vaster (vester) evans
1906-1993
Life Story
Early Life and Family Roots
Vaster Evans, whose name also appears in historical records as Vester, Vastin, and Varterlee, was born on November 8, 1906, in the Lawrence community of Beat 4, Newton County, Mississippi. He was the son of Tom Jefferson Evans, Sr. and Lillie Cooper Evans, members of a large farming family whose roots reached back to the first generation born after emancipation.
Growing up in rural Newton County, Vaster shared the family farm with a large group of brothers and sisters, including William, Easmond, Albert, Luella, Alberta, Thomas, Bertha, Elmo, Fannie, Dessie, and Northa. Like many children raised in the agricultural communities surrounding Lawrence and Conehatta, he learned the rhythms of farm life from an early age.
The federal censuses document his steady progression from childhood to adulthood. By 1920, thirteen-year-old Vaster was attending school while also working as a farm laborer on his parents’ farm. Unlike many African Americans of his parents’ generation who had been denied educational opportunities, Vaster learned to read and write and later completed one year of high school.
By 1930, he had become a self-supporting farmer, cultivating land on his own account while remaining closely connected to his parents and the Lawrence community.
Answering the Call to Serve
As the world moved toward another global conflict, Vaster answered his country’s call to service.
He registered for the Selective Service on October 16, 1940, in Newton County. His draft registration described him as 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighing 170 pounds, with a dark brown complexion, black hair, and brown eyes. At the time, he was employed by Dr. F. S. Red.
On April 16, 1941, months before the United States formally entered World War II following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Vaster enlisted in the United States Army at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, where he was assigned the service number 34046574.
His enlistment placed him among thousands of African American Mississippians who served in a segregated military during World War II. Although Black servicemen often faced discrimination both at home and in uniform, they played indispensable roles in America’s wartime effort through combat support, logistics, engineering, transportation, and countless other essential assignments.
Military records indicate that Vaster served for more than four and one-half years. In February 1944, he received treatment at a military medical facility before returning to active duty. His continued service until the end of the war reflects both resilience and commitment during one of the most consequential conflicts of the twentieth century.
He received an honorable discharge on October 28, 1945.
Returning Home
Like many veterans, Vaster returned home after the war.
Rather than leaving Mississippi during the postwar migration northward, he chose to remain in Newton County, where family responsibilities awaited him.
By 1950, he was living once again with his parents along the Conehatta–Lawrence Road. At forty-four years of age, Vaster was employed as a school custodian, a position listed in the census as “school cleaner.”
His decision to return home placed him in a position to help care for his aging parents during the final years of their lives. Tom Evans died in 1955, followed by Lillie Cooper Evans in 1966. Vaster’s presence in the household reflects the deep family responsibility that characterized many multigenerational African American families in rural Mississippi.
Later Years
Throughout his adult life, official records alternated between the spellings Vaster and Vester, while earlier census enumerators also recorded his name as Vastin and Varterlee. Despite these variations, the records consistently trace the life of the same man whose roots remained firmly planted in Newton County.
Unlike many of his brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews who eventually joined the Great Migration to northern and western cities, Vaster remained in the Lawrence community for the rest of his life.
His years were marked not by frequent moves but by steady service—to his country, to his family, and to his local community.
Legacy
Vaster Evans passed away on December 22, 1993, at the age of eighty-seven. Although the details of his funeral and burial have not yet been documented, his life remained deeply rooted in the Lawrence community of Newton County, where generations of the Evans family lived, worked, worshipped, and were laid to rest.
His life reflected the values that defined so many members of his generation: hard work, military service, devotion to family, and a lifelong commitment to the community that had shaped him from childhood.
Although history often celebrates those who traveled far from home, Vaster’s legacy reminds us that communities are equally sustained by those who choose to remain—those who return after war, care for aging parents, work quietly in local schools, and preserve the family home place for generations to come.
Resting Place
Unknown
Photos/Albums
Sources
- 1910 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, Beat 4, population schedule, Tom J. Evans household; National Archives microfilm publication T624.
- 1920 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, Beat 4, population schedule, Tom J. Evans household; National Archives microfilm publication T625.
- 1930 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, Beat 4, population schedule, Tom J. Evans household; National Archives microfilm publication T626.
- U.S. World War II Draft Registration Card, Vaster Evans, October 16, 1940, Local Board, Newton County, Mississippi; Records of the Selective Service System, Record Group 147, National Archives.
- World War II Army Enlistment Record, Vaster Evans, enlisted April 16, 1941, Camp Shelby, Mississippi; U.S. Army enlistment records, National Archives.
- World War II Military Service Record, Vaster Evans, treatment and return to duty, February 1944; honorable discharge, October 28, 1945.
- 1950 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, Conehatta–Lawrence Road district, population schedule, Tom J. Evans household; National Archives.
- Social Security Death Index, Vaster Evans (also recorded as Vester Evans), born November 8, 1906; died December 22, 1993.
Leave a Reply