chas evans
1913-1913
Life Story
Born into the Evans Family
Chas Evans was the stillborn son of John Evans and Offie Boykin Evans. He was delivered on September 30, 1913, in Newton County, Mississippi.¹
His death certificate provides valuable information about his parents and their origins. His father, John Evans, was recorded as a native of Newton County, Mississippi, while his mother, Offie Boykin, was born in Rankin County, Mississippi.¹ This distinction is especially useful in tracing Offie’s family history, since it points beyond Newton County to an earlier Boykin connection in Rankin County.
A Stillbirth in Lawrence
The certificate recorded Chas as stillborn on September 30, 1913. Laura Collier, who served the community as a midwife, attended the delivery.¹
The record also names Autry Green of Lawrence as the informant. Green was additionally identified as the undertaker responsible for the burial arrangements.¹
Chas was buried on October 1, 1913, in Lawrence, Mississippi, the day after his delivery. The certificate does not identify a particular cemetery, so his precise burial location cannot presently be established from this record alone.¹
The death certificate was filed on October 3, 1913, with L. O. Price serving as the local registrar.¹
A Child Who Would Not Appear in the Census
Chas’s death certificate holds particular importance in reconstructing the family of John and Offie Evans.
Because he was stillborn, Chas would never appear as a member of his parents’ household in a federal census. Researchers relying only on census schedules could therefore reconstruct John and Offie’s family without ever knowing that this child existed.
Vital records such as this one preserve children who can otherwise disappear from the documentary history of a family. Chas’s certificate not only records his stillbirth but establishes his relationship to John Evans and Offie Boykin, documents the different Mississippi counties in which his parents were born, and identifies members of the Lawrence community who were involved at the time of his delivery and burial.¹
For genealogical purposes, he should therefore be included among the known children of John and Offie Evans as:
Chas Evans — stillborn September 30, 1913
Although Chas never had the opportunity to grow up alongside his brothers and sisters, his death certificate restores his place within the documented history of the Evans family.
Resting Place
Union Chapel United Methodist Church Cemetery
Photos/Albums
Sources
- Mississippi State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, death certificate for Chas Evans, Newton County, Mississippi, file no. 17224; stillborn September 30, 1913, Newton County, Mississippi; father John Evans, born Newton County, Mississippi; mother Offie Boykin, born Rankin County, Mississippi; Laura Collier, midwife, attendant; Autry Green, Lawrence, Mississippi, informant and undertaker; burial October 1, 1913, Lawrence, Mississippi; certificate filed October 3, 1913, L. O. Price, local registrar.
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