DESCENDANTS OF JOHN EVANS

OF BELL COUNTY, KENTUCKY

BY NELLE SHUMATE NIEKIRK (1976)

Rough Sketch of Evans

Coat of Arms

Preface

The historical part of this account is necessarily taken from the writings of a number of people who have done extensive research on the emigration and settlement of EVANS pioneers in the Tri-State area, compriising Southern Virginia, Southeastern Kentucky, and Northeastern Tennessee. I found the greatest amount of information concerning the EVANS FAMILY in the book that Mrs. Ethel Evans Albert of Kingsport, Tennessee, compiled, entitled “The History of Five Southern Families”. In it she gives a detailed and interesting report on the origin of the surname, Evans, where the Family originated, describes the Coat of Arms associated with the tribe, and some of the traditional stories and activities of these early immigrant EVANS who came to the American Colonies and later bravely pushed westward in the opening up of the raw frontier for settlement at the close and even before the close of the Revolutionary War for independence.

In addition to the research which Mrs. Albert has done on her line of EVANS FAMILY genealogy, some of which I am including in this Account, I also found some information in a book written by a local historian, H. H. Fuson, called “The History of Bell County, Vol. I”, in our Bell County-Middlesboro Library. Mr Fuson gives a vivid description of the location of the first John Evans’ homestead in this area and tells about his family who lived here in the wilderness almost an hundred years before the city of Middlesborough was built.

Descendants……(unable to read first line)……………the Family have contibuted a great deal of information also. Among the direct descendants, my son-in-law, Benny Dean Evans’ is included, through his paternal and maternal ancestry.

To begin I quote Mrs. Albert but not all of her exact words: “Ywain, (the old form of “Evan”) is a popular hero of Welsh folklore. He was, so the story goes, a gallant Knight who left his homeland of Wales to join King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

The old Welsch family name, EVANS, was derived from the baptismal name, EVAN, and means the Son of EVAN, Young Warrior.

The EVANS FAMILY has been prominent in the Brittish Empire and in the United States. Its members have played important roles in war and peace. All EVANS have just cause to be proud of their family history and traditions. Several branches of the family were established in the Colonies as early as 1622 and many places bearing this name indicates the high regard in which they were held.

The Evans Coat of Arms

A Coat of Arms is an emblem or device which is displayed by titled persons, persons of royal blood, and their descendants. Coat of Arms were originally used for purposes of identification and recognition on the field of battle as well as in civilian life.

The Coat of Arms used by the Evans of Wales, Ireland, and some English Counties was the same as that used by the renouned Welsh Chieftain, Ethelstan Glodrydd, Prince of Furlys, the founder of the Fourth Royal Tribe of Wales. He was a descendant of one of the most illustrious families in the Arthur’s Round Table. That he was a lover of the….(unable to read)….. is no doubt, for it is shown in the Coat of Arms; numerous other branches of the family use the Coat of Arns resembling his but not the exact one. It is quite appropriate for the members of the Evans FAMILY who have pride in their ancestry to display their family Coat of Arms in proper colors.

Description of the EVANS Coat of Arms

Arms—(Heraldic Language) – Argent, a chevron between three boars heads couped in sable, langued gules.

English description: On a silver shield a chevron between three boars heads—black with read tongues.

Crest—On a ducal coronet proper, a boar’s head as in the Arms.

Motto; Pro Patria—Latin For my Country—English End of Quote.

After having lived for many years in the east coast settlements along the Maryland and Virginia shores, some of the Evans families began to emigrate westward and their emigration route can be traced by records bearing their names, particularly marriage bonds, deeds, and tax lists. There was an Evans family living in old Augusta County, Virginia, in 1774, Richard and his wife, Susannah, whose child, Elizabeth, was born that year and according to records in Albemarle County, later Amherst County, she married one David Shumate in 1768. Then in the 1810 and 1820 Census Lists for the area that had been old Kentucky County, Virginia, and Evans Shumate is listed. That he was the son of the above couple is quite probable. (See The Shumate Family by Von Staffenberg)

In order to understand their westward movement the following order of division of Virginia counties needs to be known:

Augusta County, a vast unsettled wilderness, was formed from Orange County, Virginia, in 1738, Botetourte was formed from Augusta in 1769; Fincastle was formed from Augusta then divided into Kentucky, Montgomery, and Washington Counties in 1776; Russell was formed from Washington County in 1786 and Tazewell County from Russell and Wythe Counties in 1800. About this same time of division of the southwestern portion into counties, Lee Countywas formed and Jonesville became the County Seat in 1794. Records for the inhabitants of lower southwest Russell County were at Abingdon, Washington County, Virginia up to this date. So from the northwestern border of the state, which included the West Virginia territory as well, then along the Big Sandy River and in adjoining County of Kentucky, some of the early Evans settlers established their homesteads. Many of these had received land grants from the Virginia state government, which had the responsibility of taming that frontier and making it productive. As the wills of some of the early plantation owners were researched, Mrs. Albert found lawsuits were recorded over the disposition of slaves among Evans heirs. One of her early Evans ancestors had children who married into the celebrated Hatfield clan on West Virginia and took part in that long-standing Hatfield—McCoy fued. Others served their communities as sherriffs, lawyers, and prominent jurists of that day, among the latter was Judge Ferrell H. Evans of Mingo County, Va., a great lawyer and State Representative.

Since EVANS is a very common surname and others of this great prolific Welch Family immigrated and entered other ports of the United States, early marriages of our Virginia branch only have been researched; some of these we find have been recorded as early as 1743 and perhaps others occurred before this date which are not listed in extant documents.

In Virginia Marriages, 1700-1799, Vol. Eight, these two are listed:

Barker, William and Ann Evans, 27 July 1769, Goochland Co., Minister’s Return (Located short distance northwest of Richmond, Va.)

Evans, John and Leah Robins, 25 Feb. 1793, Accomack Co., Va., Marriage Bond (Located on narrow tip of land in Chespeake Bay, opposite the mouths of the Potomac, Rappahannock, and James Rivers)

From “The History of Five Southern Families” the record of the marriage date of the ancestor of Mrs. Albert is taken: “On Jan. 17, 1783 William Evans married Mattie Ferrell in Washington County, Virginia. And it appears logical that this is the marriage record of the parents of Ferrell H. Evans since he was given the name Ferrell; Was,-according to his 1850 census record in Floyd County, Ky., born ca.1784 in Virginia; And named one daughter Mattie.” End of Quote.

The above family, she goes on to say, seems to have a distinct connection to Robert Evans who devised property in Tazewell Co., Va. Will Book I, Pg.10, Feb. 11, 1802, to his wife, Mary and sons, William, James, Thomas, David, Moses, and Robert, Jr. Daughters, Jereta Outhocess, Martha Omner, and Dorothy Blead. In Deed Books of newly formed counties, transfers of the children’s rights, land sales, etc., to each other and to others are recorded about this property which had been a grant to Robert Evans, Sr., from the State of Virginia, of 580 acres in 1792. He was also closely related to John Evans, Sr., and his son Jessee, no doubt, who also settled in Tazewell Co., Va., shortly before this.

The following story is found in Pendleton’s “History of Tazewell County and Southwest Virginia”:

Pendleton says, “In 1773, John Evans, Sr. and his son, Jessee, moved their families from Amherst County, Virginia, and settled at the head of the North Fork of Clinch River eight miles northeast of the present town of Tazewell, Va. John Evans located at the Locust Bottom and Jessee settled one mile east of his father where Buzze Harmon afterwards lived, just west of the village of Tipton.

In 1777, a small band of Shawnees visited the head of Clinch River and made John Evans captive and took him to their town in Ohio. From there he was sent to Canada and either escaped or was ransomed and went to Philadelphia. Jessee Evans heard of his arrival in Philadelphia and went there in the spring of 1778 and brought him back home.

In the summer of 1779, Jessee Evans with six or more hired men left his house for the purpose of doing some work at ta distance from home. Since they carried various farming implements, their guns were left at the house---where Mrs. Evans was engaged in weaving a piece of cloth. Her oldest daughter was filling quills for her while the remaining four children were either at play in the garden or gathering vegetables.

The garden was about sixty yards from the house, and as no sawmills were in existence during those days in the country, slab boards were put up on the manner called watling for palings. These were some six feet long, and made what is called a closed fence. Eight or ten Indians who lay concealed in a thicket near the garden, silently left their hiding places, and made their way unobserved to the back of the garden. There, removing a few boards, they entered the garden and began the horrid work of killing and scalping the children. The first warning Mrs. Evans had was their screams and cries. She ran to the door and beheld the sickening scene, with such feelings as only can be felt by a mother.

Mrs. Evans was a stout, athletic woman, and being inured to the hardships of the times, with her to will was to do, she saw that on her exertions alone could one spark of hope be entertained for the life of her first born. An unusual strength seemed to nerve her arm and she resolved to defend her surviving child to the last extremity. Rushing into the house, she closed the door, which being too small left a crevice, through which, in a few seconds, and Indian introduced a gun, aiming to pry open the door and finish the bloody work which had been so fearlessly begun. Mrs. Evans had thrown herself against the door to prevent the entrance of the savages, and at the very moment that she saw the gun she seized the barrel and drew it so far in as to make it available for a lever in prying to the door. The Indians threw themselves against the door to force it open but their efforts were unavailing. The heroic woman stood to her post well knowing that her life depended upon her exertions. The Indians now endeavored to wrest the gun from her. In this they likewise failed. Hitherto, she had worked in silence, then as she saw no prospect of the Indians relinquishing the gun she began to call loudly for her husband, as if he really was near. It had the desired effect, they let go of the gun and hastily left the house. Mrs. Evans sat quietly down to await a second attack, but the Indians, who may have seen Jessee and his workmen leave the house, feared he might be near and made off with all speed.

Mrs. Evans, armed with the gun she had taken from the Indians, determined to go with her little daughter to Major John Taylor’s.

In a short while after Mrs. Evans left Jessee returned to the house. He supposed his wife and children were somewhere about the premises and began to read. At last he became alarm—out into the garden to look for them. There he found four of his little ones that had been butchered by the Indians, not finding his wife and eldest daughter, he thought they had been made captive by the Indians. He returned to the house, got his gun, and went to Major Taylor’s to get assistance, where he was joyfully surprised to find his wife and daughter.

The men of the surrounding country were quickly notified of the occurance and the following morning a party of sympathetic friends accompanied the bereaved parents to their home to bury the murdered children. When the party reached the back of the house, they saw Mary, a child of only four years, coming from the Spring house which was at the front of the residence. During the night, Mary had recovered from the blow inflicted by a tomahawk and had wandered around until daylight, and then gone to the spring to quench her thirst. Her scalp had been torn from her skull and was hanging over her little face which was stained with blood. Mary recovered entirely from the injury, grew to womanhood, married and became the mother of a large family.” End of Quote.

The historian, Bickley, in his “History of Tazewell County, Virginia”, saus that “after this unfortunate affair Jessee Evans became dissatisfied and emigrated to Tennessee and settled in a neighborhool near a fort about fifteen miles from Nashville.” It is a fact that many Evans did settle in Tennesse but this man is shown by the Montgomery Co., Virginia records to have entered 400 acres of land bought in Wrights Valley in 1792 and became Sheriff of Wythe Co., Va., in 1805. It seems probable that the Evans who emigrated from Tazewell County or Henry Co., Va. at this time was William, a possible brother of Jessee, with his son John and other members of his family and lived for awhile in Tennessee before coming through the Cumberland Gap into southeastern Kentucky. The Rev. War veteran, John’s record bears this out seeming…..(sentence cut off)

Early Census records of the Evans living in Knox and in Bell County later indicate the following assumption to be true. Mr. Fuson only says that John came from Virginia and does not say which particular county had been his former place of residence. His “History of Bell County, Kentucky” goes more into detail about the spot where John Evans located his permanent home. Perhaps his early experiences or thatof his family in dealing with the savage red men caused John to seek out the very high point near Canada Peak of Log Mountain for his home site. This section of the mountain became known as Evans Mountain and his home was in the “saddle”, the divide between Clear Creek and Yellow Creek Valleys, overlooking those streams in their courses below. There was a huge hollowed out rock there which the Indians had used in grinding grain into meal, called “Kettle” Rock. From this high location, watch could be maintained for enemies and others; it must have proven to be a very satisfactory place to live despite the difficult access, in those perilous days, for John and his wife remained there and raised 12 children, so the story goes.

Those children and their descendants have served their respective communities in this area with distinction an it seems almost hereditary that so many of these became ministers and physicians. Three of the latter still own land, “approximately 5¼ miles southwest of State Route 190 & 25E’s junction with Little Clear Creek and located south of Jack’s Branch”, (article in Middlesboro Daily News, June 10, 1976.) These owners are Dr. R.R. Evans of Arjay, Ky., Dr. Marion F. Evans, Dentist, and Dr. Meredith J. Evans, both of Middlesboro, Ky. The late Dr.s William K. and Thomas Evans were brothers who practiced medicine and opened the EVANS hospital in Middlesboro in the early days of this century at 1018 Cumberland Ave. and in 1939 Dr. William K. Evans and Dr. J. Thomas Evans turned the old Coal and Iron Bank Building into a 95 bed capacity hospital. About the same time their brother Mathew Evans served as County Coroner. Our sister community, Pineville, Ky. has been served also by other Evans doctors, school teachers, and a large numbers of ministers. Along with the practicing of their professions, their civic-minded concern was evident and still is in the active roles these Evans undertook, serving in political offices, on school boards, and in law-enforcement agencies in the Tri-State area. This public-service trait has been evidenced as far back in the Evans generations as one can trace their ancestry. Those early Evans ancestors who settled along the most renouned jurists, Baptist preachers, and public servants of that early day.

In the family of John Evans of Evans Mountain we find he had a son William, who became a Baptist minister, and one of Rev. William’s daughters, Nancy, married a Baptist preacher, Rev. Alec C. Givens. Rev. William Evans had three sons who became Baptist preachers, Rev. John T., Rev. Robin G., and Rev. Ingram Evans. All lived on Evans Mountain in their youth and later married and moved into surrounding communities of Kentucky and Tennessee. Another sister, Betty, married a Baptist minister also, Rev. Shelton Partin, and they lived at the head of Little Clear Creek and drank water from the Spring at the head. This Spring is still being used by students at the nearby Clear Creek Baptist School for ministers and my son-in-law’s sister’s husband, Rev. Edward Sturgill is a graduate of this fine school.

Some descendants of the first Evans settler in this area have in their posssession a copy of “Genealogy of Evans Family”, which is being reproduced here, author unknown to this compiler.

GENEALOGY OF THE EVANS FAMILY

The Evans family originally came from Virginia and settled in near Middlesboro, Kentucky in about 1780. The first settler was John Evans who settles on Evans Mountain.

John Evans had several children, among whom were (1) Lucinda Evans, who married James Robinson Fuson, Jr.; (2) Rev. William Evans; (3) Eliza Evans, who married Wesley King and lived on Wesley King Mountain at the head of Little Clear Creek and about 1890 went to Little Poplar Creek in Knox County; (4) Peggy Evans, who married Elam Partin.

Rev. William Evans, a Baptist preacher, who married Peggy Bull, had the following family: (1) William K. Evans, who married Sallie Peavler, and Aunt of J.M.C. Davis’s wife; (2) Betty Evans, who married Rev. Shelton Partin; (3) Nancy Evans, who married Rev. Alex Givens; (4) Queen Evans, who married Scrub John Hoskins; (5) Sallie Evans, who married James Mason, who lived at the mouth of Big Laurel Branch on Little Clear Creek; (6) Jennie Evans, who married James Fuson, a step-son of Hall Fuson, and lived on the lower part of Evans Branch; (7) Lucinda Evans, who married Henry Phipps and lived on the lower part of Clear Creek; (8) James B. Evans, father of J.E. Evans, Middlesboro, Kentucky; (9) Rev. John T. Evans, who married Mrs. Bull from Tennessee and lived on Evans Mountain until in his old age when he went to Tennessee; (10) Rev. Robin G. Evans, one of the greatest Baptist preachers the mountains ever produced, who married Lindy Hendrickson and lived on Evans Mountain and later moved to Middlesborough, Kentucky, where he died; (11) Rev. Ingram Evans, who married Patsy Madon and lived on Evans Mountain and later moved to Tennessee; (12) Margaret Evans, who married a Hoskins; (13) Emily Evans, who married Carse Hoskins.

Rev. Shelton Partin lived at the head of Little Clear Creek and drank water from the spring at the head. William K. Evans, a son of Rev. William Evans, had the following children: (1) Catherine Evans, who married a Head after she went to Missouri; (2) William Evans, who died as a boy on his way back from Missouri; (3) Lewis Evans, who died as a boy on his way back from Missouri; (4) Peggy Evans, who married Crit Noe; (5) John D. Evans, who married a Webb the first time and a Partin the second time; (6) Shelton Evans, born 1885, who lived at Middlesborough, and married the first time Mary Fuson, daughter of James Robinson Fuson, Sr., and Reny Ward the second time; (7) Jim George Evans who married a Miracle the first time and a Logan the second time.

Shelton Evans had the following family: First wife Mary Fuson; (1) James Matthew Evans; (2) Dr. J.T. Evans; (3) Dr. W.K. Evans; (4) F.H. Evans; (5) Mrs. Dora Wolfe; (6) Mrs. Sallie Dyer; (7) Mrs. Parrie Moore; (8) Mrs. Fronie Fuller; (9) Mrs. Roxie Newman; (10) Mrs. Myrtle Carrico; (11) Mrs. Lucy Hendricks; (12) Infant—Second wife Reny Ward; (13) Mary Winston Ward Evans; (14) Shelton Theodore Evans.

As has been noted elsewhere in this Account, all of Kentucky prior to 1780 was known as Kentucky County, Virginia, and this vast territory included what is now the state of West Virginia. When Kentucky became a Commonwealth separate from Virginia in 1782, Fayette and Lincoln Counties were already formed from Ky. Co., Va. that year of 1780.

Bourbon County, Ky. formed 1785 from Fayette

Mason Co. formed 1788 from Bourbon

Clark Co. formed 1792 from Bourbon and Fayette Co.’s.

Montogomery Co. formed from Clark Co. in 1796

Fleming Co. formed from Mason Co. in 1798

Floyd Co. formed from Fleming, Mason, and Montgomery Co.s in 1799

Harlan Co. formed from Floyd and Knox in 1819

Knox Co. Ky. formed from old Lincoln Co. in 1799

Bell Co., Ky. formed from Harlan and Knox Co.’s in 1867 by an Act of the Legislature, which in turn had been convinced by that great statesman and orator, Joshua Fry Bell that the area comprising Knox and Harlan was too large for only two counties; therefore the new county was named Josh Bell County in his honor but the Josh was later dropped.

Like many other 1800 Federal Censuses, that of Knox Co, Kentucky was lost many years ago in a fire in Washington, but there are some Tax lists of 1800 for Kentucky counties extant. There are no Evans listed, however, in 1800 Knox Co., Ky. Tax list and Floyd Co. Ky. Tax list nearest county to Knox at that time, was list many years ago.

There was only one Evans marriage recorded in Knox Co., Ky. 1800-1819, Ambrose Evans md. Betsy Golden 23 Dec. 1810, and in neighboring Whitley Co., Ky. Marriages 1818-1823, William Evans md. Rebecca Levere (Lefevere?) 14 Aug. 1822.

Since Harlan County, Kentucky is also a neighboring county… (sentence cut off)

I have secured the earliest Floyd County marriage record List, also Clay Co. 1806-30, Lawrence Co., 1825-51, and Pulaski County, Ky. marriages, 17979-1850. There is one marriage listed in Pike Co. Ky. for the period 1822-65 but it is not relevant to the area researched here, so I will share it and the (unreadable) lists with anyone who might be researching other Evans lines. Likewise I am in possession of the File numbers of thirteen Revolutionary War soldiers named John Evans from all states of enlistments, which includes three from Virginia, the native state of John Evans (1780). The pension papers and military records with other genealogical data contained therein may be secured from the General Services Administration at Washington, D.C., and these File numbers must accompany the requests for prompt service; so I also have these if anyone is interested. To pursue this source requires more time and expense than I am prepared to give at this time, except for that required on those three John Evans from Virginia Colony.

The first Federal Censuses found for this area would be those for Floyd County, Ky. and Knox Co., Ky for 1810.

“The 1810 Schedules were created pursuant to an Act of Congress approved March 26, 1810 (2 Stat.564), which provided that the enumeration was to begin on the first Monday in August 1810 and to end within 9 months.

Information in the records,—An entry shows the name of a head of family, the numbers of free white makes under 10 years of age, of 10 and under 16, of 16 and under 45, and of 45 and upward in the household; the number of free white femailes under 10 years of age; of 10 and under 16, of 16 and under 26, of 26 and under 45, and of 45 and upward; the number all all other free persons except Indians not taxed; and the number of slaves. The head of the family was included in the enumeration.” (Ref.—Guide to Genealogical Records in the National Archives, by Meredith B. Colket, Jr. and Frank E. Bridgers)

1810 Floyd County, Ky. Census (all Evans listed)
		Males					females
John	Evans	1	1	--	--	1	4	4	--	--	1
Richard W.	Evans	4	2	2	1	--	1	--	--	1	--
Thomas	Evans	2	--	1	--	--	3	--	1	--	--

1810 Knox Co., Ky. Census
		Males					females
William	Evans	3	--	--	1	--	1	--	1	1	--
Andrew	Evans	4	--	1	1	--	--	1	--	1	--
John	Evans	2	--	--	1	--	4	1	1	--	--
Wm. Sr.	Evans	3	2	--	--	1	1	1	1	--	1
Archibald	Evans	1	--	--	1	--	1	--	1	--	--

It appears from 1810 Knox County Census that William Evans, Sr. was the oldest Evans living in the County, being 45 years and upward and that he had four married sons living in the same general area, William (Jr.), Andrew, John, and Archibald Evans; and their ages ranged between 16, 26 and up to 45. This is 30 years after John (1780) is supposed to have settled here, of course, but in tracing ancestors often only approximate dates have to be given and the 1810 John Evans is most likely to have been he who lived on Evans Mountain. At the time he had 2 sons under 10 and 4 daughters under 10, one daughter of 10 and under 16, along with his wife, of 16 and under 26. John himself, was between 26 and 45 years of age. John’s son, William H. Evans who became the Baptist minister, was 49 years…..(sentence cut off)

The 1850 Federal Census is the first Census which gives all names and places of birth and age of each individual; So for 1850 the Knox County, Kentucky Census lists the following Evans families descended from the main Kentucky emigrant in our area:

1850 Knox County Kentucky Census
303-308
William H.	Evans	49	Tenn.	Baptist Clergery
Margaret	“	49	“
Nancy	“	23	Ky.
Lecuntillian?	“	21	“	Female (Queen?)
Jane	“	19	“
Sarah	“	17	“
Lucinda	“	16	“
James B.	“	14	“
John F.	“	12	“
Robert G.	“	10	“
Ingrrum	“	8	“	Male
Margaret	“	7	“
Emily	“	2	“

302-307
William K.	Evans	25	Ky.	Farmer
Sarah	“	21	Vir.
Catherine	“	4	Ky.
William J.	“	3	“
Lewis R.	“	10/12	“

301-306
Jerusha	Evans	43	Ky.	Female
William L.	“	21	“
Thomas	“	19	“
Elizabeth	“	17	“
Andrew	“	15	“
Sintha A.	Evans	13	Ky.
Mary E.	“	11	“
Jerusha	“	9	“

524-534
Joseph	Evans	44	Ky.	Farmer
Nancy	“	30	“
Andrew J.	“	14	“
John R.	“	12	“
Joseph P.	“	7	“
Nancy P.	“	5	“
James B.	“	3	“
Evan W.	“	1	“

305-310
James	Evans	37	Ky.	Farmer
Nancy	“	43	Tenn.
John	“	19	Ky.
Sarah	“	16	“
James	“	14	“
Joseph	“	11	“
Thomas	“	9	“
Fleming	“	6	“	Male
Margaret J.	“	5	“

322-327
Nelly	Evans	1	Ky.	Farmer
With John and Rebecca Fuson

The 1860 and 1870 Knox County Censuses are not available to this compiler at this time; the 1880 Census was the first taken for Bell County, Ky. This Census brings us down to Benny Dean Evans’ great-granfathers on his paternal and maternal lines:

1880 Bell County, Kentucky Census
44-45 #6	(#6 indicates the District—NSN)
			self	Father	Mother
William	Evans	42	Ky.	Tenn.	Ky.	Farmer
Charity	“	30	“	Va.	Va.	Wife
Mary Ann	“	13	“	Ky.	Ky.	Dau.
Sandler Jane	“	12	“	N.C.	N.C.	Dau.
Rebecca	“	10	“	Tenn.	Tenn.	Dau.
Thussey	“	7	“	N.C.	N.C.	Dau.
Martha B.	“	7	“	Ky.	Ky.	Dau.
Eliza	“	4	“	“	“	Dau.
Charity	“	2	“	“	“	Dau.
John	“	72	Tenn.	Va.	Va.	Father

* The above indicates Wm. Had two wives and maybe Charity had children also from another marriage, as three places of birth above on children’s father and mothers???

The John Evans, age 72, is probably the other son of John (1810) as he would have been only 8 years old then and could have been listed in the under 10 years category. Also his place of birth indicates that his family stayed for sometime in Tennessee before passing through the Cumberland Gap into Kentucky.


57-58 #6
			self	Father	Mother
Audry	Evans	45	Ky.	N.C.	Ky.	Farmer
Hannah	“	52	“	Ky.	“	Wife
Moses	Ingram	50	“	“	“	Brother-in law
Allisy	“	18	“	“	“	Neice
Moses	“	15	“	“	“	Nephew
William	“	12	“	“	“	Nephew
Adelila	Brink	16	“	“	“	Servant
Amanda	Ingram	6	“	“	“	Neice

99-101 #6
Ingram	Evans	39	Ky.	Ky.	Ky.	Farmer
Patsey	“	36	“	“	“	Wife
Margaret	“	15	“	“	“	Dau.
Reubin	“	9	“	“	“	Son
Wiley	“	7	“	“	“	Son
Robert	“	5	“	“	“	Son
Ingram	“	3	“	“	“	Son
Leonard	“	4/12	“	“	“	Son

100-102 #6	Pineville
Robert	Evans	40	Ky.	Vir.	Tenn.	Farmer
Malinda	“	36	“	Ky.	Ky.	Wife
Marcellus	“	16	“	“	“	Son
Mollie	“	12	“	“	“	Dau.
Finley	“	9	“	“	“	Dau.
Margaret	“	7	“	“	“	Dau.
Dock	“	5	“	“	“	Son
Nancy Jane	“	4	“	“	“	Dau.
Sarah S.	“	1	“	“	“	Dau.

138-140 #6
James G.	Evans	21	Ky.	Ky.	Ky.	Farmer
Sarah	“	18	“	“	“	Wife
Albert R.	“	6/12	“	“	“	Son

141-148 #6
William	Evans	55	Ky.	Ky.	Tenn.	Farmer
Mary	“	56	Vir.	Vir.	Vir.	Wife
Mary	“	24	Ky.	Ky.	“	Dau.
Susan	Martin	51	“	“	“	Sister-in-law
Martin	“	21	“	“	Ky.	Nephew
Elizabeth	Lovell	3	“	Tenn.	“	Gr. Dau.

143-144 #6
James J.	Evans	24	Ky.	Ky.	Ky.	Farmer
Susan C.	“	28	“	“	“	Wife
Mary Jane	“	7	“	“	“	Dau.
Sarah	“	4	“	“	“	Dau.
William F.	“	2	“	“	“	Son
Joseph M.	“	1/12	“	“	“	Son

143-145 #6
John	Evans	25	Ky.	Ky.	Ky.	Farmer
Nancy	“	25	“	Tenn.	Ky.	Wife
Ira	“	5	“	Ky.	“	Son
William W.	“	4	“	“	“	Son
Shelton	“	2	“	“	“	Son
Doesey E.	“	3/12	“	“	“	Dau. b. Jan.

267-269 #6
Margaret	Evans	34	Ky.	Ky.	Ky.	Farmer
Margaret	“	79	N.C.	N.C.	N.C.	Says male behind this?

268-270 #6
George	Evans	21	Ky.	Ky.	Ky.	Farmer
Nancy	“	14	Tenn.	Vir.	Tenn.	Wife
Sussie	“	1/12	Ky.	Ky.	“	Dau. b. Apr.

269-271 #6
Jane	Evans	49	Ky.	Ky.	N.C.
Jeff	“	9	“	“	Ky.	Son

277-279 #6
Henry	Evans	24	Ky.	Ky.	Ky.	Farmer
Angeline	“	24	Tenn.	Tenn.	Tenn.	Wife
William	“	5	Ky.	Ky.	“	Son

316-138 #6
Shelton	Evans	24	Ky.	Ky.	Ky.	Farmer
Mary/ or Nancy	“	26	“	Tenn.	Vir.	Wife
James W. (M?)	“	5	“	Ky.	Ky.	Son
John F. (T?)	“	3	“	“	“	Son
William K.	“	8/12	“	“	“	Son b. Sept.

It cannot be stated as fact that the John Evans whose Rev. War service records follow, in part, was the early John Evans of our subject here, but from the information given by him and others, in his application for the Pension, which had been passed by an Act of Congress, June 7, 18…(unable to read), great light is shed on one Evans from Va., who had also lived some time in Tenn., Hawkins County, (which is next to Hancock and other nearby Tenn. Counties), before settling in what was the Lincoln County, Kentucky married in that County, and prior to the age of 79 had moved to the County of Laurel, Kentucky, some distance to the northwest, where he died in 1837.

The old soldier was duly sworn and stated:

He says he was born in Caroline County, Va., in the year 1765, and was not quite 15 years old when he first entered the Service, was raised in the mountains and used to hardships and his gun….He entered the Service as a volunteer under Lieut. Thomas Carlin, (an Irishman) in February 1781, in Henry County, Va., and served 5 months as a private in Captain Headspeth’s Company, Colonel Phillips’ Virginia Regiment. His service was performed on horseback and they were mounted infantry, called Rangers…..Particularly engaged after the Tories in Surry, Wilkes, and Guilford Co.’s, North Carolina, along the Adkin and Little Adkin rivers, and in Henry Co., Va., just across the state line. His discharge for this tour of duty came through in July of that year, 1781, and he enlisted again in August following, and served 4 months in Captain James Poteete’s Company, Colonel Tucker’s Virginia Regiment and was at the Seige of Yorktown, where and when General Cornwallis was taken, as he believed on 19^th Oct., 1781. He was discharged sometime after the Siege and returned home about December 1781.

John Evans also says he was acquainted with General Washington, LayFeyette and Count DeGrassee, (the French naval Commander of the ships and marines which had control of the Chesepeake Bay and which prevented the British to escape or their Navy to come to Cornwallis’s aid). The soldier goes on to say, that after the Revolution (which ended in 1783—nsn) he moved to East Tennessee, Hawkins County, from there to Lincoln County, Kentucky, and now lives in Laurel Co., Kentucky; this statement and the accompanying one by the Clergyman, Thomas Robertson, were testified to before Circuit Judge of Laurel County, Kentucky, in June 1834.

There is also an application by his widow, Mary (Price) Evans for the continuance of the pension, ($26.66 per annum), after the decease of John Evans in 1837, and her proof of claim, a copy of her marriage record and of the marriage Bond, each having been recorded in Lincoln County, Kentucky in March 29^th and 30^th, 1797. Her Character witnesses on her later Bounty Land Claim application signed themselves John Bustle and Nathaniel Suthars.

There are some more interesting items in these papers which I will not go into here but if some one else desires to try and connect them to some information which they hold and which may be relevant to our John of Evans Mountain, I will gladly allow copies to be made of these records I have, in exchange for whatever information on him and his descendants that my be forthcoming. NSN