sena (rebecca) evans
1855-1914
Life Story
Matriarch, Landholder, and Foundational Supporter of Pilgrim Grove
Sena Evans, also recorded in historical records as Rebecca Evans, was born about 1855 in Newton County, Mississippi, to Ben Evans (1805–1870) and Kizziah Evans (1818–?). Born into slavery, Sena came of age during the Civil War and Reconstruction, becoming part of the first generation of Black women in her family to experience freedom, legal marriage, and land ownership.
Her life reflects the transformation from enslavement to autonomy, marked by labor, family building, and deliberate participation in shaping Black community institutions in post-emancipation Newton County.
Marriage and Family Life
By the early 1870s, Sena married Sam Evans (1851–1920). Together, they established a farming household sustained by shared labor and perseverance. Sena worked as both a homemaker and farm laborer, contributing directly to the family’s economic survival during an era defined by limited opportunity and systemic restriction.
Sena and Sam were the parents of several children who went on to anchor multiple branches of the Evans family across Newton County and surrounding communities:
- Joshua Evans (1874–?)
- Benjamin Evans (1876–?)
- Harry Evans (1883–1941)
- Glover Evans (1885–1952)
- Mary Evans (1887–?)
- Coyt Edward Evans (1889–1968)
- Neffie “Bell” Evans (1894–?)
- Lancy Evans (1896–?)
Through these children, Sena’s influence extended into the Altare, Mount Moriah, and Evans Cemetery communities for generations.
Land Ownership and Early Family Acquisition
On September 20, 1876, Sena Evans and her siblings—Emanuel, Delany, and Emma Evans—were jointly granted land in Section 18, Township 5, Range 11 East. The grant came from the heirs of Catherine W. Evans (1845–1875), also known as Kate. The grantors—Nancy Evans, Mary Evans, and Emily J. Evans—were daughters of Catherine McInnis Evans (1809–1887).
The purchase price of $400 was paid collectively by the Evans siblings, reflecting shared ownership and cooperative family labor during the early years of Black land acquisition following emancipation.
Division of Family Land and Emanuel’s Heirs
As time passed, the Evans family moved from collective ownership toward individually defined parcels. Following the death of Emanuel Evans, his widow Millie Evans and their heirs became parties to later land transactions involving the original family tract.
By the 1890s, the land was formally divided among the surviving siblings, with approximately eight acres allotted to each, converting shared family land into individual holdings.
On February 24, 1898, Sena Evans, her sisters Emma Evans McAdory and Delany Evans Mosley, along with Millie Evans, widow of Emanuel Evans, and her heirs, conveyed 20 acres of land to Joe Mosley, Delany’s husband, for $112. This transaction reflects Emanuel’s vested interest through his heirs and demonstrates how Evans family land continued to circulate within close kinship networks.
Crop Liens and Economic Pressure (1896–1899)
By the mid-1890s, Sena was exercising control over her portion of the land while navigating the constraints of the crop-lien system that shaped Black agricultural life in the South.
- On February 11, 1896, Sena and her husband Sam executed a deed of trust with W. B. Richardson for $222, with an additional $30 advance for supplies and merchandise. The collateral included the Northeast Quarter of the Southeast Quarter of Section 18, one black mare named Molly, one black horse mule named Mack, and a Hickman wagon, complete.
- On February 20, 1897, they executed a second deed of trust for $237, secured by the same land.
- On February 2, 1898, they entered into another deed of trust for $300, again using the same property as collateral.
- On January 3, 1899, Sena and Sam executed an additional deed of trust for $100, referencing 40 acres of land as collateral, suggesting consolidated or jointly leveraged family acreage.
These records reveal Sena and Sam’s efforts to maintain land ownership under persistent economic pressure rather than a lack of stability or foresight.
Establishing Pilgrim Grove Presbyterian Church
In 1898, Sena Evans formally donated one acre of her land for the construction of Pilgrim Grove Presbyterian Church, then known as Pilgrim Grove Colored Presbyterian Church, for the nominal sum of one dollar. This act permanently removed a portion of Evans family land from private ownership and dedicated it to religious and community use.
Later land records show that Sena’s sister, Delany Evans Mosley, reinforced this commitment. On November 10, 1902, when Delany sold her eight-acre tract to Spencer McAdory, the deed explicitly reserved one acre for Pilgrim Grove Presbyterian Church, legally protecting the church property despite the transfer of surrounding land.
Together, these actions reveal that Pilgrim Grove’s land was secured not through a single transaction, but through sustained family stewardship spanning decades.
Death
Sena Evans died on June 27, 1914, at approximately 59 years old. Her death certificate lists acute nephritis as the cause of death, a serious kidney condition common in an era before effective medical treatment.
The informant on her death certificate was Allen Chapman, reflecting the close ties between the Evans and Chapman families. Although her burial location was not recorded, family patterns and proximity strongly suggest that she was laid to rest in the Evans Cemetery alongside relatives.
Legacy
Sena (Rebecca) Evans stands as a central figure in the post-emancipation history of Black Newton County. As a landholder, mother, and church supporter, she helped transform family land into a permanent foundation for faith, kinship, and community life.
Her decision to donate land for Pilgrim Grove Presbyterian Church—later reinforced by her sister’s legal protections—ensured that the church would endure beyond individual lifetimes. Through her children, her land, and her deliberate acts of stewardship, Sena’s legacy continues to shape the spiritual and cultural landscape of the community more than a century after her death.
Resting Place
Photos/Albums
Sources
- 1860 Federal Slave Schedule
- 1870 Federal Census
- 1880 Federal Census
- 1900 Federal Census
- 1910 Federal Census
- Mississippi, U.S., Index to Deaths, 1912-1943
- Ohio, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1774-1993
- U.S., Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current
- The Newton Record, Colored Presbyterian Church, Thu, Apr 07, 1955 ·Page 1
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