Musgrove Evans (1785 - 1855)

Born 17 Dec 1785 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania

Ancestors

Husband of Abigail (Brown) Evans — married 21 Jul 1811 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States

Descendants

Died 7 Jun 1855 at age 69 in Austin, Travis County, Texas

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Biography

Musgrove was a Friend (Quaker)

"Musgrove Evans (son of Samuel Evans and Nancy Clough) was born 17 Dec 1785 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, and died 07 Jun 1855 in Austin, Travis County, Texas. He married (1) Abi Or Abigail Brown on 21 Jul 1811 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.

Marriage 1
Mar 1811].^[1] His wife was Abi Brown.^[1]

Marriage2
Catherine D Richardson on 01 Oct 1840 in Travis Co., Texas. He was reported married to the Galway Monthly Meeting on 20d 3m 1811 [20

The birth of their children are recorded in the minutes of the LeRay Monthly Meeting.

Notes for Musgrove Evans: History of Jefferson County in the State of New York,” as published in 1854. In 1818, Musgrove Evans had for several years been engaged in surveying for Le Ray, came on as an agent, and with him settled quite a number of Quaker families from Philadelphia, who gave a new impulse to the place, but finding it sickly, and it not meeting their expectations, they mostly emigrated. In 1823, Evans removed to Michigan, and founded the town of Tecumseh. As the country gradually became cleared, the sickness ceased since 1828 (which had remarkable for malignant fevers), the district has enjoyed exemption from these evils.

By 1803, a state road was laid out from Brownville to Putnam's Ferry, through the town, and on the 31st of March, 1815, an act was passed authorizing James Le Ray de Chaumont to build a turnpike from Cape Vincent to Perch river, at or near where the state road crossed the same, in the town of Brownville. The road was to be surveyed and laid out under the direction of Elisha Camp, Musgrove Evans, and Robert McDowell, or any two of them, and nothing in the act was to be construed so as to oblige Mr. Le Ray to build a bridge over Chaumont river.

Musgrove was the "second Auditor of the Republic" per writeup on Angelica Wells by Mrs. Daisy Barrett Tanner in "The History and Treasures of St. David's Church", Austin, TX 1976, p110. "Laid out the town of Tecumsah, Mich." per Peckham, Harriett, "History of Cornelis..Van Buren..." T. A. Wright, publ. NY 1913

• Only two Evans are listed:

Robert and Samuel B. Robt. was from Ireland, no relation

Samuel was the son of Musgrave (sic) Evans, and the Grandson of General Jacob Brown.

In the 1820 Census, Musgrove Evans was living at Lyme, Jefferson Co., NY. It appears from the EVANS, AMERICANS OF ROYAL DESCENT book that Musgrove Evans was the reason Elizabeth Crippen and other Evans family members came to settle in Texas, specifically first to Fayette Co., Texas. Musgrove was a surveyor,(Wing Evans and Brown), who first took his family to Tecumseh and Detroit, Michigan, building a grist mill in 1825 in Detroit., establishing the first mail and stagecoach line from Detroit to Chicago. In 1831 he had obtained land grants in Texas, and after his wife, Abi, died in 1832, he began exploration trips to Texas, where he moved his 5 children in 1834. Musgrove's son, Samuel B. Evans, was killed at the Alamo, whereupon Musgrove enlisted in the Texas Army April 1, 1836, fighting at San Jacinto. (Service Record No. 7446). He acquired large tracts of Texas land, and in 1839 was appointed 2nd auditor of the Republic. Musgrove was mentioned as a prominent resident of Austin, Tx. (American Historical Register). He died June 7, 1855, Austin, Travis Co., Texas.

TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION HISTORIC PLACQUE (1976) William Brookfield (1786 - 1849 ) and Musgrove Evans (1785 - 1855 ) brought their families from Michigan to Texas in the 1830’s. Brookfield and Musgrove’s son Samuel bought the David Berry League where the house stands, Samuel died at the Alamo the following year. Musgrove Evans and Brookfield’s son Francis served in the Texas Army at the Battle of San Jacinto.

In 1838 the Republic of Texas Congress voted to buy this land and the adjoining Eblin League as a location for the new capital, to be named “Austin.” But President Sam Houston Vetoed the Bill. Musgrove Evans later served as Auditor General of the Republic.

Brookfield erected a two-story stone residence at this site, when Mexican troops seized San Antonio in 1842, Samuel Maverick’s family fled the city and took refuge here. David Berry, The original landowner, and Francis Brookfield joined other local men to fight the Mexican invasion force. They were both killed in the Dawson Massacre, Sept 18, 1842.

William Brookfield’s daughter Emma (1814 - 1877) later occupant of the House, married Evan’s Son Vincent. After he died, she married Julius Cremer (d. 1889). The J.C. Brown Family, Owners since 1893, rebuilt the structure after a fire in 1911 destroyed the second floor.

The First Settlers in Tecumseh

In the autumn of 1823, a man named Musgrove Evans came to Tecumseh. He came looking for work as a surveyor. After Musgrove Evans surveyed the land, he went to talk to Austin Wing, his wife's cousin. They talked about how far removed they were from the common image of pioneers as simple, rustic poor folk. Musgrove Evens went back to New York and got a lot of settlers to come to Tecumseh and buy land.

Tecumseh was first settled in 1824 by three Quakers, Joseph W. Brown, Musgrove Evans and Austin E. Wing. Evans became the first postmaster that same year, and named the town after the great Shawnee Chief, Tecumseh. It functioned as the first county seat from 1826-1837. It was incorporated as a village in 1837, and later as a city in 1953.

Tecumseh, Musgrove Evans, postmaster

Lenawhee HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN ROADS & RAILROADS Wherever the pioneers settled, they knew that they had to improve the roads; it was just too difficult to take goods to and from market along primitive Indian trails. In the task of developing roads, Musgrove Evans of Tecumseh was preeminent. He was a surveyor, and he worked on the first two significant roads in the area. The first, the Chicago Road (now U.S. 12), was laid out in 1826 to run between Detroit and Chicago along the age old Indian path called the Great Sauk Trail. Once established, the Chicago Road became one of the most heavily traveled roads in the nation. Inns were established every fifteen miles or so to accommodate the thousands of travelers moving west.

Battle of San Jacinto 21st April 1836 2nd Regiment Volunteers Infantry Company
Officers

Alfred Henderson Wyly, captain

Hezekiah B. Balch, first lieutenant

John A. Heuser, second lieutenant

Franklin Hitchcock, first sergeant

Dr. Tobias Dubromer, Surgeon

John Balch

Musgrove Evans

Andrew Jackson Fowler

William Francis<b

William Gamble

Augustus Henderstrom

Levi Howard

Lewis Krattz

Hugh Marshal

John Matchett

Joseph McGee."

He passed away 7 Jun 1855.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} James E. Hazard Index, The Records of New York Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends at Friends Historical Library, Swarthmore College.; Call Number G 373; Volume 2.1; Page 179; ID 40958.

• "The History and Treasures of St. David's Church", Austin, TX 1976, p110.
• http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/c/h/i/Kate-Childers-1/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0023.html
• San Jacinto Museum

• Williams, Amelia, "A critical study of the siege of the Alamo and of the Personnel of its Defenders" SW Historical Qtrly, Vol XXXVII, Jan 1934 No. 3.

• Find A Grave: Memorial #31061450

"Musgrove Evans Evans, Samuel B. Matching Person details Spouse: Abigail Brown Father: given name surname Mother: given name surname Children: given name Birth: date date 1785 Pennsylvania, USA Death: date date year city, Travis, Texas, USA Residence: date Travis, Texas, USA

• Texas, County Tax Rolls, 1846-1910 TAX LISTS Record information.

Name Musgrove Evans Civil location year NAME: Musgrove Evans

• Texas, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1820-1890 1820S

Record information. Name Musgrove Evans Residence 1841 township, Travis County, TX NAME: Musgrove Evans STATE: TX COUNTY: Travis County YEAR: 1841

• Texas, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1820-1890 1820S

Record information. Name Musgrove Evans Residence 1840 township, Travis County, TX NAME: Musgrove Evans STATE: TX COUNTY: Travis County YEAR: 1840."

• Ancestry.com link