leavy Evans

leavy evans

1909-1983

Life Story

Farmer • Community Worker • Evans Cemetery Burials

Early Life and Family Background

Leavy Evans—often written as Levy Evans in newspapers—was born on April 27, 1909, in Newton County, Mississippi. He was the son of Archie Evans (1871–1942) and Cora Walker Evans (1875–1929), members of one of the largest and most interconnected families in the Bethel–Altare–Mt. Moriah region.

Raised among siblings who worked together on the home farm, Leavy grew up in a household deeply rooted in agriculture, kinship, and community ties.

Education and Work

By 1940, Leavy had completed the 7th grade—a significant achievement for African American rural students of his generation, especially in Newton County where educational access was limited.

Throughout his life he worked as a laborer on his own farm, part of the longstanding Evans family tradition of independent farming and agricultural work. His obituary describes him specifically as a “worker on the farm,” confirming a lifetime of steady labor and community involvement.

Marriage and Children

Leavy married Mary Lois Walker (1924–2009), and together they raised a close-knit family. Their children and stepchildren from the 1950 census include:

Charlie Evans, Jr. (1943–?)
Willie Lee Evans (1944–1974)
Easter Jane Evans (1943–2021)
Rose Mae Evans (1946–?)

Extended family records and his obituary also reference additional children, stepchildren, and foster children connected through household and community ties—common in large Evans-Walker families.

Discovery of a Local Tragedy (1972)

A newspaper report documented that on August 14, 1972, Leavy Evans was the family member who discovered the body of his nephew, Archie Lee Jordan, a 32-year-old man who died in a tragic tractor and bush-hog accident in southeast Newton County. As the uncle who found him and alerted authorities, Leavy’s actions reflect both his close involvement with his extended family and the trust placed in him within the community.

Death and Funeral

Leavy Evans passed away on August 14, 1983, at the age of 74.

Funeral services were held on August 18, 1983, at St. John M.B. Church, with Rev. Purvis Moore officiating.
Arrangements were handled by Whitehead & Sons Funeral Home, and he was laid to rest in the Evans Cemetery, where many members of his immediate and extended family are buried.

Legacy

Leavy Evans lived a life rooted in the land and supported by the strength of family. His legacy endures through:

His children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren
His contributions to the Evans farming community
His lifelong presence within Newton County’s Black rural history
His connection to the Evans Cemetery, one of the region’s most significant African American burial grounds

By preserving his biography, his life is honored among the many whose stories form the larger narrative of the Evans lineage.

SIDEBAR: Understanding the Conflicting Survivor Lists in Leavy Evans’s Records

A Genealogist’s Note on Stepchildren, Foster Children, and Household Composition

The obituary of Leavy (Levy) Evans lists a large group of surviving children—more than the set known through census records and birth records. These include:

Children Listed in the Obituary

Sammuel Evans
Archile Wesley
Jimmy L. Evans
Charley Coleman, Jr.
Woodrow Wesley
Mrs. Mattie Evans
Mrs. Velma J. Dukes
Cora Evans
Louise Evans
Mrs. Rosie Thames
Mrs. Easter Wesley

Yet the 1950 federal census identifies:

Charlie Evans, Jr. — listed as a stepchild
Rose Mae Evans — also listed as a stepchild
Willie Lee Evans as a biological son
Easter Jane Evans as a biological daughter

This inconsistency raises understandable confusion.

Why the Records Do Not Match

Historical documents often reflect social relationships more than biological ones, especially in African American communities of the rural South.

Here are the most common reasons for contradictions:

1. Obituaries Reflect “Family Membership,” Not Only Biology

Funeral notices often include:

Children raised in the household
Stepchildren
Foster children
Nieces/nephews taken in after a death
Godchildren or close relatives considered “like children”

This means an obituary may publicly honor family ties that are not documented legally or biologically.

2. Census Relationships Depend on Who Spoke to the Enumerator

The key question is who answered the census:

It is not known who answered the census—Mary Lois or Leavy.

This matters greatly.

If Mary Lois answered, she may have called Charlie Jr. and Rose Mae her stepchildren, meaning they were likely Leavy’s children.
If Leavy answered, calling them stepchildren would imply Mary Lois brought them into the marriage.

Without knowing who spoke to the enumerator, genealogists must consider both possibilities.

3. Rural Families Often Took in Relatives’ Children

If:

A sibling died,
A cousin moved,
A child needed care during economic hardship,

another household took the child in—sometimes permanently.

These children would then appear as:

Stepchildren
“Foster” children
Or simply “children” in obituaries

even if there was no legal adoption.

4. Names in Obituaries May Reflect Married Names or Household Names

For example:

Archile Wesley and Woodrow Wesley may have been related through marriage, blended households, or raised alongside Evans children.
Charlie Coleman, Jr. clearly carries a different surname, suggesting he was a stepchild or a child taken into the home.

**What We Can Say Confidently**

Leavy and Mary Lois did raise multiple children together, both biological and non-biological.
The obituary reflects a social definition of family, not a strictly biological one.
The 1950 census shows at least two children in the home who were not biologically Mary Lois’s or not biologically Leavy’s—but it does not clarify which way the relationship flows.
Genealogy in this era must rely on cluster research because biological parentage was not always recorded or emphasized.

“Because of the flexible family structures common in early- and mid-20th-century African American communities, some children listed in Leavy Evans’s obituary may have been stepchildren, foster children, or relatives raised in the household. Census data further complicate interpretation, as relationships depend on who spoke with the enumerator.”

Resting Place

Evans Cemetery

Photos/Albums

Sources

1910 Federal Census
1920 Federal Census
1930 Federal Census
1940 Federal Census
1950 Federal Census
The Newton Record, Negro Man Killed Accidentally Near Newton, Wed, Aug 16, 1972 ·Page 1
The Newton Record, Levy Evans Obituary, Wed, Aug 24, 1983 ·Page 14
U.S., Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current
U.S. Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 2
U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014

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