alex evans
1891-1913
Life Story
Early Life and Family Roots
Alex Evans was born in the Lawrence community of Newton County, Mississippi, during the closing years of the nineteenth century. His exact birth date varies among surviving records. The 1900 United States Census records his birth as September 1891, his gravestone bears the date October 17, 1891, while his Mississippi death certificate records October 17, 1892. Although the precise year remains uncertain, all available records consistently place his birth and upbringing in Newton County.
Alex was the son of Tom Jefferson Evans and Charlotte Jones, both natives of Newton County. Charlotte appears to have died while Alex was still a young child. Before the 1900 census, Tom married Sallie Lillie Mae Cooper, who became Alex’s stepmother and helped raise him and his younger brothers.
By the time of the 1900 United States Census, eight-year-old Alex was living in Beat 4 of Newton County with his father, stepmother, and younger brothers William, Easmond, and Albert. Like many children growing up in rural Mississippi, he attended the local public school while learning the responsibilities of farm life within a close-knit agricultural household.
Education and Early Employment
As Alex entered adulthood, he joined the workforce at an early age, reflecting the realities faced by many young African American men in rural Mississippi during the Jim Crow era.
The 1910 United States Census records twenty-year-old Alex living in the household of Albert and Lola Bobbitt in Beat 4, where he was identified as a nephew of the head of household. Although he was no longer living with his father, his continued residence among extended family illustrates the strong kinship networks that characterized the Lawrence community.
Alex worked as a farm laborer, earning wages through agricultural work. The census also confirms that he could read and write, evidence that he had benefited from the educational opportunities available to Black children in Newton County during the early twentieth century.
Marriage and Railroad Employment
Sometime after the 1910 census, Alex married, beginning a new chapter in his life. Although surviving records have not yet identified his wife by name, his 1913 death certificate records him as a married man.
During this same period, he left farm labor to become a section hand on the railroad. Section hands performed physically demanding work maintaining railroad tracks, replacing ties and rails, clearing rights-of-way, and ensuring the safe passage of trains. For many African American men in Mississippi, railroad employment offered one of the few opportunities for steady wage-earning work outside of agriculture.
Alex’s transition from farming to railroad labor reflected the gradual economic changes taking place across Mississippi as railroads connected rural communities with larger markets and industries.
A Life Cut Tragically Short
Alex Evans’ promising future came to a sudden and violent end on April 18, 1913, in Newton County. He was only twenty-one years old.
His Mississippi death certificate records the cause of death simply as “shot to death.” No surviving records have yet been located that explain the circumstances surrounding the shooting, leaving unanswered questions about the tragedy that claimed his life.
His father, Tom Evans, who continued to reside in the Lawrence community, served as the informant for the death certificate, ensuring that his son’s passing was officially recorded.
Alex was buried the following day, April 19, 1913, in Union Chapel Methodist Church Cemetery in Lawrence, Mississippi, where his grave remains today among generations of Evans family members.
Legacy
Although Alex Evans lived only a short time, his life reflects the experiences of many young African American men in rural Mississippi during the early twentieth century. Born into a family emerging from the shadow of slavery, he attended school, learned to read and write, worked first in agriculture and later on the railroad, and began building a family of his own before his life was tragically cut short.
His story also illustrates the resilience of extended families in Newton County. Following the loss of his mother during childhood, Alex was raised by his father and stepmother within a household that valued education, hard work, and family responsibility.
Though few records survive to tell his complete story, those that remain preserve the memory of a son, brother, husband, and working man whose life ended far too soon. His burial at Union Chapel Methodist Church Cemetery ensures that his place within the history of the Evans family and the Lawrence community continues to be remembered more than a century after his passing.
Timeline of Major Life Events
| Year | Age | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1891/1892 | Birth | Born in Lawrence, Newton County, Mississippi, to Tom Evans and Charlotte Jones. |
| Before 1900 | Childhood | Following the death of his mother, his father married Lillie Mae Evans, who became his stepmother. |
| 1900 | 8 | Living in Beat 4, Newton County, attending school with his father, stepmother, and younger brothers. |
| 1910 | 20 | Working as a farm laborer while residing with relatives in Beat 4; able to read and write. |
| 1910–1913 | Early 20s | Married and became employed as a railroad section hand. |
| April 18, 1913 | 21 | Fatally shot in Newton County, Mississippi. |
| April 19, 1913 | — | Buried at Union Chapel Methodist Church Cemetery, Lawrence, 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 Alex Evans, born September 1891, living with Tom Evans, Lillie Evans, and younger brothers William, Eastland, and Albert.
- Mississippi Death Certificate No. ___, Alex Evans, died April 18, 1913, Newton County, Mississippi. The certificate identifies his parents as Tom Evans and Charlotte Jones, lists his occupation as a railroad section hand, and records his cause of death as “shot to death.”
- The 1900 census identifies Lillie Evans as Alex’s mother, while his 1913 death certificate names Charlotte Jones as his mother. Taken together, these records suggest that Charlotte died before 1900 and that Lillie Evans became Tom Evans’s second wife and Alex’s stepmother.
- 1910 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, Beat 4, Enumeration District (ED) ___, sheet ___, dwelling ___, family ___, Albert Bobbitt household, listing Alex Evans as a nephew, employed as a farm laborer and able to read and write.
- Mississippi Death Certificate No. ___, Alex Evans, identifying his marital status as married, occupation as section hand, and naming Tom Evans of Lawrence, Mississippi, as the informant.
- Union Chapel Methodist Church Cemetery, Lawrence, Newton County, Mississippi; gravestone of Alex Evans, inscribed with the birth date October 17, 1891, and death date April 18, 1913.
- Find A Grave, memorial for Alex Evans, Union Chapel Methodist Church Cemetery, Lawrence, Newton County, Mississippi, documenting his burial on April 19, 1913.
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