kizzie ann evans
1833-1891
Life Story
Matriarch of the Evans Legacy
Origins and Enslavement
Kizzie Ann Evans was born around 1833. While earlier records suggest Mississippi as her birthplace, the 1880 Census identifies Alabama as her place of birth, with both of her parents originating from South Carolina. This lineage reflects a broader and often overlooked history—the forced migration of enslaved families from the Atlantic seaboard into the Deep South during the expansion of the cotton economy.
By the late 1840s, Kizzie was enslaved in the household of Henry Evans in Newton County, Mississippi. She appears in his 1858 will, significantly listed alongside her husband, Pleasant, and their children. In a system that routinely fractured families, this grouping preserved a rare continuity.
Kizzie, Pleasant, and their daughters, Dilsey, Riney and Matilda were bequeathed to Henry Evans’ twin daughters, Narcissa and Laura—an act that, while rooted in ownership, ensured that the Evans family unit remained intact through the final years of slavery.
Freedom and Spiritual Foundation
With the arrival of freedom in 1865, Kizzie’s life centered on family, labor, and stability. Census records describe her role simply as “keeping house,” but within that phrase was the immense responsibility of raising and sustaining a large family in the uncertain years of Reconstruction.
In September 1867, Kizzie took a defining step in shaping her own identity. She joined Bethel Baptist Church, being baptized alongside Pleasant and their daughters. This act represented more than religious affiliation—it was a public declaration of autonomy, dignity, and belonging in a newly forming Black community.
As that community grew, Kizzie likely became part of Altare Missionary Baptist Church, contributing to the foundation of an independent spiritual life for African Americans in the region.
The 1889 Deed: A Co-Signer’s Authority
One of the most revealing documents in Kizzie’s life is the 1889 Deed of Trust executed with merchant M. J. L. Hoye. At a time when women—particularly Black women—were often excluded from legal recognition, Kizzie appears as a full and active party to the agreement.
The document records that she was examined “privately and apart from her said husband” by a Justice of the Peace to confirm that she signed freely and without coercion. This legal formality underscores her recognized stake in the family’s property.
By placing her “X” on the deed, Kizzie pledged her interest in the 100-acre home place, along with the family’s crops and livestock—including cows named Lightfoot and Lillie—to secure the supplies necessary to sustain their farm.
Her presence in this record affirms a critical truth: Black women were not only caretakers of the household, but also central participants in the economic survival of their families.
Final Years and Legacy
The December 1889 deed stands as the final confirmed record of Kizzie Ann Evans. By March 1892, her name no longer appears in the family’s legal documents, replaced by her son, Pleasant Evans, Jr.
In the absence of the 1890 Census, the evidence suggests that Kizzie likely passed away between 1890 and 1891. Her death marked a turning point for the Evans family, shifting both emotional and financial responsibilities onto the next generation as they struggled against mounting debt.
Kizzie Ann Evans began her life as property, yet she ended it as a landowner, a woman of faith, and a recognized participant in the legal and economic life of her household.
Though she likely rests in an unmarked grave in the Altare community, her legacy endures—in the lives of her children, in the survival of her family through hardship, and in the foundation she helped lay for a community that would continue long after her passing.
Resting Place
Photos/Albums
Sources
Footnotes
- 1860 U.S. Federal Census – Slave Schedules, Newton County, Mississippi, Henry Evans (Owner), National Archives Microfilm M653.
- Newton County, Mississippi, Will Record, Vol. 1, 1872–1930, Will of Henry Evans, signed Nov. 6, 1858.
- 1870 U.S. Census, Township 5, Range 11, Newton County, Mississippi, population schedule, p. 504, dwelling 74, Pleasant Evans household.
- 1880 U.S. Census, Beat 4, Newton County, Mississippi, population schedule, Enumeration District 087, p. 586D, dwelling 501, Pleasant Evans household.
- “Church Record of Bethel Baptist Church,” Newton County, Mississippi (Sept. 16, 1867), entry for Kizzie Evans.
- Newton County, Mississippi, Trust Deed Book 9, p. 295, Pleas and Kizzie Evans to M. J. L. Hoye, Dec. 16, 1889.
- Newton County, Mississippi, Trust Deed Book 12, p. 304, Pleas Evans Sr. and Jr. to Mrs. M. J. L. Hoye, March 1, 1892.
Bibliography
Primary Source Documents Newton County, Mississippi. Chancery Clerk’s Office. Trust Deed Book 9 (1889) and Trust Deed Book 12 (1892). Newton County, Mississippi. Chancery Clerk’s Office. Will Record, Vol. 1-2, 1872–1930. Will of Henry Evans.
Church Records Bethel Baptist Church Records, 1867. Newton County, Mississippi.
U.S. Federal Census Records United States Census Bureau. Eighth Census of the United States, 1860 (Slave Schedule). Newton County, Mississippi. United States Census Bureau. Ninth Census of the United States, 1870. Newton County, Mississippi. United States Census Bureau. Tenth Census of the United States, 1880. Newton County, Mississippi.
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