carson evans
1922-1924
Life Story
The Brief Life of Carson Evans
Carson Evans was born in Mississippi around July 1922, the son of Sam Evans and Lillian Swagart Evans. His exact date of birth is unknown; the estimate is based upon his death certificate, which recorded his age as one year and seven months when he died in February 1924.¹
Through his father, Carson was a grandson of Robert “Rob” Evans and Betsy Curry Evans, members of a large African American farming family rooted in the Lawrence community of Newton County. His father, Sam, had served in the United States Army during World War I before returning to Mississippi and continuing his life in Newton County.
Carson’s life ended tragically before his second birthday. On February 24, 1924, he died at Lawrence. His death certificate recorded his cause of death simply as **“Burned.”**¹ The certificate provides no explanation of how the burning occurred, and therefore the circumstances surrounding the accident remain unknown.
Carson was buried at Lawrence, Mississippi, on February 25, 1924, the day after his death.¹
Carson’s brief life is especially important to the reconstruction of Sam and Lillian’s family because he lived entirely between federal censuses. He was born after the 1920 census and died six years before the 1930 enumeration. Had his death certificate not survived, there would be a real possibility that his existence would have been overlooked when reconstructing the family through census records alone.
Although Carson lived for only nineteen months, his death certificate restores his name to the Evans family history and documents another child born to Sam and Lillian Evans in the Lawrence community.
Resting Place
Union Chapel United Methodist Church Cemetery
Photos/Albums
Sources
- Mississippi State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, certificate of death for Carson Evans, Newton County, Mississippi, 1924, certificate no. 3053; died February 24, 1924, Lawrence, Newton County, Mississippi; age one year, seven months; Black male; birthplace Mississippi; father Sam Evans, born Mississippi; mother Lillian Swagart, born Mississippi; cause of death recorded as “Burned”; burial at Lawrence, Mississippi, February 25, 1924.
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