Hypothesis: Daniel Evans, born abt. 1844 in Alabama, date and location of death currently unknown, was the father of my 2x-great-grandfather, (James) Steven Evans. And Jennette (aka Anna Jane) Welch, born abt. 1853 in either South Carolina or Alabama and died 22 January 1941 in Montgomery County, Alabama was his mother.
Let’s start with what I did know:
- (James) Steven Evans was born about 1878, most likely in Montgomery County, Alabama.
- He and his wife Laura Ann Scruggs were married on December 24, 1901 in Oak Grove, Montgomery County, AL.
- They had perhaps up to 14 children together (per family oral history), of whose names I had found either 8 or 9 or maybe even 10, depending upon whether any of these were the same people (you’ll see why I say this later on): Thomas, Jannie Mae, Jenette, Sarah, Anna Jane, Jessie, Jestine, my great-grandfather Steve (aka Theodore), William Marshall, and James Henry.
- The family lived in Montgomery County from at least 1910 to 1918, including, specifically, the town of Dooley.
- After Laura Ann died (date unknown, but likely between 1918 and 1920), he remarried, first to Ella Smith in 1920, then to Florence McCall in 1924, both in Jefferson County, Alabama.
- He had been a farmer and a minister (a traveling one, per one of his granddaughters).
- He had passed away around 1963.
- He had descendants in Alabama, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, at the least.
(Is it about time for me to write a Timeline post about him? Probably!)
Why list all of this out? It was information that could – and did – point me in the direction of sources to help me find the names of his parents. But, Adrienne, couldn’t you have just looked for his birth certificate, or some other immediate record of his birth? Nope! Births weren’t recorded at the county or state level in Alabama until 1881. It’s possible I might find a Delayed Birth Certificate for him or a baptismal record from the church his family attended, if they attended one, and I hold out hope for both of those, but these other pathways were more accessible to me and, frankly, easier to search.
So, where did I turn for information on his parents? What did I look for? Well, I started by looking for Steve Evans (and James Steven Evans and all other permutations) in Montgomery County, Alabama, and especially the town of Dooley, for the census years for which I didn’t already have him. If you read my last post, you know that I found a promising household in the 1880 Census: there is a 2-year-old Steve Ivins who is the son of Daniel and Genett Ivins, living in Dooley.
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| Bottom of Page 10 of 1880 Federal Census for Dooley, Montgomery Co., AL |
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| Top of Page 11 of 1880 Federal Census for Dooley, Montgomery Co., AL |
Most of the 1890 Federal Census was destroyed by a fire (or, more accurately, the water that was used to put out the fire), and this part of Alabama is not included in what remains. I still cannot find him in the 1900 Census. I know where he is in 1910-1930 and he is not with his parents in any of these census enumerations. I might know where he is in 1940 and ultimately found the woman I believe to be his mother in that same year; they are not together (but finding her wasn’t unhelpful – stay tuned!).
I also searched for his death certificate, and found it! That provided me with his Social Security Number, which made it easier for me to apply for his Application for a Social Security Number. What did these tell me?
Death Certificate:
- Parents: Dan Evans and Anna Jane Evans. Informant: Rev. James H. Evans of Detroit, MI, (James) Steven’s son.
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| Source: Alabama Department of Public Health, Center for Health Statistics |
Social Security Number Application:
- Parents: Dan Evans and Anna Jane Tolliver. Informant: (James) Steven Evans himself.
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| Source: Social Security Administration |
So, here’s what I’ve got so far:
|
Source |
Father |
Mother |
Informant |
|
1880 Federal Census |
Daniel Ivins |
Genett Ivins |
Presumably, Dan or Genett |
|
1900 Federal Census |
His likely future wife, Laura “Scriggs,” is just a few households away from a household headed by Danial Evans… |
…and Danial’s wife is Jannette Evans |
|
|
1940 SSN Application |
Dan Evans |
Anna Jane Tolliver |
Himself |
|
1962 Death
Certificate |
Dan Evans |
Anna Jane Evans |
Son James H. Evans |
This was all very exciting! But, there was definitely more info to be found. For one thing, I needed to trace the life not just of (James) Steven Evans, but also of these people who
kept showing up as his parents, Daniel and Anna Jane or
Jennette* Evans. Were Anna Jane and Jennette two different
people, or the same person?? So, yes, definitely more to discover and report. Stay tuned for my next post!
*Note: The spelling of this name varies widely across documents. I’ve chosen to go with a standardized version (Jennette), unless I’m directly referencing a specific document (Genett, Janette, etc.).
* * *
Meanwhile, are you descended from James Steven Evans? Do you know anything about his birth family? Are you from the community of Dooley, Montgomery County, Alabama, and have history or intel to share? Drop a note in the comments below!
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