easmond evans, sr.
1895-1955
Life Story
Early Life and Family Roots
Easmond Evans, Sr. was born on March 6, 1895, in the Lawrence community of Newton County, Mississippi. He was the son of Tom Evans Sr. and Charlotte Jones.
During Easmond’s early childhood, his mother died, leaving Tom to raise four young sons. In March 1900, Tom married Sallie Lillie Cooper, who became Easmond’s stepmother and helped raise him alongside his brothers and the children later born to Tom and Lillie.
Growing up in Beat 4 of Newton County, Easmond shared his childhood with brothers William, Alex, and Albert, as well as younger half-siblings including Luella, Alberta, Thomas, Vasterlee, Bertha, Elmo, Fannie, Dessie, and Northa. Like many African American boys in rural Mississippi, he balanced limited schooling with the demanding work of farming, learning the skills that would support him throughout his early adulthood.
Service During World War I
When the United States entered World War I, Easmond answered the nation’s call to military service.
He registered for the draft in Newton County and was described as being of medium height and medium build, with black hair and brown eyes.
On September 3, 1918, he was inducted into the United States Army at Camp Shelby, near Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where he was assigned as a Private in Company E, 816th Pioneer Infantry.
The Pioneer Infantry regiments, composed primarily of African American soldiers, performed essential military duties that included constructing roads and bridges, repairing railroads, unloading ships, building camps, and maintaining supply lines. Although these units often received less public recognition than combat regiments, their work was indispensable to the success of the American Expeditionary Forces.
Easmond served honorably through the closing months of the war and was discharged on August 11, 1919, returning home with the distinction of being a World War I veteran.
Marriage and Building a Family
Following his military service, Easmond returned to Newton County and married Everliner (Everline) Collier.
The couple established their home in Beat 4, where Easmond resumed farming and worked to provide for his growing family.
Through determination and years of agricultural labor, he eventually acquired a farm of his own. Census records show him operating his own farming enterprise by 1930, reflecting a significant achievement for an African American veteran during the Jim Crow era.
Together, Easmond and Everliner raised a large family that included:
- Waddy
- James
- Florene
- Josephus
- Malvin (Melvin/Marvin)
- R. D. (Richard)
- Lela B.
- Florence
- Oscar
- Roberta
- Easmond, Jr.
- Evelyn
Their household reflected the close-knit family life common throughout rural Newton County, where farming, church, and extended family remained central to everyday life.
The Great Migration to Chicago
During the late 1930s, as economic opportunities declined in rural Mississippi and industrial jobs expanded in the North, Easmond joined thousands of other African American families participating in the Great Migration.
Sometime between 1935 and 1940, he relocated his family to Chicago, Illinois, becoming part of a movement that transformed both the South and the urban North.
By 1940, the Evans family was living on South State Street on Chicago’s South Side. Like many newly arrived migrants, Easmond accepted manual labor to establish his family in the city, including employment connected with government-sponsored public works during the nation’s recovery from the Great Depression.
When the United States entered World War II, Easmond again fulfilled his civic duty by registering for the Fourth Registration, commonly known as the “Old Man’s Draft,” in 1942.
Industrial Work and Later Years
By 1950, Easmond and his family had settled on South Ada Street in Chicago.
Having transitioned from farming to industrial labor, he worked as a packer for a record manufacturing company, reflecting the occupational shift experienced by many Southern migrants who exchanged agricultural work for factory employment.
His journey from the cotton fields of Newton County to the manufacturing economy of Chicago mirrored that of countless African American families whose lives were reshaped by the Great Migration.
Death and Legacy
Easmond Evans, Sr., passed away on April 29, 1955, at the age of 60.
He was buried in Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Cook County, Illinois, joining thousands of other African American migrants whose final resting places reflect the northward movement of an entire generation.
Easmond’s life spanned two defining chapters of twentieth-century African American history. As a young man, he answered his country’s call during World War I despite serving in a segregated military. Later, he became part of the Great Migration, leaving rural Mississippi in search of greater opportunity for his family in Chicago.
His story is one of perseverance, service, and determination—a journey that carried him from the farms of Newton County to the industrial neighborhoods of Chicago while remaining rooted in the values of family, hard work, and faith that shaped his upbringing.
Resting Place
Burr Oak Cemetery, Alsip, Cook County, Illinois
Photos/Albums
Sources
- 1900 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, Beat 4, Enumeration District (ED) ___, sheet ___, dwelling ___, family ___, Tom Evans household, listing Eastland (Easmond) Evans with his father, Tom Evans, stepmother Lillie Evans, and siblings.
- Mississippi Death Certificate No. 7088, Alex Evans, April 18, 1913, Newton County, Mississippi, identifying Tom Evans and Charlotte James as Alex’s parents. Together with Tom Evans’s marriage to Sallie Lillie Cooper on March 5, 1900, this evidence indicates that Charlotte was the mother of Tom’s eldest sons—William, Alex, Eastmond (Easmond), and Albert—and that Lillie Cooper became their stepmother following Charlotte’s death before 1900.
- Newton County, Mississippi, Marriage Record, Tom Evans and Sallie Lillie Cooper, March 5, 1900.
- 1910 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, Beat 4, Enumeration District ___, sheet ___, Tom Evans household, listing Eastmond Evans as a farm laborer.
- U.S. World War I Draft Registration Card, Easmond Evans, Newton County, Mississippi, 1917–1918, describing his physical characteristics and residence.
- Compiled Military Service Record, Easmond Evans, Company E, 816th Pioneer Infantry, United States Army; inducted September 3, 1918, at Camp Shelby, Mississippi; honorably discharged August 11, 1919.
- 1920 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, Beat 4, Enumeration District ___, sheet ___, Easmond Evans household, listing wife Everliner and children.
- 1930 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, Beat 4, Enumeration District ___, sheet ___, Easmond Evans household, recording him as a farmer operating his own farm.
- 1940 U.S. Census, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, Enumeration District ___, sheet ___, Easmond Evans household, South State Street, occupation listed as laborer.
- U.S. World War II Fourth Registration (“Old Man’s Draft”) Card, Easmond Evans, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, 1942.
- 1950 U.S. Census, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, Enumeration District ___, sheet ___, Easmond Evans household, South Ada Street, occupation listed as packer for a record manufacturing company.
- Illinois Death Certificate, Easmond Evans, April 29, 1955, Cook County, Illinois.
- Burr Oak Cemetery, Alsip, Cook County, Illinois, burial record for Easmond Evans, Sr.
- During World War I, the 816th Pioneer Infantry was one of several segregated African American Pioneer Infantry regiments organized by the United States Army. Pioneer Infantry units performed vital military engineering and logistical duties—including constructing roads, bridges, rail lines, camps, and supply facilities—while supporting combat operations in the American Expeditionary Forces.
Leave a Reply