pleasant evans

1830-1894

Life Story

Patriarch of the early Altare Community

Early Life and Enslavement

Pleasant Evans was born around 1830, likely in Alabama, before being brought to Greene County, Mississippi. His life is most clearly documented within the household of his enslaver, Henry Evans, a North Carolina native who settled in Newton County.

Pleasant spent the first half of his life in bondage. He first appears by name in Henry Evans’ 1858 will, where he is listed alongside his wife, Kizzie Ann, and their daughters—Dilcy, Riney, and Matilda. This grouping reflects a recognized family unit, a rare and fragile stability within the system of slavery.

In the event of Henry Evans’ death, Pleasant and his family were to be bequeathed to the twin daughters, Narcissa and Laura—an act that would legally transfer not only labor but also the entire future of a family.

Reconstruction and the Transition to Freedom

With emancipation in 1865, Pleasant entered freedom not as a landowner, but as a laborer in a familiar and complicated landscape. Unlike many formerly enslaved individuals who sought distance from their place of bondage, Pleasant remained in Newton County, likely on or near the Evans plantation.

By 1870, he is recorded in Township 5, Range 11, working as a farm laborer with a personal estate valued at $100—a modest but meaningful foothold in the postwar economy.

A revealing glimpse into his standing comes from an 1875 newspaper account describing a robbery at the Evans home. Pleasant was called upon by Curtis Evans, the son of his former enslaver, to assist during the crisis. The request suggests that Pleasant had established himself as a dependable and respected figure within the local community, even within the lingering structures of the old order.

The Achievement of Land Ownership

On December 24, 1881, Pleasant Evans reached a milestone that represented both independence and hope: he became a landowner.

He purchased 100 acres from Delana Walker, daughter of his former enslaver, for $180, described as the East half of the Southeast quarter and part of the Northwest quarter of the Southeast quarter of Section 27, Township 5, Range 11. The deed notably excluded “one and a half acres at the well known as Mrs. Evans Well,” ensuring that this vital water source remained with the original homestead while Pleasant took ownership of the surrounding acreage.

For a man born into slavery, this purchase marked a profound transformation—from property to property owner.

The Debt Cycle and the Crop-Lien System

Land ownership, however, came at a cost. Like many Black farmers in the post-Reconstruction South, Pleasant became entangled in the crop-lien system—a system that often made true independence nearly impossible.

To secure farming supplies, Pleasant and his wife Kizzie entered into agreements with local merchant M. J. L. Hoye, mortgaging not only their land but their livestock and future crops.

In 1889, the couple borrowed $455.22, pledging their 100-acre farm along with a detailed list of property, including a sorrel mare named Lizzie and an ox named Bully. These records reveal not just debt, but the total exposure of their livelihood.

By 1892, a shift appears in the records. Kizzie’s name disappears, and Pleasant Evans, Jr. begins signing alongside his father. This transition suggests a turning point within the family—possibly Kizzie’s death or declining health—and the rise of the next generation to shoulder the burden.

Despite immense pressure, the Evans family made significant progress. By 1893, they had reduced their debt to $233.21, a testament to persistence in the face of high interest rates (often 10%) and the declining price of cotton.

The Final Foreclosure (1894)

The system, however, was designed to be unforgiving.

On March 23, 1894, after defaulting on their obligations, Trustee T. B. Loper conducted a public auction of the Evans family’s 100-acre home place. The sale took place in front of the storehouse of Mrs. M. J. L. Hoye in the town of Newton.

The highest bidder was the creditor herself.

For $270.00, Mrs. Hoye reclaimed the land—land that Pleasant had purchased, worked, and fought to hold for over a decade.

With that transaction, the promise of generational landownership was erased. What had taken a lifetime to build was lost in a single afternoon.

Faith and Community Legacy

Pleasant Evans’ life cannot be measured solely by labor and loss. On September 16, 1867, he and Kizzie were baptized into Bethel Baptist Church—an act of faith during a period when newly freed people were defining spiritual and communal independence.

In later years, he was likely among the early members of Altare Missionary Baptist Church, part of a broader movement in which Black communities established their own institutions for worship, leadership, and self-determination.

Final Years and Enduring Legacy

Pleasant Evans, Sr. likely died shortly after the loss of his land in 1894. He does not appear in the 1900 census.

He was likely buried in an unmarked grave in the Altare community—a common fate for many of his generation whose lives were foundational but whose markers were never set in stone.

Yet his legacy endured.

Through his children, and through the interconnected families of the region—the Walkers, Chapmans, Moores, and Evanses—Pleasant’s story became part of a larger narrative: the struggle for land, the fight for stability, and the enduring effort to build something lasting in the face of systems designed to take it away.

Census and Archival Notes

1840 Census: The Henry Evans household included 11 enslaved individuals, likely including a young Pleasant.
1870 Census: Places Pleasant in Township 5, Range 11 with a personal estate of $100.
1880 Census: Lists Pleasant’s birthplace as Alabama (~1830), adding clarity to his early origins.
1870–1880 Comparison: Documents the growth of his household and the emergence of Pleasant Evans, Jr. as a working partner by the early 1890s.

Resting Place

Unknown Gravesite

Photos/Albums

Sources

Footnotes

1840 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, Henry Evans household, p. 142, National Archives Microfilm M704, Roll 216.
1850 U.S. Federal Census – Slave Schedules, Newton County, Mississippi, Henry Evans (Owner), National Archives Microfilm M432.
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, probated November 06, 1876.
1870 U.S. Census, Township 5, Range 11, Newton County, Mississippi, population schedule, p. 504, dwelling 74, Pleasant Evans household.
“The Robbery at Mr. Evans,” Newton Weekly Ledger (Newton, MS), April 8, 1875, p. 3.
1880 U.S. Census, Beat 4, Newton County, Mississippi, population schedule, Enumeration District 087, p. 586D, dwelling 501, Pleasant Evans household.
Newton County, Mississippi, Deed Book 6, p. 428, Delana Walker to Pleas Evans, Dec. 24, 1881.
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.
Newton County, Mississippi, Trust Deed Book 12, p. 421, Pleas Evans Sr. and Jr. to Mrs. M. J. L. Hoye, Jan. 30, 1893.
Newton County, Mississippi, Deed Book 11, p. 560, T. B. Loper (Trustee) to Mrs. Bettie Hoye, March 23, 1894.

Bibliography

Primary Source Documents Newton County, Mississippi. Chancery Clerk’s Office. Deed Book 6 (1881), Deed Book 11 (1894), Trust Deed Book 9 (1889), and Trust Deed Book 12 (1892–1893). Newton County, Mississippi. Chancery Clerk’s Office. Will Record, Vol. 1-2, 1872–1930. Will of Henry Evans.

Newspapers Newton Weekly Ledger (Newton, MS). “The Robbery at Mr. Evans.” April 8, 1875.

U.S. Federal Census Records United States Census Bureau. Sixth Census of the United States, 1840. Newton County, Mississippi. United States Census Bureau. Seventh Census of the United States, 1850 (Slave Schedule). Newton County, Mississippi. 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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