rebecca walker evans
1898-1943
Life Story
Early Life and Education
Rebecca Walker Evans was born on August 16, 1898, in Newton County, Mississippi, to Sam Walker, Sr. (1875-?) and Kitson Lassiter Walker (1876–1943). She was raised in a rural farming community during the height of the Jim Crow era, where family labor and church life shaped daily existence.
As a young woman, Rebecca worked as a farm laborer, contributing to the agricultural livelihood of her household. Despite the limited educational opportunities available to Black children in early twentieth-century Mississippi, she completed the sixth grade—an accomplishment that reflected determination within a segregated school system.
Marriage and Family Life
Rebecca later married Lemon Evans (1902–1957). From this union, the following children were born:
- George Evans (1920–?)
- Rosa Evans (1921–?)
- John C. Evans (1923–?)
- Lenton Evans (1924–2006)
- James W. Evans (1925–?)
- Claudie Evans (1926–1928)
- Abraham Evans (1926–1928)
- Will S. Evans (1927–?)
- Willie Lee Evans (1931–?)
- Lula Mae Evans (1933–?)
- H. S. Evans (1937–?)
- Sadie Pearl Evans (1939–?)
- Leonard Evans (1939–?)
In adulthood, she was identified as a housewife, dedicating her life to maintaining her home and supporting her family. Like many women of her generation, her labor—though often unpaid and unrecorded—was essential to the stability and survival of her household.
Her life bridged two worlds: the physically demanding field labor of her youth and the domestic responsibilities of marriage and motherhood.
Illness, Death, and Burial
Rebecca Walker Evans passed away on December 28, 1943. The cause of death was listed as apoplexy, a term historically used to describe what is now commonly understood as a stroke. Henry Arrington served as the informant on her death certificate.
She was laid to rest at the Altare M.B. Church graveyard in Newton County, Mississippi—returning to the sacred ground that held generations of Evans and Walker family members.
Legacy
Rebecca Walker Evans’ life reflects the quiet endurance of rural Black women in Mississippi—women who worked the fields in youth, sustained households in adulthood, and anchored their families in faith and community. Though her years were lived largely outside of public record, her presence remains preserved through family memory and her resting place at Altare.
Resting Place
Altare Missionary Baptist Church Graveyard
Photos/Albums
Sources
- 1900 Federal Census
- 1910 Federal Census
- 1920 Federal Census
- 1930 Federal Census
- 1940 Federal Census
- U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
- U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
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