harry evans
1862-1901
Life Story
Born: about 1862, Newton County, Mississippi
Died: about 1901 (presumed), Newton County, Mississippi
Burial: Evans Cemetery, Newton County, Mississippi
Early Life and Family Background
Harry Evans was born around 1862 in Newton County to Scott Evans (born about 1829) and Harriet Evans (born about 1830). He came of age during the turbulent Reconstruction era, a period that shaped the economic and social realities of formerly enslaved families and their descendants in rural Mississippi. Like many African American men of his generation, Harry’s early adulthood unfolded within an agricultural economy marked by land tenancy, credit dependency, and gradual efforts toward landownership.
Marriage and Children
Harry married Jane Chapman around the early 1880s. Together they established a household in Newton County and raised several children:
- Cornelia Evans (1884–1923)
- Calvin Evans (born 1887)
- Rinne Evans (born 1889)
- Mollie Evans (1894–1919)
- Charley Evans (born 1896)
This family unit remained intact until Jane’s death in 1896, which marked a turning point in Harry’s personal and economic life.
After Jane’s passing, Harry married Caroline Thompson (1867–1939). From this union, one child was born:
- Assenia Evans (1886–1982)
Although Assenia was born prior to their formal marriage, later records consistently identify Caroline as her mother and Harry as her father, reflecting the fluid and often complex family structures shaped by post-emancipation realities.
Farming Life and the Crop-Lien System
Harry Evans was a farmer whose livelihood depended on the cultivation of crops and access to seasonal credit. Between 1887 and 1900, he appears repeatedly in Newton County deed books through deeds of trust tied to the crop-lien system. These instruments—often executed jointly with his wives, Jane and later Caroline—secured advances for seed, supplies, livestock, and household necessities.
The records show Harry engaged in multiple financial arrangements with local merchants and lenders, including W. B. Richardson. Livestock, wagons, household goods, and anticipated crops were routinely pledged as collateral. On several occasions, Harry entered into deeds of trust alongside or in connection with Allen Rigsby, suggesting extended kinship ties or cooperative economic relationships common among Black farming families seeking to survive within a restrictive credit economy.
These documents collectively illustrate Harry Evans not as a transient laborer, but as a working farmer actively managing land, equipment, and family obligations over many years.
Landownership and Estate
By the late nineteenth century, Harry Evans had accumulated approximately sixty acres of land in Newton County. Although the precise date of acquisition is unclear, later records confirm his ownership through a posthumous transaction.
In 1919, the heirs of Harry Evans executed a warranty deed transferring this land to his son, Charley Evans. This transaction formally acknowledged Harry’s death and established that his estate was settled through his surviving children rather than through probate proceedings. The land transfer stands as tangible evidence of Harry’s long-term efforts to secure property and stability for his family.
Death and Burial
Harry Evans last appears in documented records around 1900. Based on the absence of later records and the 1919 heir conveyance, it is generally accepted that he died around 1901. He is believed to be buried at Evans Cemetery in Newton County, where several members of the extended Evans family are laid to rest.
Legacy
Harry Evans’ life reflects the lived experience of Black landholding farmers in post-Civil War Mississippi—men who navigated marriage, parenthood, debt, and landownership under difficult circumstances. Through persistence and labor, Harry secured property that endured beyond his lifetime, providing a foundation for the next generation. His story, preserved through deeds, family records, and cemetery traditions, remains an essential part of the broader Evans family narrative and the agricultural history of Newton County.
Resting Place
Photos/Albums
Sources
- 1870 Federal Census
- 1880 Federal Census
Endnotes
- 1870–1900 U.S. Federal Census, Newton County, Mississippi; population schedules for Scott Evans household and subsequent listings for Harry Evans and family.
- Harry Evans and Jane Chapman Evans, Deeds of Trust and crop-lien instruments, Newton County, Mississippi, 1887–1890, various creditors; recorded in Chancery Court deed and trust books, Newton County Courthouse, Decatur, Mississippi.
- Harry Evans and Caroline Thompson Evans, Deeds of Trust, Newton County, Mississippi, 1897–1900, including obligations to W. B. Richardson and other creditors; Chancery Court records, Newton County.
- Allen Rigsby and Mary Rigsby to Harry Evans, warranty deed, 1899, recorded in Deed Book 37, pages 314–315, Newton County, Mississippi.
- Harry Evans and Caroline Evans, Deed of Trust, 1898, recorded in Deed Book 15, page 642, Newton County, Mississippi.
- Harry Evans and Caroline Evans, Deed of Trust, 1897, recorded in Deed Book 15, page 402, Newton County, Mississippi.
- Harry Evans to W. B. Richardson, Deed of Trust, 1890, recorded in Deed Book 9, page 455, Newton County, Mississippi.
- Heirs of Harry Evans to Charley Evans, warranty deed transferring approximately 60 acres, 1919, recorded in Deed Book 43, page 613, Newton County, Mississippi.
- Newton County Chancery Court Records, deeds, deeds of trust, and crop-lien instruments documenting land ownership, agricultural credit, and posthumous transfer of property belonging to Harry Evans.
- Evans Cemetery, Newton County, Mississippi; burial information and inferred death timeframe for Harry Evans based on absence from records after ca. 1900–1901.
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