenue Hotel. In 1890 he erected the magnificent Overholser Opera House on Grand Avenue, followed by the Overholser Theater at Grand and Robinson. In 1906 he helped the Chamber of Commerce purchase grounds at Tenth and Eastern for a permanent home for the State Fair of Oklahoma, and he served many years on the Fair Board. While living in Indiana, Overholser had married Emma R. Hannah on 19 Aug 1868, and the union, which ended in divorce ca. 1880, produced one son, Edward (1869-1931), later mayor of Oklahoma City, and a daughter, Elizabeth. Within six months of arriving in Oklahoma City, Overholser married eighteen-year-old Anna Ione Murphy (1872-1940), daughter of Samuel Murphy, prominent lawyer and first Oklahoma territorial treasurer. Their union produced one daughter, Henry Ione (1904-1954), who married David Perry. In 1902 Overholser purchased three lots in Classen's Highland Park Addition (now generally known as Heritage Hills) and built a twenty-room brick-and-stone Victorian mansion. The lavish opening of the home in the spring of 1904 was the highlight of the social season, and Mrs. Overholser remained the grand dame of Oklahoma City society until her death. The Overholser Mansion, at 405 Northwest Fifteenth, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 (NR 70000586) is now a property of the Oklahoma Historical Society and is open to the public. While on a tour of Europe in 1911, Overholser suffered a stroke. He lingered as an invalid until his death on August 25, 1915. Truly one of the founding fathers of Oklahoma City, Henry Overholser exemplified the pioneering spirit of the Eighty-niners.
Anna Ione (Murphy) Overholser (death articles on page 2) link at bottom of page.	ANNA IONE MURPHY OVERHOLSER, (1870-1940) Oklahoma City socialite Anna Ione Murphy was born on October 12, 1870, in Holden, Missouri. After the death of her mother, Delilah Floyd, Anna's father, Samuel Murphy, married Louise Berry. Their union gave Anna four siblings. Murphy, a lawyer and the first Oklahoma territorial treasurer, arrived in Oklahoma City on April 22, 1889, and briefly found housing in apartments owned by Henry Overholser. After completing high school in Arkansas, Anna arrived at Oklahoma City on June 3, 1889, and married Overholser on October 23. On January 24, 1891, Anna gave birth to a son, Henry Samuel, who died that August. A daughter, Henry Ione, was born on April 5, 1905. At the reception for the opening of the Overholser's mansion held in April 1904, Anna Overholser introduced guests to the first local serving of Saratoga chips (potato chips). The event became the highlight of the social season and solidified her as the city's foremost socialite. She hosted balls, concerts, charity bazaars, political meetings, luncheons, and dinners. Newspaper accounts described her Paris gowns, lavish home furnishings, and innovative recipes and listed the "who's who" of Oklahoma City society. In those days, urban ladies indulged in women's clubs for education, entertainment, and community service. Anna Overholser was a prominent member in the Philomathea, Modern Classics, Ladies' Chautauqua Circle, Ladies' Music and Art League, Duplicate Whist Club, Republican Women's Club, and Five O'Clock Tea Club. Organized in 1906, the Five O'Clock Club opened the first nursery for the children of Oklahoma City's working women. She helped organize the Chafing Dish Club in 1899 and served as its president. Members met weekly for lunch and cards. In 1908 she and others founded the charity organization, First Families of Oklahoma. As president she helped raise funds for the purchase of a home for needy elderly women. After serving her community for thirty-five years, Anna Overholser died on April 29, 1940, and was buried in Fairlawn Cemetery, Oklahoma City. The Overholser Mansion is a property of the Oklahoma Historical Society and is open to the public.
Mayor Edward Overholser (death articles on page 2) link at bottom of page.	EDWARD GRAHAM McLAIN OVERHOLSER, (1869-1931) Mayor and chamber of commerce president Edward "Ed" Overholser contributed to the building and expansion of Oklahoma City. Born in Sullivan, Indiana, on June 20, 1869, he was the son of Henry and Emma Hanna Overholser. Educated in public schools, young Overholser attended preparatory school at St. Francis Institution for Boys, a Catholic mission school at Osage, Kansas. He completed four years at Lawrence College in Appleton, Wisconsin, but did not graduate. On April 2, 1890, Overholser arrived in Oklahoma City, where he managed the Overholser Opera House and joined his father in a public service career. An optimist and a booster, Edward Overholser knew how to attract and mold the public mind. Knowing that his father expected him to be productive and successful, he filled all offices once held by his father. When the St. Louis and Oklahoma City Railroad (later the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway) was built from Sapulpa to Oklahoma City in 1897 98, Edward Overholser established town sites at Stroud, Wellston, Luther, and Jones. He had a long-distance telephone line constructed from Oklahoma City to Stroud and Shawnee. These lines were sold to the Pioneer Telephone Company (later Southwestern Bell Telephone). In Oklahoma City he and his father erected twenty-three business buildings, including restaurants and hotels, in Oklahoma City. Ed Overholser served as vice president of the Prudential Fire Insurance Company, manager of the city waterworks, first secretary of the State Fair Association, and member of the Oklahoma City board of education. From January 6, 1903 to January 3, 1905, he served as chair of the board of county commissioners, and during his tenure the Oklahoma County court house and jail were erected. On May 26, 1903,he married Allie Garrison of Oklahoma City. They had two children: one died in infancy, and Edward Herbert was born May 4, 1908. Although a Republican, Overholser won the race for mayor when Oklahoma City was strongly Democratic. From April 13, 1915, to December 24, 1918, he served as the sixteenth mayor until he retired due to ill health. He completed the city's waterworks system and enabled the purchase a site for the state fair. In 1919 Lake Overholser in Oklahoma City was named in his honor. Overholser's success as mayor and his general popularity led friends and newspapers to frequently mention him as a candidate for governor or Congress. However, Overholser did not encourage his candidacy. Overholser returned to public service in 1922 as president and general manager of the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, a position he held for five terms. He led plans for city improvement projects, erased the chamber's indebtedness, and increased membership beyond five thousand. Only five cities in the nation at that time claimed larger memberships. After he resigned in October 1927, he remained active as a public speaker and was a member of a Masonic lodge, the Lutheran Church, and numerous clubs. He died on April 21, 1931, in Oklahoma City after a long illness.
Mrs. Henry Ione Overholser Perry(death articles on page 2) link at bottom of page.	Henry Ione Overholser Perry, (1905-1959) Henry Ione, born in 1905.  Henry Ione Overholser married David J. Perry in June 1926.  The Perry’s lived in the Overholser Mansion with Mrs. Overholser until her death in 1940.   Mr. Perry was a pioneer aviator and later the campaign manager for Senator Mike Monroney.  The Perry’s had no children.  In 1937, Mrs. Overholser transferred ownership of the property to her daughter Henry Ione Overholser-Perry.  In 1961, the property was transferred to David Perry after the death of his wife Henry Ione in 1959.

 
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