CENTRE LINES

The Evans Family

This column is part of a feature series which focuses on a different Centre County family each week. Five new columns will be released each month unless some technical difficulty enters the picture.

This column's focus is on Evans. An effort has been made to identify all persons carrying that name in the 1890 U.S. Census, using the Centre County business directory which was formed from a preliminary review of that census before the larger set of 1890 U.S. Census records was destroyed by fire. (Sadly, the postal directory does not typically provide the ages of females, but it's the best record we've got).

One book in the Pennsylvania Room of the Centre County Library in Bellefonte apparently deal with the Evans family. It is: Jerry R. McCloskey's Felix and Rachel (Evans) McCloskey's Legacy (1997).

There are 33 different first-name entries for Evans in John Blair Linn's History of Centre and Clinton County (1883). In addition, there are many references to the name in Beers' Commemorative Biographical Record of Central Pennsylvania (1898).

And, now, your ancestors' EVANS neighbors in 1890:

In GREGG Township:

J. Wells, 47, farmer--Spring Mills Sarah R. Irene Cattie James W. 11 James G., 78, retired--Spring Mills Rebecca

In HOWARD Towsnhip:

Albert, 36, puddler--Howard Sallie Ellie Constant 12 Fannie Rebecca Herbert 7

In MILES Township:

Amanda J.--Rebersburg

In PHILIPSBURG Borough:

Kate--Front St.

In POTTER Township:

Mary A.--Centre Hill

In SNOW SHOE Township:

Mary--Snow Shoe Blair 16 Michael, 37, miner--Clarence