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The Evans, my mystery line
Hi all, I am cross-posting this from the Michigan Genealogy group as I thought you all might have some ideas since this line hops about from place to place.
I have been tracing the Evans family of North Branch Village, Lapeer County, Michigan for a while, but much still remains a mystery. For one thing, I have been unable to find the parents and youngest child in the 1910 census, even though they all reappear in 1920 so I know they were all still alive. I've tried many tricks and have looked through the entire North Branch Village census (as well as the censuses where their adult children were living) and still haven't found them. For another, I've yet to find out the death date for the parents, nor even a clue as to where they died, and have yet to find their mystery fifth child, who was reported as still being alive on one census but for whom I have literally yet to find a single record. Lastly, one of the adult children whose name I do know, abruptly drops off records after the 1900 census! I think this family has been the hardest I've yet tried to trace. For having been working on them for several years, it's hard for me to believe how little I still know. If anyone has any ideas for me, please share them. Thank you so much.
Their names and basic info:
Joseph Evans (sometimes in records as John)
born in England (place unknown) c. 1856, parents listed on marriage record as John and Grace Evans
moved to Ontario, Canada, unknown date and initial residence
Occupation of farmer by 1879
was living in East Nissouri, Oxford County, Ontario at time of marriage and on 1881 census
had moved to North Branch Village by 1900 census. Census records list date of entry as 1886 and naturalization as 1895
Have not found on 1910 census
Listed in North Branch Village again in 1920
Have not found on 1930 census - died prior?
married Mary Adams on 1 Jan 1879 in Perth, Ontario, location of ceremony listed as St. Mary's (apparently the major spot in the area, as all the couples on the page are listed at the same location regardless of what sect they were)
both listed on marriage record as Baptists
Witnesses listed: Samuel Evans and Mary Hawkins Blanshard (I am still not sure how they connect up with the line)
Mary Adams
also born in England (place unknown), c. 1861, parents listed on marriage record as William and Elizabeth Adams
also moved to Ontario, Canada, date and initial residence unknown
Same census info as Joseph
Children:
William Henry Evans
b. 17 Nov 1897 in East Nissouri, Oxford, Ontario, Canada
on 1881 census with parents
on 1900 census for Clark Town, Clark County, South Dakota, living with younger brother on a farm
Have not found any records for him beyond that.
Unknown Evans
No information known beyond their supposed existence (according to the census: lists Mary as having had 5 children, all 5 still alive), not even a name. Possibly a mistake?
Have fairly complete records for three Evans children:
Ernest Joseph Evans
b. 5 Oct 1881 in East Nissouri, Oxford, Ontario, Canada
on 1900 census in SD with brother William
married Grace (maiden name unknown) c. 1905 (before SD marriage records began)
1910 census Thorpe, Clark County, South Dakota
1918 Lapeer, Michigan, according to WWI draft card
1920 census Flint Ward 5, Genesee, Michigan
1930 census Flint, Genesee, Michigan
Death date and place unknown
Samuel Lawrence Evans
b. 7 May 1883 in East Nissouri, Oxford, Ontario, Canada
1900 census living with parents in North Branch Village, Lapeer, Michigan
1910 census Thorpe, Clark, South Dakota
1918 (WWI draft card) Clark County, South Dakota
1920 census Elrod, Clark, South Dakota
1930 census Faulkton, Faulk, South Dakota
d. Sep 1971; last SS benefit to Faulkton, Faulk, South Dakota
married three times; first wife died, divorced second wife, third wife outlived him
Ada Ella Evans
b. 28 Oct 1894 in North Branch Village, Lapeer, Michigan
1900 census living with parents in North Branch Village
1910 census whereabouts unknown
1 May 1913 married Gordon James Brown in Elrod, Clark, South Dakota
1920 census Elrod, Clark, South Dakota
1930 census Elrod, Clark, South Dakota
d. Apr 1974, last SS benefit sent to Henry, Codington, South Dakota
I have been tracing the Evans family of North Branch Village, Lapeer County, Michigan for a while, but much still remains a mystery. For one thing, I have been unable to find the parents and youngest child in the 1910 census, even though they all reappear in 1920 so I know they were all still alive. I've tried many tricks and have looked through the entire North Branch Village census (as well as the censuses where their adult children were living) and still haven't found them. For another, I've yet to find out the death date for the parents, nor even a clue as to where they died, and have yet to find their mystery fifth child, who was reported as still being alive on one census but for whom I have literally yet to find a single record. Lastly, one of the adult children whose name I do know, abruptly drops off records after the 1900 census! I think this family has been the hardest I've yet tried to trace. For having been working on them for several years, it's hard for me to believe how little I still know. If anyone has any ideas for me, please share them. Thank you so much.
Their names and basic info:
Joseph Evans (sometimes in records as John)
born in England (place unknown) c. 1856, parents listed on marriage record as John and Grace Evans
moved to Ontario, Canada, unknown date and initial residence
Occupation of farmer by 1879
was living in East Nissouri, Oxford County, Ontario at time of marriage and on 1881 census
had moved to North Branch Village by 1900 census. Census records list date of entry as 1886 and naturalization as 1895
Have not found on 1910 census
Listed in North Branch Village again in 1920
Have not found on 1930 census - died prior?
married Mary Adams on 1 Jan 1879 in Perth, Ontario, location of ceremony listed as St. Mary's (apparently the major spot in the area, as all the couples on the page are listed at the same location regardless of what sect they were)
both listed on marriage record as Baptists
Witnesses listed: Samuel Evans and Mary Hawkins Blanshard (I am still not sure how they connect up with the line)
Mary Adams
also born in England (place unknown), c. 1861, parents listed on marriage record as William and Elizabeth Adams
also moved to Ontario, Canada, date and initial residence unknown
Same census info as Joseph
Children:
William Henry Evans
b. 17 Nov 1897 in East Nissouri, Oxford, Ontario, Canada
on 1881 census with parents
on 1900 census for Clark Town, Clark County, South Dakota, living with younger brother on a farm
Have not found any records for him beyond that.
Unknown Evans
No information known beyond their supposed existence (according to the census: lists Mary as having had 5 children, all 5 still alive), not even a name. Possibly a mistake?
Have fairly complete records for three Evans children:
Ernest Joseph Evans
b. 5 Oct 1881 in East Nissouri, Oxford, Ontario, Canada
on 1900 census in SD with brother William
married Grace (maiden name unknown) c. 1905 (before SD marriage records began)
1910 census Thorpe, Clark County, South Dakota
1918 Lapeer, Michigan, according to WWI draft card
1920 census Flint Ward 5, Genesee, Michigan
1930 census Flint, Genesee, Michigan
Death date and place unknown
Samuel Lawrence Evans
b. 7 May 1883 in East Nissouri, Oxford, Ontario, Canada
1900 census living with parents in North Branch Village, Lapeer, Michigan
1910 census Thorpe, Clark, South Dakota
1918 (WWI draft card) Clark County, South Dakota
1920 census Elrod, Clark, South Dakota
1930 census Faulkton, Faulk, South Dakota
d. Sep 1971; last SS benefit to Faulkton, Faulk, South Dakota
married three times; first wife died, divorced second wife, third wife outlived him
Ada Ella Evans
b. 28 Oct 1894 in North Branch Village, Lapeer, Michigan
1900 census living with parents in North Branch Village
1910 census whereabouts unknown
1 May 1913 married Gordon James Brown in Elrod, Clark, South Dakota
1920 census Elrod, Clark, South Dakota
1930 census Elrod, Clark, South Dakota
d. Apr 1974, last SS benefit sent to Henry, Codington, South Dakota
Views: 45
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Kate Steere on
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Hi Liz-
My first thought is that perhaps the parents and Ada went back to Canada?
Here is a link to some Michigan death records if you haven't seen this yet:
http://seekingmichigan.org/discover-collection?collection=p129401coll7
It starts from 1897, ends in 1920. -
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Permalink Reply by Liz Loveland on
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Thank you for responding! I have tried looking for them back in Canada but so far I haven't found anything. I don't know if that is because I haven't looked in the right places yet, as with some other families that moved back to Canada, it took me a while to figure out exactly where to look for them.
I was so hopeful when that site premiered, but unfortunately the death records only go to 1920. I haven't found any of the Evans in them. -
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Thanks for replying! I have looked through the naturalization record index, but since it doesn't specify dates, I didn't know if it was the right family (since Evans is such a common surname) and hadn't prioritized ordering them. You're right, though; I should do that as one of my next steps, as naturalization records have helped fill in some of the pieces with other families.
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Hello again,
Reviewing the marriage record for my post and then having GeneJ find a naturalization index mention of a Samuel Evans combined to remind me that I hadn't searched for info on Samuel in a while, and I tried searches using the (completely unfounded) assumption that he was Joseph Evans' brother. It looks like I was right! I found a Samuel Evans in the same small town as Joseph and Mary Evans, still living with parents named Grace and John. I couldn't find them in any earlier Canada censuses, so I went on to search for them in England, and I think I found the right family in Devon in the 1861 and 1851 censuses. If it is the right family, it appears that they left their elder children behind in England when they moved to Canada. (My guess is that the elder children were already married with families when they moved.) I haven't found any of them in any 1870/1871 censuses and I haven't found the parents in any census after the Canada 1881 one, but I'm still excited to finally have found some new promising leads on them. And I did find Samuel Evans and his wife (Ida, maiden name unknown; born in Ontario but it looks from the dates like they married in the US) in North Branch Village, Lapeer County, Michigan in 1910, so perhaps the parents and Ada were living there then and just happened to be away on the day the census taker came by.
Thanks again for your ideas! -
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