clara mccray evans
1836-1920
Life Story
Early Life and Family Roots
Clarissa, also known as Clara McCray Evans, was born about 1836 in Lauderdale County, Mississippi. She was the daughter of Jesse McCray and Lucy McCray, members of a generation whose early years were shaped by enslavement, rural labor, and the deeply rooted kinship networks that sustained Black families in east Mississippi.
Marriage and Family
Clara married Peter Evans (1831–1900), and together they became foundational figures in what would evolve into the extended Evans family community connected to Altare, Mt. Moriah, and the greater Newton County area.
They were the parents of the following known children:
- Hannah Evans (1851–?)
- Landy Evans (1856–?)
- Jarred Evans (1858–1934)
- Iley Jane Evans (1860–1955)
- Marietta (Mary) Evans (1864–?)
- Peter Evans, Jr. (1866–?)
- Wesley Evans (1870–?)
These children formed the roots of multiple branches of the Evans lineage—many of whom remained in Newton County for generations and contributed to the early institutions, land ownership patterns, and cultural life of the community.
Work and Daily Life
Clara’s occupation was noted as keeping house and farming, roles that required constant labor and resourcefulness. Like many Black women of her time, she supported her family through agricultural work, home management, and caregiving. Her efforts sustained the household through Reconstruction, Jim Crow, and the economic struggles of the late 19th century.
In her later years, Clara lived with her daughters, a common tradition in extended Southern Black families where elders were cared for within the home and remained central to family life.
Later Years and Passing
Clarissa “Clara” McCray Evans passed away on April 8, 1920. Her death certificate lists her cause of death as natural causes, due to old age, and her son Jarred Evans served as the informant.
Her death certificate did not state where she was laid to rest; however, it is believed that she was interred in the historic Evans Cemetery, alongside many of her descendants and kin. Clara’s long life—spanning slavery, emancipation, Reconstruction, and the dawn of the 20th century—embodies the endurance, continuity, and strength of the early Evans family matriarchs.
Resting Place
Photos/Albums
Sources
- 1870 Federal Census
- 1880 Federal Census
- 1900 Federal Census
- 1920 Federal Census
- Mississippi, U.S., Index to Deaths, 1912-1943
- U.S., Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current
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