viola dawkins evans

1886-1983

Life Story

Birth & Parentage

Viola Dawkins Evans was born in 1886 to Taylor Dawkins (1855–?) and Susan Dawkins (1854–?). She grew up during the post-Reconstruction era in rural Mississippi, within a family rooted in faith, farming, and extended kinship networks.

Education

Viola completed the 5th grade of elementary school, consistent with educational access for African American women in rural Mississippi during the late nineteenth century.

Marriage

In the early 1900s, Viola married Rankin Evans (c. 1883–1961). Their marriage united two long-established Newton County families and produced a large household that remained closely tied to St. John Missionary Baptist Church and the surrounding community.

Children

Based on census records, family reconstructions, and Viola Dawkins Evans’s obituary, the children of Rankin Evans and Viola Dawkins Evans include the following:

Daulton Evans (1905–?)
Elizabeth Evans (1906–?)
Claudie Evans (1908–?)
Oscar Evans (1912–?)
Emma Evans Riggsby (1914–1993)
Luella Evans (1916–?)
James Clyde Evans, Sr. (1918–1990)
Elvira Evans Atkins (1921–?)
May L. Evans (1924–?)
Weldon Evans (1925–?)
Ruth Evans (birth year not listed in obituary)
Willie R. Evans (1927–?)
Infant Son (1928–1928)

The obituary further reflects that many of Viola’s children later resided in New Orleans, Louisiana, Chicago, Illinois, and other urban centers, illustrating the family’s participation in the Great Migration while maintaining burial and church ties to Newton County.

Later Years

In her later years, Viola Evans was recognized as the matriarch of a large and far-reaching family. Her obituary notes 29 grandchildren, 41 great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren, underscoring the generational depth of her legacy.

She maintained strong affiliations with Pure Light, Calvary, Bethlehem, and Ninth Baptist Churches, reflecting a life deeply anchored in faith and church fellowship.

Death & Burial

Viola Dawkins Evans passed away on Wednesday, June 15, 1983, at 10:27 p.m. Funeral services were held at Pure Light Baptist Church, with final rites conducted at St. John Baptist Church in Newton County, Mississippi. She was laid to rest at St. John Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery, alongside her husband and members of the Evans family.

Resting Place

Saint John Missionary Baptist Church Graveyard

Photos/Albums

Sources

1910 Federal Census
1920 Federal Census
1940 Federal Census
U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
The Newton Record, Card of Thanks, Wed, Jan 11, 1961 ·Page 2
U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014

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