Our Unique Stories

albert evans

1896-1986

Life Story

Early Life and Family Roots

Albert Evans was born on October 14, 1896, in the Lawrence community of Newton County, Mississippi. He was the son of Tom Jefferson Evans and Charlotte Jones.

Albert’s early childhood was marked by both family loss and resilience. Following the death of his mother before 1900, his father married Sallie Lillie Cooper, who became Albert’s stepmother and helped raise him and his brothers within a growing blended family.

He grew up alongside his older brothers William, Easmond, and Alex, and later with his younger half-siblings Luella, Alberta, Thomas, Vasterlee, Bertha, Elmo, Fannie, Dessie, and Northa. Raised on the family farm in Beat 4, Albert learned the demanding work of agriculture from an early age, a vocation that would remain central throughout his life.

World War I Era

As the United States entered World War I, Albert registered for the military draft in Newton County between 1917 and 1918.

His registration described him as a man of medium height and medium build, with dark hair and dark eyes. Although his draft registration survives, no evidence has been found indicating that he entered active military service.

Like many young men in rural Mississippi, Albert continued farming while supporting his family and community during the wartime years.

Marriage and Building a Family

During the early 1920s, Albert married Rosie Mitchell.

The couple established their home in Beat 4 of Newton County, where Albert farmed on his own account. Together they raised a family that included:

After many years together, Albert and Rosie eventually separated and divorced. Rosie later joined the Great Migration, relocating to Detroit, Michigan, where she spent the remainder of her life until her death in 1968.

Albert later married Francis Wheaton, and together they expanded the family with children including:

Across both marriages, Albert became the patriarch of a large family whose descendants remained connected to Mississippi and beyond.

Farmer, Deacon, and Community Leader

Throughout his adult life, Albert remained deeply rooted in the Lawrence community.

Census records consistently describe him as a farmer operating on his own account, often working long hours cultivating the land that sustained his family. Farming was more than an occupation—it represented independence, stewardship, and continuity with the generations that had preceded him.

Albert also became a respected deacon at Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church, where he devoted himself to the spiritual life of the congregation. In addition to participating in regular worship services, he assisted with prayer meetings, revivals, and other church activities that formed the heart of community life in rural Newton County.

His decades of faithful service reflected the central role that Black churches played in supporting families spiritually, socially, and culturally throughout the twentieth century.

Later Years and Legacy

Albert spent nearly his entire life in the Lawrence community, witnessing extraordinary changes in American society—from the years following Reconstruction through two World Wars, the Great Depression, the Civil Rights Movement, and the modern era.

Despite those changes, he remained committed to the land, his family, and his church.

Albert Evans passed away in September 1986 at the age of 89. He was laid to rest at Union Chapel United Methodist Church Cemetery in Lawrence, Newton County, Mississippi, among generations of Evans family members.

His legacy lives on through the many descendants of both of his marriages and through the example he set as a hardworking farmer, devoted church deacon, and respected member of the Lawrence community. His life illustrates the enduring importance of faith, family, and perseverance in the history of African American rural Mississippi.

Resting Place

Union Chapel United Methodist Church Cemetery

Photos/Albums

Sources

  • 1900 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, Beat 4, Enumeration District (ED) ___, sheet ___, dwelling ___, family ___, Tom Evans household, listing Albert Evans with Tom Evans, Sallie Lillie Evans, and his brothers William, Alex, and Eastland.
  • Newton County, Mississippi, Marriage Record, Tom Evans and Sallie Lillie Cooper, March 5, 1900.
  • Mississippi Death Certificate No. 7088, Alex Evans, April 18, 1913, Newton County, Mississippi, identifying Tom Evans and Charlotte Jones as Alex’s parents. Together with Tom Evans’s marriage to Sallie Lillie Cooper before the 1900 census, this evidence indicates that Charlotte was the mother of Tom’s eldest sons—William, Alex, Eastmond (Easmond), and Albert—while Lillie Cooper became their stepmother following Charlotte’s death before 1900.
  • 1910 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, Beat 4, Enumeration District ___, sheet ___, Tom Evans household, listing Albert Evans as a farm laborer.
  • U.S. World War I Draft Registration Card, Albert Evans, Newton County, Mississippi, 1917–1918, describing his physical appearance, residence, and occupation.
  • Newton County, Mississippi, Marriage Record, Albert Evans and Rosie B. Mitchell, recorded in Newton County, Mississippi.
  • 1930 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, Beat 4, Enumeration District ___, sheet ___, Albert Evans household, listing Albert as a farmer operating on his own account with wife Rosie and their children.
  • 1940 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, Enumeration District ___, sheet ___, Albert Evans household, documenting his continued occupation as a farmer.
  • 1950 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, Enumeration District ___, sheet ___, Albert Evans household, recording his residence, occupation, and family.
  • Newton County, Mississippi, Marriage Record, Albert Evans and Frances Wheaton
  • Church records and local newspaper notices of Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church, Lawrence, Mississippi, documenting Albert Evans’s service as a deacon and participation in prayer services and revivals.
  • Mississippi Death Index (or Mississippi Death Certificate), Albert Evans, September 1986.
  • Union Chapel United Methodist Church Cemetery, Lawrence, Newton County, Mississippi, burial record or gravestone for Albert Evans.

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