scott evans
1828-death unknown
Life Story
Agricultural Worker, Church Watchman, and Member of Mount Moriah Presbyterian Church
Scott Evans was born about 1828 in Mississippi, during an era when slavery shaped the lives of African Americans throughout the Deep South. Enslaved by Catherine McInnis Evans in Newton County, Mississippi, Scott survived emancipation and established a family in the Mount Moriah community.
His life is documented through the surviving records of Mount Moriah Presbyterian Church and the federal censuses of 1870 and 1880. These sources identify him as an enslaved church member, a participant in church disciplinary proceedings, and one of two African American men appointed as watchmen over the congregation’s Black membership in 1866.
Scott was also the father of Samuel “Sam” Evans, who later served as an early trustee of St. John Missionary Baptist Church.
Early Life and Enslavement
Scott Evans was born around 1828 in Mississippi. The 1880 federal census reported that both of his parents were born in North Carolina, suggesting that his family’s history extended beyond Mississippi into the older slaveholding states of the Southeast.¹
By the 1840s, Scott was enslaved by Catherine McInnis Evans, whose plantation household was located in Newton County.
The 1850 federal slave schedule recorded a twenty-two-year-old Black male among the enslaved people attributed to Catherine Evans. The 1860 schedule similarly recorded a thirty-year-old Black male associated with her household.²
Both entries are consistent with Scott’s approximate age, but because the schedules do not identify enslaved individuals by name, neither entry can be conclusively assigned to him.
The strongest evidence of Scott’s presence in the Evans household before emancipation comes from Mount Moriah Presbyterian Church.
He appears as entry number seven in the church’s “List of Colored Members,” identified as a servant of Mrs. Evans.³
This register provides a direct documentary connection between Scott, the Evans plantation household, and the African American religious community that worshipped at Mount Moriah during slavery.
Religious Life at Mount Moriah Presbyterian Church
Scott’s involvement with Mount Moriah Presbyterian Church began during slavery and continued after emancipation.
The church’s Session records identify Scott among the enslaved African Americans who participated in the congregation’s religious life during the nineteenth century.
On October 9, 1853, the Session restored Scott and George, another enslaved man associated with the Evans household, to church fellowship.⁴
One of the most revealing episodes in Scott’s religious life occurred during the spring of 1856.
On April 26, 1856, the white church Session investigated allegations that several enslaved African Americans had attended unauthorized religious meetings in the neighborhood. The proceedings involved George, Leven, and Dick, all associated with Mrs. Evans’s household.⁵
The church’s records also document disciplinary proceedings concerning Scott during this period, although the precise sequence and outcome require confirmation from the original Session minutes.
These proceedings illustrate the restrictions placed upon the religious activities of enslaved African Americans. Worship and religious gatherings outside arrangements approved by white church authorities could expose enslaved members to investigation and discipline.
Despite such restrictions, Scott remained associated with Mount Moriah Presbyterian Church into the Reconstruction era.
Reconstruction and Appointment as Church Watchman
Following the Civil War and emancipation, Scott continued his association with Mount Moriah Presbyterian Church.
On December 23, 1866, the church Session appointed Scott and Dick as **“watchmen over the colored portion of the congregation.”**⁶
The appointment occurred during the early years of Reconstruction, when formerly enslaved African Americans were beginning to assume greater responsibility within religious institutions.
The Session minutes do not fully describe the watchmen’s duties or identify them as ordained ruling elders. Nevertheless, the appointment demonstrates that Scott and Dick held recognized responsibilities concerning Mount Moriah’s African American membership.
Their selection is especially significant because both men had been associated with the Evans plantation community during slavery.
For Scott, the appointment is the clearest surviving evidence of his recognized role in the religious life of Mount Moriah.
Family Life After Emancipation
The 1870 federal census provides the earliest surviving household record identifying Scott Evans by his full name.
Enumerated on June 7, 1870, in Township 5, Range 11 East, Newton County, Mississippi, Scott was forty-two years old and employed as a farm laborer.
He lived in dwelling 39, family 39, with Harriet Evans, aged forty, who was recorded as keeping house.
Their household included five younger individuals identified in the family reconstruction as their children:
- Samuel “Sam” Evans (born about 1852)
- Mariah E. Evans (born about 1854)
- Charles Evans (born about 1856)
- Marina Evans (born about 1858)
- Harry Evans (born about 1862)
The census recorded Scott’s personal estate at $150, providing evidence that his household possessed some personal property five years after emancipation.⁷
An especially important detail appears immediately below his household on the same census page.
In dwelling 40, family 40, lived Richard (“Dick”) Evans, aged thirty-six, with his wife, Nancy Evans, aged thirty, and their household.
The neighboring residences are particularly significant because Scott and Richard had both been associated with the enslaved community of Catherine McInnis Evans and had been appointed watchmen at Mount Moriah Presbyterian Church on December 23, 1866.
The 1870 census therefore provides evidence that the two men continued living near one another after emancipation.
Their shared surname, association with the same plantation household, and joint responsibilities within the church suggest a longstanding relationship.
Whether Scott and Richard were brothers or otherwise related remains unproven. Their neighboring households establish proximity, but they do not independently establish kinship.
By 1880, Scott and Harriet continued living in Beat 4, Newton County. The census identified Scott, aged approximately fifty, as a farm laborer. Harriet, aged fifty-one, remained in the household, along with Harry Evans, aged eighteen, and Jane Evans, aged sixteen.⁸
The appearance of Jane adds another possible daughter to the family reconstruction.
Later Years and Death
The 1880 federal census is the latest record presently identified that conclusively documents Scott Evans.
At that time, he remained in Newton County with Harriet and continued working in agriculture.
His exact date and place of death have not been established.
Because Scott was living when the 1880 census was taken, his death occurred sometime after that enumeration.
No confirmed death certificate, burial record, or gravestone has yet been identified.
His family’s connections to the Mount Moriah and Bethel communities make Evans Cemetery a possible subject for further burial research, but there is presently insufficient evidence to identify it as his resting place.
Legacy
Scott Evans belonged to the generation of African Americans who experienced slavery and remained in Newton County after emancipation, working to establish families and participate in the religious life of their community.
His documented history extends from membership in Mount Moriah Presbyterian Church during slavery to his appointment as a church watchman in 1866 and his continued residence in Newton County through at least 1880.
The church records preserve more than his name. They document his religious participation, his encounters with church discipline, and the responsibility entrusted to him during Reconstruction.
His longstanding association with Richard (“Dick”) Evans provides another connection between the enslaved community of Catherine McInnis Evans and the African American households that emerged after emancipation.
Their appointment as church watchmen in 1866 and their neighboring residences in 1870 demonstrate continuity in their association across the transition from slavery to freedom.
Scott’s legacy also continued through his son, Samuel “Sam” Evans, who served as one of three trustees in the October 2, 1902, acquisition of land for St. John Missionary Baptist Church.
These records document religious responsibility within two generations of the Evans family, beginning with Scott’s service at Mount Moriah and continuing through Samuel’s trusteeship at St. John.
Together, their lives contribute to the history of African American families who helped sustain the religious and community institutions of Newton County.
Chicago-Style Footnotes
- 1880 U.S. census, Newton County, Mississippi, Beat 4, household of Scott Evans; census reports Scott’s birthplace as Mississippi and his parents’ birthplaces as North Carolina.
- 1850 U.S. census, slave schedule, Newton County, Mississippi, Catherine Evans household, possible identification of a twenty-two-year-old Black male; 1860 U.S. census, slave schedule, Newton County, Mississippi, Catherine Evans household, possible identification of a thirty-year-old Black male. Neither identification is conclusive.
- Mount Moriah Presbyterian Church, “List of Colored Members,” 6, entry 7, Scott, servant of Mrs. Evans; Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Jackson, microfilm roll 36108.
- Mount Moriah Presbyterian Church, Session Minutes, October 9, 1853, restoration of Scott and George, servants of Mrs. C. Evans.
- Mount Moriah Presbyterian Church, Session Minutes, April 26, 1856, investigation concerning alleged unlawful religious meetings involving enslaved members associated with Mrs. Evans.
- Mount Moriah Presbyterian Church, Session Minutes, December 23, 1866, 78, appointment of Scott and Dick as watchmen over the colored portion of the congregation.
- 1870 U.S. census, Newton County, Mississippi, Township 5, Range 11 East, Newton post office, page 17, dwelling 39, family 39, household of Scott Evans, and dwelling 40, family 40, household of Richard Evans, enumerated June 7, 1870. Nancy Evans is identified as Richard’s wife in the family reconstruction.
- 1880 U.S. census, Newton County, Mississippi, Beat 4, household of Scott and Harriet Evans.
Resting Place
Unknown
Photos/Albums
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