Thomas Evans, my second great grandfather was born on Dec 9, 1824 in Worcester, England to Thomas Evans, a glover, and Sarah. His birth and christening which occurred at Saint Helen Pump Street in the Methodist Church were recorded in the Non-Conformist Births and Baptismal Records.
We believe that Thomas arrived in New York City on March 27, 1837 aboard the ship St James with his father, age 38 and Ann, age 35, probably his father’s second wife. We believe the family settled in Bainbridge, New York and that Thomas’ father is listed in the 1840 census in that town with a woman age 40-50, a male (probably Thomas, Jr) age 15-20), and another male under five.
In 1847 Thomas Jr purchased land in Bainbridge from William and Sarah Banks for $181. The land was on the west side of lot 52. We haven’t found any marriage record but Thomas and Margaret Jane Kilborn sold that same property (part of Lot 52) in Bainbridge to Thomas Evans (probably his father) on May 27, 1852 for $250 so they must have married before the sale date.
Before March 1854, the Evans moved south to Owego, New York as their son Arthur Evans was born there and we also find them in the Owego census in June 1855. Thomas purchased property in Owego on Sept 20, 1855 and then on November 8, 1855 purchased additional property with his wife Jane. Thomas then established a partnership with Watson Hoskins called Hoskins & Evans for the purpose of buying and selling watches. Newell Matson, a famous jeweler, who had his own business in Owego invested $3,000 in Hoskins & Evans as a silent partner for a two year partnership starting on May 4, 1858.
Thomas was a listed in the August 1860 census as a jeweler with his wife and three young children. His business was listed in multiple Owego directories between 1861 and 1867 as a house furnishing goods on Front and Court Street with a residence on 8 Liberty Street. The location is also shown on an 1869 map of Owego as a business #34 on the South Side of Front Street along the Susquehanna River (we added the yellow arrow).
Sometime before 1873, Thomas moved to the Chicago area where he worked as a salesman for Newell Matson who had lost much of his business in the Chicago fire. He and Thomas were working in Chicago while living in Lombard, Illinois. The fall of 1874 must have been difficult years for for the entire family — Thomas’s wife, Jane died on September 28, 1874 leaving him with four children, ages 20, 18, 15, and 9. According to Margaret’s daughter Grace, he remarried shortly after Jane’s death but that wife also died young. There is a gravestone marked Delia who died in 1876 and was buried near Thomas and Jane Evans but we do not know if this was the second wife or someone special to the family.
Thomas may have declared bankruptcy in Lombard around August 31, 1878 with $2,700 in debts and no assets. Shortly thereafter he moved into his daughter Stella’s home on 988 Lawndale in Chicago and then to 4339 Berkeley Avenue where his daughter and son-in-law lived and also housed other lodgers. In 1894 Thomas and his son Arthur traveled back to Owego to see friends and to visit his daughter Donna who lived in Syracuse. In 1896 while at the Berkeley Avenue residence he kept a journal listing addresses of many friends, relatives, and business associates. He also kept detailed tracking of his finances (the records show he liked his cigars…), and filled extra spaces in the book with sayings. The cover page says If should become disabled, L F Towne should be contacted. Amid all the work contacts, the book included a list of 1897 Christmas Gifts — WKP – suspenders, Harry – skates, Stella – Book, Grace – Book, and Madge – knives. Then Donna Joe and Will – still blank, May – Ring, Grandma still blank, Arthur – Money, and Tom – Money.
On October 1902, at the age of 77, Thomas traveled to Syracuse to celebrate his daughter’s 15th wedding anniversary. Upon his return, his son-in-law Lucian with whom he had been living was admitted to the Veterans Home and his daughter Stella moved to Los Angeles. Sometime thereafter he moved to his daughter Margaret’s home in Swift, Illinois. He was residing there in 1910.
Thomas died on March 19, 1911. His death certificate states the he died of La Gripp with contributory cause or complication of paralysis. This obituary was published in the Chicago Daily Tribune:
EVANS – Thomas Evans, born Dec. 9, 1834 [sic – he was born in 1824, jsp], March 19, 1911, at the home of his daughter, Mrs W. K. Patrick at Swift, Ill. Funeral Thursday, March 23, 2 p. m. at Swift, Ill. Interment Lombard, Ill.
His gravestone can be found at the Lombard Cemetery.
EVANS
Jane N – Sept 8, 1833 Sept 28 1874
T. Evans Died Apr 10 1884 Age 92 Yrs
Delia Died July 7, 1876 Age 36
Thomas Dec 9 1824 Mar 19 1911
CHILDREN
Arthur T Evans (1854-1912) – married Mary Genevra Holley
Stella Jane Evans (1856-1918) – married Lucian Farnham Towne and Frank Warren Whittier
Margaret Elizabeth Evans (1859-1935) – married Wilbur Knowles Patrick
Donna Lovilla Evans (1865-1908) – married Joseph Edward Shackford
I have DNA matches with ten known descendants of Thomas Evans plus my father and sister: 144 cM, 124 cM, 104 cM, 58 cM, 55 cM, 54 cM, 47 cM, 44 cM, 39 cM, 17 cM, and 12 cM. Four of these shared matches also share ancestors with me via Joseph Edward Shackford & Donna Lovilla Evans. I also share DNA with some of their shared matches who I can’t yet place. If you are a descendent of Thomas, and have either done or not yet done a DNA test, I’d love to hear from you!
Research Questions:
What brought Thomas Evans, Sr from Worcester, United Kingdom to the United States in 1847 and why to Bainbridge, NY in particular? Were other family members already in or living near Bainbridge?
What was Sarah, Thomas Evans, Jr’s mothers last name?
Who did Thomas marry as his second wife?
All posts on this website are a work in progress. We’d love to hear of any corrections or additions to the information shared. Also we’d love it if you’d like the post as that helps share this post with others.
SOURCES:
1840 United States Federal Census, Chenango County, New York, population schedule, Bainbridge, Page 206, Thomas Evins; digital images, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : accessed 14 April 2021).
1855 New York State Census, Tioga County, population schedule, Owego, page 56, Dwelling 457, Thos Evans; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 January 2014).
1860 United States Federal Census, Tioga County, New York, population schedule, Oswego, page 190, dwelling 1671, Thomas Evans; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 January 2014).
1865 New York State Census, Tioga County, population schedule, Owego, Page 23, dwelling 174, Thomas Evans; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 June 2017).
1880 United States Federal Census, DuPage County, Illinois, population schedule, Township of York, enumeration district (ED) Enumeration District No 250, Page No 16 (D), dwelling 138, family 138, Thomas Evans; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 11 December 2013).
1900 United States Federal Census, Cook County, Illinois, population schedule, Hyde Park Township, Chicago, enumeration district (ED) Enumeration District 1004, Sheet No 8 (B), 4339 Berkeley Av, Dwelling No 19, family 154, Lucius Towne; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 January 2014).
1910 United States Federal Census, DuPage County, Illinois, population schedule, Blooingdale, enumeration district (ED) Enumeration District No 2, Sheet No 17A, dwelling 246, family 249, William K Patrick; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 20 January 2014).
Boyd Andrew, Compiler, Boyd’s Directory of Binghamton, Elmira, Ithaca, and Owego with a Business Directory, 1864-65 (New York: 1864), page 235; digital images, Ancestry.com (Ancestry.com : accessed 1 January 2024; OWEGO DIRECTORY, Evans T. Jr., house furnishing goods, Front, n Court, h Liberty; Evans T. Jr., crockery, h 8 Liberty.
“The Court Record The Last Day but One of the Bankrupt Law-One Hundred and Sixty-five New Petitions Filed,” Inter Ocean (Chicago, Illinois), , Thomas Evans; digital images, NINETEENTH CENTURY U.S. NEWSPAPERS (find.galegroup.com : accessed 9 May 2018).
DEATHS,” The Chicago Daily Tribune (Chicago, Illinois), 21 March 1911, page 11; digital images, Chicago Tribune Archives (http://archives.chicagotribune.com : accessed 9 June 2017).
DuPage County Illinois Genealogy and History Lombard Cemetery DuPage County, IL (http://genealogytrails.com/ill/dupage/lombardcem.html : accessed 1 June 2014), Evans Gravestones.
“England & Wales Non-Conformist Births And Baptisms,” database, FindMyPast (FindMyPast.com : accessed 2 January 2023), Thomas Evans b 9 Dec 1824.
Find a Grave, Find A Grave, digital images (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 19 January 2014), Thomas Evans, Find A Grave Memorial# 23630425.
“New York, New York, Index Passenger Lists, 1820-1846,” digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ : accessed 15 April 2021), Thos Evans, Ann, Thos; Gt Brit, Gt Brit, Port of Entry NY Name of Vessel St James 3/1837, A-7262.
“State of New York, Tioga County, Miscellaneous records., v. 2-3 1851-1911 Misc rec., v. 2-3 1964 Misc,” digital image, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : accessed 14 May 2018), Partnership Thomas Evans Jr, Watson L Hoskins, and Newell Matson; page 78, Film # 007902165, Image 132, digital image no 132.
Thomas Evans, death certificate 2453 (1911), DuPage County, DuPage County.
“United States, New York Land Records, 1630-1975,” database with images, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : accessed 16 April 2021), Thomas Evans Jr purchases land in Bainbridge from William Banks; Chenango>Deeds 1846-1847 vol 74-75 Image 502 of 629, page 310.
“United States, New York Land Records, 1630-1975,” database with images, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : accessed 16 April 2021), Thomas Evans Jr & wife Jane sell land to Thomas Evans; Chenango>Deeds 1851-1852 vol 87-88 Image 616 of 672, page 464.
“United States, New York Land Records, 1630-1975,” database with images, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : accessed 1 January 2024), Tioga, 1855-1856 vol 56, page 303, Image 187, Thomas Evans Jr.
“United States, New York Land Records, 1630-1975,” database with images, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : accessed 1 January 2024), Tioga, Deeds 1855-1856 vol 56 p 335, Image 207, Thomas and Jane Evans.
“U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995,” database, Ancestry.com (www/ancestry.com : accessed 11 September 2020), Thomas Evans, Jr, salesman, N. Matson & Co. Chicago, Illinois City Directory, 1873.
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