David Evans (1804 - 1883)

Born 27 Oct 1804 in Cecil County, Maryland, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Beck) Evans — married 25 Jul 1826 in Pennsylvania, United States

Husband of Barbara Ann (Ewell) Evans — married 23 Nov 1841 in Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois, United States

Husband of Sarah (Thornton) Coleman — married 18 Oct 1852 in Utah, United States

Husband of Clymenia Shaw — married 16 Mar 1854 in Utah, United States

Husband of Edna (Hinchcliff) Stimpson — married 23 Nov 1854 (to about 1857) in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States

Husband of Rebecca (Coleman) Evans — married 18 Nov 1856 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States

Husband of Margaret Christine (Holm) Evans — married 4 May 1861 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States

Descendants

Died 23 Jun 1883 at age 78 in Lehi, Utah County, Utah, United States

Biography

David Evans was a Latter Day Saint pioneer.

David was born on 27 October 1804 in Cecil, Maryland, United States^[1]. He was the son of Israel Evans and Abigail (Alexander) Evans.

His family moved to Pennsylvania when he was young, and there he married Mary (Beck) Evans (1804-1841) in 1826. The happy couple moved to Richland County, Ohio where they purchased a farm ^[2].

David is listed in the 1830 Census of Sharon, Richland, Ohio, USA^[3]

The couple would have 7 children, 5 of whom lived to adulthood:

1. Eliza Jane Evans
2. Israel Evans (1828-1896)
3. Henry Beck Evans
4. Mary Ann (Evans) Glines (1832-1884)
5. Margaret Evans 1835--1836
6. Araminta Evans 1838-1838
7. Emma Beck (Evans) Coleman (1840-1913)

David was an early member of the new LDS church, he was baptized on April 6th, 1833 and was ordained a priest just days later. He immediately sold the farm and started traveling as a missionary.^[2] He was elevated to the first Quorum of Seventy^[4]in 1935 in Kirtland, Ohio. He later was a Bishop in Nauvoo, Illinois and in Lehi, Utah as well.

David traveled to Missouri and Illinois between 1834 and 1838. He moved to Payson, Adams County, Illinois in the spring of 1839 and his family followed shortly. The family is found on the 1840 Census^[5] living in Quincy, Adams, Illinois, USA.

Mary died in Payson on June 20, 1841, leaving behind 5 living children.

David married Barbara Ann Ewell (1821-1898) on November 23, 1841 in Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois^[6] They would have 15 children and one adopted child:

1. Martha (Evans) Winn (1842-1926)
2. Amanda Evans 1844 -1881
3. Abigail (Evans) Ellingson (1846-1932)
4. Joseph H Evans 1847-1899
5. Sarah Evans 1849-1893
6. Susannah (Evans) Alldredge (1850-1932)
7. David Evans Jr 1852-1923
8. Hyrum Evans 1853-1862
9. Barbara Ann Evans 1855-1926
10. Rozilla Barbara Evans 1856-1940
11. Ephraim Evans 1858-18563
12. Eleazer Evans (1861-1884)
13. Mosiah Evans (1862-1921)
14. Mary Ann Evans 1864-1931
15. Jacob Abel Evans 1867-1953
16. Sophia Louisa Beck 1875-1966 - adopted from Louisa and John Beck.

David was called to lead a Pioneer Company into Utah - the company had 54 wagons and was known as the David Evans Company. They started their travel from Kanesville, Iowa (now known as Council Bluffs, Iowa) around June 15th, 1850 ^[7] and arrived in Deseret or what would become Salt Lake City, Utah Territory on September 15th, 1850.^[8]

The 1850 Census^[9] shows David and his family had settled in Iron County, Utah where they had a farm.

David married his first polygamous wife, Sarah (Thornton) Coleman (1806-1892) on October 18, 1852 in Salt Lake City. There were no children as a result of this marriage.

He then married Clymenia Shaw (1834-1920) as his second polygamous wife on March 16th, 1854 in Provo, Utah Territory. This relationship resulted in 3 children, 2 of whom lived to adulthood:

1. Phebe Jane Evans 1855-1855
2. James Evans 1857-1940
3. Edwin Thomas Evans (1860-1946)

James took Edna (Hinchcliff) Stimpson (1828-1908) as his third polygamous wife on November 23rd, 1854 in Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, making her his 4th wife at the time. This relationship had two children, both of whom died in infancy.

1. Samuel Evans 1855-1855
2. Hannah Evans 1857-1857

Edna would marry another man in 1858 in Ogden, Utah Territory and have children with him,

David married Rebecca (Coleman) Evans (1838-1923) on November 18th, 1856 in Salt Lake^[10], and they would have 8 children, 7 of whom lived to adulthood:

1. George Coleman Evans 1858-1906
2. Prime Coleman Evans 1859-1901
3. Harriet Evans 1862-1942
4. Sarah Coleman Evans 1864-1946
5. Rebecca Evans 1868-1869
6. Emma Jane Evans 1869-1942
7. Martha Ann Evans 1872-1942
8. Ella Ellen Evans 1875-1962

In the 1860 Census for Lehi, Utah County^[11], David is listed with Barbara and their children, along with Clymenia Shaw. Her children are not listed, nor are Sarah or Rebecca, his other wives and their children.

David married Margaret Christine (Holm) Evans (1843-1898) as his 7th consecutive wife on May 4, 1861 in Salt Lake City. Margaret was his 6th wife in polygamy, but the 5th wife in the family at the time due to Edna leaving in 1858. Margaret had 6 children, 5 of whom survived to adulthood:

1. John Holm Evans 1863-1864
2. Margaret Christine Evans 1865-1941
3. Jane Evans 1867-1919
4. Hannah Evans 1870-1953
5. Rachel (Evans) Wing (1874-1962)
6. Clara Evans 1876-1920

In 1862, the LDS Church officially ended their doctrine of polygamy as a condition to achieve statehood. Although most families would present that they no longer practiced the custom, many families still considered polygamous wives as their family members. Many of the polygamous wives would live elsewhere with their children while the first or legal wife remained in a family home with the husband.

The 1870 Census^[12] shows David and Barbara and their children living in Lehi, Utah County, Utah Territory, USA. Sarah, Rebecca, Clymenia, Margaret and their children are also listed as living in the home.

The 1880 Census shows the large family living in 4 houses presumed to be next to one another, as they are listed consecutively on the census record of ^[13]David and Barbara live in the first home with their children, Sarah and Rebecca are listed as wives in home #2 and living with Rebecca's children. Margaret and her children are in house #3, also listed as a wife, and Clymenia is listed as a wife in house #4 with her son.

David died at the age of 78 on 23 June 1883 in Lehi, Utah, Utah, United States.^[1] and was buried in Lehi City Cemetery, Lehi, Utah, Utah, USA. ^[14]

Research Notes

Writings from 2nd wife Barbara Ewell: "I am the mother of fifteen children--seven boys: Joseph, Hiram, David, Eleazer, Mosiah, Ephraim, and Jacob and eight girls: Martha, Amanda, Abigail, Sarah, Susan, Barbara, Rozilla, and Mary--ten of whom are living besides an adopted child, the daughter of Louise and John Beck. I have 101 grandchildren, 86 living, 21 dead; 51 great grandchildren, 43 living, 8 dead. I was 75 years old May 16, 1896. All my children living are married and have families. I have been a widow 13 years. I was left with three children." - no source provided with original gedcom upload.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Record of Members (Worldwide), 1836-1970", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:668B-C293 : 3 November 2023), David Evans
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Obituary: Published in the Deseret News edition on 18 July 1883
   Deseret News archive (accessed 11 April 2024)
   Married in 1826 and other early life facts.
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1830", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XH56-JCL : Sat Mar 09 10:47:38 UTC 2024), Entry for David Evans, 1830.
4. ↑ Death: "Seventy Quorum Membership, 1835-1846"
   Original data: Black, Harvey B. Seventy Quorum Membership, 1835-1846: An Annotated Index of Over 3,500 Seventies Organized into the First Thirty-Five Quorums of the Seventy in Kirtland, Ohio, and Nauvoo, Illinois. Provo, Utah: Infobases, Inc., 1996. Private Donor
   Ancestry Record 3176 #904 (accessed 11 April 2024)
   David Evans death 1883, child of Israel Evans & Abigail Alexander, in Utah.
5. ↑ "United States Census, 1840", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHBJ-SQ6 : Fri Mar 08 12:11:23 UTC 2024), Entry for David Evans, 1840.
6. ↑ "Illinois Marriages, 1815-1935", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:HSJ2-DJW2 : 13 January 2020), David Evans, 1841.
7. ↑ "Utah Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel Database, 1847-1868," , FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK9B-CM8Z : 10 February 2018), David Evans, 17 Sep 1850; from "Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel: 1847-1868," database, > The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (https://history.lds.org/overlandtravels/ : 2004-).
8. ↑ Arrival: "Pioneer Immigrants to Utah Territory"
   Original data: Questionnaires compiled by Sons of the Utah Pioneers in Salt Lake City; Page number: 000755
   Ancestry Record 5423 #520 (accessed 11 April 2024)
   David Evans marriage to Mary Beck Clemima Gibson;Barbara Ann Ewell Rebecca Coleman (below) on 25 Jul 1826 in Pennsylvania.
9. ↑ "United States Census, 1850", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCSX-WCZ : Sat Mar 09 03:22:52 UTC 2024), Entry for David Evans and Barbara Ann Evans, 1850.
10. ↑ "United States Western States Marriage Index", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XZ83-VL7 : 19 October 2018), D. Evans and Rebecca Coleman, 1856.
11. ↑ "United States Census, 1860", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MH2W-QJF : Sat Mar 09 23:16:02 UTC 2024), Entry for Davd Evans and Barbra A Evans, 1860.
12. ↑ "United States Census, 1870", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNCY-2PJ : Tue Mar 05 10:19:22 UTC 2024), Entry for David Evans and Barbara Evans, 1870.
13. ↑ "United States Census, 1880", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNSL-XT6 : Sat Mar 09 07:17:03 UTC 2024), Entry for David Evans Sr. and Barbara A. Evans, 1880.
14. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/95601/david-evans: accessed April 11, 2024), memorial page for David Evans (27 Oct 1804–23 Jun 1883), Find A Grave: Memorial #95601, citing Lehi City Cemetery, Lehi, Utah County, Utah, USA; Maintained by Schott Family (contributor 46932087).

See also:

• https://www.lehifreepress.com/2017/06/29/david-evans-lehis-founding-father/

Acknowledgments

• Profile Evans-7359 was created through the import of Stagg_Branch.ged on Dec 8, 2013 by Jeff Kline.