robert evans, jr.
1915-1915
Life Story
Born into the Evans-Curry Family of Lawrence
Robert Evans was born on March 28, 1915, in Newton County, Mississippi, the infant son of Robert “Rob” Evans and Betsy Curry Evans.¹ Both of his parents were natives of Newton County and were raising their family in the rural Lawrence community of Beat 4.
Robert was born into a large family. By the time of his birth, his parents had already spent more than two decades building their household together. His older brothers and sisters included Dee, Sam, Jay, Jody, Sally, Nina, Birta, and Nancy Evans.²
Through his father, Robert belonged to the Evans family of Lawrence. Through his mother, Betsy Curry, he was also connected to another longstanding Newton County family. Betsy was the daughter of Jake Curry and Sallie Logan.³
The infant therefore represented another link between the Evans and Curry families whose histories were becoming increasingly intertwined in the Lawrence community.
A Life of Only One Month
Robert’s life was tragically brief.
On April 28, 1915, exactly one month after his birth, the infant died at Lawrence.¹
His death certificate recorded the cause as “bold hives.” It also specifically stated that he had received no medical attention.¹
The historical term recorded as “bold hives” should be preserved as it appears in the original record rather than translated into a modern diagnosis. Early twentieth-century death certificates, particularly those involving infants who had not been examined by a physician, sometimes used traditional or locally understood descriptions of illness that cannot now be reliably equated with a specific modern medical condition.
Because Robert received no medical attention, we should be especially cautious about attempting to determine what illness actually caused his death.
A Father Records His Son’s Death
Robert’s death certificate contains another poignant detail.
His father, Rob Evans, served as the informant who supplied the information necessary to create his son’s official death record.¹
Rob also appears in the certificate’s undertaker field, indicating that he personally assumed responsibility for arrangements surrounding his infant son’s burial rather than the certificate naming a professional funeral establishment.¹
Robert was buried at what the certificate records as “Lawrence Cntry,” apparently referring to a cemetery in the Lawrence community.¹ The exact cemetery should remain as recorded until additional evidence identifies the burial ground more precisely.
The death certificate was filed the following day, April 29, 1915, by registrar L. C. Price.¹
Two Losses in Thirteen Months
Robert’s death becomes even more significant when placed within the chronology of the Evans family.
Only thirteen months after the infant’s death, his mother Betsy Curry Evans died on June 17, 1916, at Lawrence.³
Betsy’s own death certificate again named Rob Evans as the informant.
Within a little more than a year, Robert Evans experienced the death of his infant son and then the death of his wife.
Those two records preserve a period of considerable loss within the Evans household—first a child who lived only one month, and then the mother who had helped raise the family’s many children.
Remembering a Child the Census Never Recorded
Robert Evans’s brief life illustrates an important limitation of genealogical research based primarily upon federal censuses.
He was born in 1915 and died that same year.
The 1910 census was taken five years before his birth. By the time census takers returned in 1920, he had been dead nearly five years.
No federal census would ever record him.
Without his death certificate, this child could easily disappear from the reconstructed history of the Evans family.
Yet he was there.
For one month in the spring of 1915, Robert and Betsy had another son. His father reported his birth and death information, arranged for his burial, and ensured that his short existence entered Mississippi’s official records.
More than a century later, that single document restores Robert Evans (1915–1915) to his place among the children of Robert Evans and Betsy Curry.
Resting Place
Union Chapel United Methodist Church Cemetery
Photos/Albums
Sources
- 1. Mississippi State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, certificate of death for Robt. Evans, Newton County, Mississippi, registration district 7762, primary registration district 4, file no. 54, registered no. 7266; born March 28, 1915, Newton County; died April 28, 1915, Lawrence, Newton County, age one month; father Rob Evans, born Newton County; mother Betsey Curry, born Newton County; informant Rob Evans, Lawrence, Mississippi; cause of death recorded as “bold hives,” with no medical attention; place of burial recorded as “Lawrence Cntry”; Rob Evans listed as undertaker; filed April 29, 1915, by L. C. Price.
- 2. 1910 U.S. census, Newton County, Mississippi, Beat 4, population schedule, enumeration district 93, p. 21A, household of Robert Evans; household included Robert and Bessy Evans and children Dee, Sam, Jay, Jody, Sally, Nina, Birta, and Nancy Evans; digital image, Ancestry.com, accessed 2026.
- 3. Mississippi State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, certificate of death for Betsy Evans, Newton County, Mississippi, registration district 9165, file no. 90; died June 17, 1916, Lawrence, Newton County; age 44; father Jake Curry; mother Sallie Logan; informant Rob Evans, Lawrence, Mississippi; burial recorded at Lawrence Cemetery; filed July 18, 1916.
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