BIOGRAPHIES

HISTORY OF CLERMONT & BROWN COUNTIES, OHIO
By Byron Williams
1913
 

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JOSEPH H. EVANS.  Mr. Joseph H. Evans, deceased, was long connected with the agricultural interests of Brown county, Ohio, and was one of the most highly esteemed and substantial citizens.  He was born on the Evans homestead in Huntington township, Brown county, Feb. 15, 1854, a son of the Hon. Andrew Evans, extended mention of whom is made on another page of these volumes.      Joseph H. Evans attended the school in his neighborhood and remained under the parental roof until his twenty-second birthday, and under his father's instructions grew into a thoroughly practical farmer, able to cope with almost ay agricultural situation.  For years he was considered one of the best farmers in his locality.      Mr. Evans was united in marriage on his twenty-second birthday to Miss Louisa B. Dragoo, who was born Mr. 22, 1857, a daughter of Samuel and Amanda (Day) Dragoo, of Union township.  One year after his marriage Mr. Evans removed to his farm, where Mrs. Evans still resides, and which consists of two hundred and sixty-nine acres.  This farm Mr. Evans improved and cultivated during his life and the family continue to keep it an excellent condition.  The home is in Union township and was built in 1821.      Four children were added to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Evans, whose names follows:      Charles P., born Nov. 9, 1876, is operating the home farm.  He married Miss Audrey Shank, who died Oct. 14, 1901, leaving one son, Richard N., thirteen years of age.  Mr. Evans is a member of Lamartine Lodge No. 118, Independent Order of Odd Fellows.      Ross H., born Mar. 17, 1879, is in the United States mail service and resides at Kansas City, Mo.  He married Cordie Christopher.      Archie L., born June 18, 1881, is a jeweler of Kansas City, Mo.  He married Sadie Marshall.      Estelle V., born Aug. 10, 1855, and is the wife of Evert R. Fennan, a farmer of Jefferson township, living near Russellville, Brown county.      Mr. Joseph Evans and his family are members of the Presbyterian church, and he was a man of integrity of character, and honorable and upright in public and private life, he was highly respected by all who knew him. * Source:  History of Clermont & Brown Counties, Ohio - Volume II - By Byron Williams - 1913 - Page 485

LeROY J. EVANS, of an old and highly respected family of Brown County, was born on the farm in Jefferson Township where he now resides, in 1845, son of James Edward and Melinda (Kendall) Evans.  His father was born in the same place and died three months before the son's birth.  There were originally two farms there, which belonged to Edward Evans, father of James Edward Evans, and this land has been in the family over one hundred years.  Melinda Kendall was born on the Jacob Probst farm in Jefferson township, Dec. 22, 1812, died June 4, 1902, and was buried in Russellville.  There were seven children in the family and the subject of this sketch is now the only one surviving.  Two died in infancy; Hugh served in the Fourth Ohio independent cavalry during the Civil war; Thomas Harvey served in Foster's independent cavalry; James Edward served in the Fifth-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry; Leroy J. served in the Eighty-ninth Ohio infantry.  Thomas Harvey contracted smallpox and was buried at Pittsburg Landing.  The father and two grandfathers of LeRoy J. Evans were buried on the home place.      The grandfather of LeRoy J. Evans, Edward Evans, served in the Revolution, and his father, Hugh Evans, descended from an Evans whom came to America with William Penn in 1682, locating near Philadelphia.  Hugh Evans located in what was first Cumberland and is now Bedford  county, Pennsylvania, on the Juniata river, ten miles from the present borough of Bedford.  There Edward Evans was born, Apr. 27, 1760, being an only son and having two elder sisters who died in young womanhood and were very proficient in music.  Edward Evans made many trips to Hagerstown, Md., to procure salt, which he sold at twelve dollars per bushel.  He was but sixteen years of age when the Revolution began and he and his father then forgot their Quaker training.  The father enlisted in June, 1776, and served two months, then the son took his place, becoming a member of Capt. Samuel Dawson's company, under Col Richard Hampton, in the Eleventh Pennsylvania regiment.  He participated in the battles of Brandywine, Sept. 11th; Paoli, September 20th, and Germantown, Oct. 4, 1777.  He was near the scene of the battle of Monmouth, on that memorable hot Sunday, June 28,1778.  At the battle of Brandywine their colonel's horse was shot from under him, and he c hanged his saddle  to another horse and continued in command.  After leaving the army Mr. Evans located in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania.  He settled on what was called the Neck, between the Yohoghany and Monongahela rivers, in Rostover township, near DeVore's ferry on the latter stream.  There he married Jemima, daughter of William Applegate, from New Jersey, and one hundred persons partook of the wedding feast.  While he and his wife were keeping house for John Wright, a Scotch bachelor, Mr. Evans made many of the household utensils on his anvil, and some of these are held as dear keepsakes by his descendants at the present time.  With his wife and two children, he came to Ohio in a flatboat, in 1785.  They landed at Maysville and went back to Washington, where they resided until 1799, when they came to Brown county.  During Indian troubles in Kentucky, he was an Indian scout and spy.  Upon coming to Brown County they located at Red Oak, buying one hundred and nine acres of land in 1803, then in the midst of unbroken wilderness of Jefferson township.  He paid for the land in horses, but after deciding to live on it was almost ready to give it up because there were no springs on it.  He decided that it was a good spot for a home, however, and later was able to find seven springs on the place.  He first erected a rude cabin but some time later put up a good two-story log house, putting one hundred wagon loads of stone into the chimneys of this residence.  He was a large man, weighing three hundred some times, but at other times but one hundred and eighty-five pounds.  He was five feet ten and one-half inches in height, and with a striking appearance and manner.  He had high check bones, a broad forehead, regular features, and a proud erect carriage.  He and his wife had six sons and six daughters.  She had four sisters and two of their husbands served in the Revolution.  At his death he was wrapped in an old-fashioned shroud, laid in a flat-topped cherry casket, and buried on the old home farm, which is now in the possession of the widow of his grandson, Hugh Evans.  Since the family came to America, in 1682, there has been a Hugh and Edward in each generation.  His wife died January 7, 1844, and her father, William Appleby, migrated from New Jersey to Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and later to Corydon, Ind., where he died at the age of one hundred and five years.  He shot a squirrel, without the aid of glasses for sighting, when he was one hundred years old.  His direct heir in Brown county in LeRoy J. Evans.      After returning from the war LeRoy J. Evans remained on the home farm, and in 1873 he married Miss Ella Tweed, born in Union township, Brown county, in 1850, daughter of Patterson and Rebecca (Jones) Tweed.  Mr. Tweed was born near his old home in the vicinity of Ripley, in 1812, and died in 1875, and his wife was born in Union township.  They had eight children and Mrs. Evans is the only one now surviving.  One son, John A., served three years in Company E, Seventh Ohio cavalry.      After the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Evans they took charge of the old homestead and his mother lived with them.  He built a very pretty home about 1876, and has made a number of improvements.  He carries on general farming on one hundred and thirteen acres of choice farm land, and raises considerable stock.  He is a Democrat in politics and served very acceptable two terms as county commissioner, 1893-1900.  He was appointed by Governor Harris as trustee of the School for the Deaf in Columbus, succeeding Judge Tyler, of State School for the Deaf, in this position.  He has also held minor township offices, such as assessor, member of the board of agriculture, and so on.      Mr. and Mrs. Evans have had five children, all born on the old family homestead:      Mary Alice, born Sept. 25, 1873, married Richard Moore, of Pleasant township, and they have three children - Bertha, Mary Bell and Lucy.       Frank, of Jefferson township, married Miss Cora Henry, and they have two children, Grace and George, the former of whom is deaf and dumb and attends the college in Columbus.      Emma B., born Aug. 17, 1877, married Ernest Day, of Pleasant township, and they have three children - Ruth, Alice and Grace.      Albert H., born Jan. 14, 1880, living on the home farm with his father, married Miss Nellie Marshall, and they have one son, Charles.|      The fifth child, Clara F., died July 12, 1882.      Mr. Evans is a man of great force of character and is popular throughout the county.  He has a good judgment upon general subjects and has served in public office most conscientiously and efficiently.  He was a member of the executive board and represented the interests of Brown county during the tobacco war in Kentucky.  He is a man of intellectual and literary tastes, and he and his family hold a high place in various circles.  He is proud of the part taken by his ancestors in the early history of his county, State and country, as he has every cause to be, and is appreciative of the principles and attitude of all that is included in good citizenship. * Source:  History of Clermont & Brown Counties, Ohio - Volume II - By Byron Williams - 1913 - Page 549

WILLIAM H. EVANS, M. D., who for nearly half of a century has been engaged in the practice of medicine at Hiett, in Huntington township, Brown county, Ohio, is a man of remarkable personality and signal achievement and the life of one so closely connected with professional, religious and literary movements of any community is generally invested with much interest; and a short sketch of such a life cannot but prove instructive to the careful reader of history.      For the past fifty-two years Dr. Evans has been a contributor to the "Ripley Bee," writing under the nom de plume of "Barlow."  His war record brought him into honorable prominence also, for with that spirit of bravery and duty which has ever characterized him, he offered himself to his country, for service, early in the siege of the Civil war.      The birth of  Dr. William H. Evans occurred on the land settled by his grandfather, in 1800, in Huntington township, Brown county, his natal day being Oct. 8, 1835, having a twin brother, Abraham F., who in later years was also an eminent physician, who died in 1862.  The parents of William H. Evans were Hon. Andrew and Mary (Hiett) Evans.      Hon. Andrew Evans was born at the old home, two miles below Heitt, on the East Fork of Eagle creek, Dec. 12, 1809, and passed from this life at the same home, on Sept. 12, 1879.  He was a successful farmer and skilled mechanic, having a shop on the farm, near the mill which his father built and operated, as did Andrew and others of the family.  He was a Democrat until 1862.  He was elected to the Ohio legislature from Brown county, serving one term.  He was recognized as a leading politician and as a strictly honorable and able citizen.  He was a son of John and Mary (Housh) Evans.      John Evans was born in Baltimore county, Maryland, Nov. 17, 1770, and his death took place in Brown county, Ohio, Apr. 27, 1862.  In the year of 1792, John Evans left the State of his nativity and settled near Blue Lick Springs in Kentucky, where he had a residence for some eight years.  In 18pp, he came to Brown county, Ohio, where he purchased five hundred and thirty-five acres in the central part of Huntington township.  Later, in 1826, Mr. Evans erected a grist mill on the Little East Fork of Eagle creek, which was in operation for many yeas.  He was a staunch advocate of the principles of the Democratic party and was one of the first county commissioners of Brown county.  He was a gallant soldier in the War of 1812, and served in the ranks of the privates.  In religious faith, he was of the Quaker persuasion, while his wife was of the Episcopalian belief.  She was born in Pennsylvania, where they were married and her mother was of German birth.  John Evans as a son of John, Sr., and Hannah (Griffith) Evans, both of whom died in Maryland.  John Evans, Sr., was a son of Thomas and Elizabeth Evans, of Welsh descent; they settled in Philadelphia county, Pennsylvania, near New North Wales.      Mary (Hiett) Evans was born in Huntington township, Brown county, Ohio, Apr. 21, 1815, and departed this life Aug. 10, 1892.  She was a daughter of William and Mary (Daniels) Hiett, both of Fairfax county, Virginia, who came to Brown county after their marriage, about 1806.  Two of their children, Nellie and Samuel, were born in Virginia, and the others were born in Brown county.  Mary Hiett was the youngest of eight children, including John, James, Lettie, Isabella and Elizabeth.      A brother of William, John Hiett, came to Brown county in 1812, and it was his son, John K., who was the largest contributor to the building of John K. Hiett's chapel, that building being named in honor of him.  This chapel was erected in 1870, and is located in the western part of Huntington township, on Eagle creek, on the North Pole pike, leading to Ripley.  William and John Hiett were sons of Simeon and Polly (Providence) Hiett, both of whom were born in Fairfax county, Virginia, where they also died.      Dr. William H. Evans is one of the eleven children, of whom one brother and three sisters are living:      Samuel, born Apr. 18, 1834, and died May 27, 1910, at his home on the old home place, in Huntington township.      William H., and his twin brother, Abraham F., born Oct. 8, 1835, the latter of whom died on May 4, 1862, at his home at Aberdeen, Ohio.  He was also a physician and had practiced some years before his death at Pleasant Hill, Ind.       Indiana, born Nov. 3, 1837, married Mr. George W. Early, Sept. 3, 1857, and her residence is at Columbus, Ohio.  Her son, Dr. Louis Mortimer, died in the spring of 1912 and Mr. Early  is also deceased.      John B., born Mar. 12, 1841, died May 27, 1863.  He was a member of Company F, Seventieth Ohio volunteer infantry.  His death was the result of an illness, contracted in the service.      Amos A., born Apr. 2, 1843, and died Nov. 24, 1864, at home.  He was a clerk in the war department for some time.      Mary, born Sept. 30, 1845, married Feb. 6, 1873, to Mr. Walter Grierson, and they reside at Hiett, where they own a store, which they have conducted for some time.      Isabella E., born Mar. 25, 1849, married on Mar. 28, 1872, to John F. Hawk, of near Ripley, on the Russellville Pike.  Her son conducts a livery at Ripley.      Ann Delia, born Oct. 24, 1851, died Jan. 25, 1866.      Joseph H., born Feb. 15, 1854, and married Louisa B. Dragoo.  His death occurred Aug. 1, 1892, and his widow lives in Union Township.      Lee Andrew, born Oct. 16, 1858, is a resident of Los Angeles, Cal., where for the past six years he has been engaged as a veterinary surgeon.      (NOTE:  something is missing here.  I have noticed lots of typos in this book and I am correcting what I can ~ SWick)      in both professional and business life have grown up on farms, and such as the case of Dr. Evans.  When he had reached school age, he also assisted his father on the farm, and in the mill, and after completing the district schools, he entered a local grammar school, in company with his twin brother, Abraham F.  In this way he acquired a good common school education, which in later life enabled him to broaden his knowledge along other more congenial lines.      On the 23d of September, 1857, William H. Evans was united in marriage to Amanda, daughter of Robert and Johanna (Cooper) Scott, of Brown County.  Mrs. Evans died Nov. 1, 1860, at the age of twenty-two years, both months and thirteen days, leaving two children:  Samuel Walter, who was born July 12, 1858, died Oct. 6, 1861, and Andrew, (NOTE:  this comma ended the paragraph)      It has often been remarked that most of the successful men who was born in Tippecanoe county, Indiana, Oct. 19, 1860, and died Sept. 19, 1861.      In 1860, Mr. Evans removed from Huntington township, Brown county, to near West Point, Tippecanoe county, Indiana, where he engaged in farming for one season, and also read medicine with his twin brother, who had graduated from the Ohio Medical College of Cincinnati.  After the death of Mrs. Evans he returned to his parents' home with the babes.  He then studied medicine with Dr. Denham S. Guthrie, at Aberdeen, until his enlistment in the army of the Civil war.      On Apr.12, 1862, Dr. William Evans entered the army in Company E, Eighty-ninth regiment, Ohio volunteer infantry, and was appointed duty sergeant in the organization of the regiment.  He was sent to the front and was active in numerous engagements up to August 14, 1863, when he was commissioned hospital steward of the regiment.  He participated in thirty-one battles and skirmishes, his regiment being organized with the First brigade, Third division, Fourteenth army corps, under Generals Thomas and Sherman.  Dr. Evans engaged in the famous "March to the Sea," and the engagements included Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Rocky Face, Tunnell Hill, Resaca, Kenesaw Mountain, Atlanta, Jonesboro, and others.  He was never injured seriously nor suffered from any illness to interfere with his duties.  On Dec. 24, 1864, he was detained hospital steward of the Fourteenth corps, remaining in Savannah until the following March, then rejoined the regiment at Goldsboro, N. C., remaining there until Johnson's surrender.  The regiment then marched to Washington City, where, on June 7, 1865, he received an honorable discharge.  He participated in the Grand Review at the capital, after which he returned to his home.      Returning to Aberdeen, Ohio, after the close of the war, Mr. Evans resumed his medical study with Dr. John W. Guthrie, continuing until the October following, when he entered the Charity Hospital Medical College, of Cleveland, Ohio, and attended the lectures of Prof. R. N. Barr, then surgeon general of Ohio.  On Feb. 21, 1866, he received the degree of Doctor of Medicine and at once began the practice of his profession in Huntington township, removing to Hiett, on Sept. 30, 1868.      The marriage of Dr. William H. Evans to Maria Power Games occurred on Dec. 5, 1867.  She was born in Huntington township, Brown county, Ohio, Feb. 25, 1853, a daughter of Hon. John F. and Amanda (Earley) Games.  Seven children have been added to the family of Dr. and Mrs. Evans, tow of whom are deceased, Wylie and Nellie H., the latter of whom died in infancy.  The others are as follows:      W. T. Sherman and P. H. Sheridan, twins, who were born Oct. 1, 1868.  The former resides at home and is an attache of the State hospital at Dayton, Ohio, which position he has filled for the past seven years.  The latter is an attache of the hospital of Columbus, Ohio.  He married Miss Agnes Shewmaker.      Esther Early, born Aug. 22, 1874, is the wife of William N. Campbell, of Union township, near Ripley, Ohio.  He is a grandson of the late Dr. and United States Senator Campbell, of Ripley.  They are the parents of five children - Nellie B., Leora N., William Richard, Edwin A. and Evelyn E.      Minnie Myrtle, born Feb. 16, 1876, is the wife of Edwin B. Kinkead, a farmer of Union township.  They have two children, Esther Marie and William Glenn.      Wylie Weber, born Nov. 30, 1878, died at Ripley, Ohio, June 24, 1894.      Edwin Glenn was born Jan. 21, 1894.  He is at home with his parents.      Dr. and Mrs. Evans reside at their comfortable home at Hiett.  Dr. Evans joined the Christian church at Bethlehem, in 1856, being the first of the family to become a member.  He was licentiate minister of the Ohio Christian conference for twelve years, when he resigned.  Mrs. Evans is also a member of that denomination.      In politics, Dr. Evans has always been an advocate of the principles of the Republican party, and has always taken an intelligent interest in all public affairs.  He was Republican nominee for sheriff in 1870, and was also nominee for Sate Senator in the Fourth district, but was defeated owning to the heavy Democratic plurality.      For a period of four years, Dr. Evans was chairman of the United States board of pension examiners, with headquarters at Maysville, Ky., under President Harrison.      Socially, Dr. Evans is a member of W. Wirt Liggett Post, Grand Army of the Republic, of Ripley, Ohio.  He served as chaplain and also a surgeon.  He served as an officer of the Ohio State organization, department of Ohio.      Dr. Evans has successfully practiced his profession for forty-five years at Hiett, Ohio, and is most highly esteemed as a physician and as a citizen by a very large circle of relatives, friends and acquaintances.  He is also widely known as a well informed authority on matters historical.      Benjamin Evans, an uncle of our subject, was justice of the peace for many years, and also served in the capacity of county auditor of Brown county, and later served as State Senator.  A son of his, Andrew Evans, has served as representative of Atchinson county, Kansas.      Dr. William H. Evans is always in touch with the progress of the times in business life, in political thought, in religious sentiment, and in the general movement of the world toward a higher civilization.  He is a useful and forceful factor in molding pubic thought and opinion, leaving the impress of his individuality for good upon many lines of thought and activity.  In purity and strength of character, whether as a private citizen or a public servant, he has few equals. Source:  History of Clermont & Brown Counties, Ohio - Volume II - By Byron Williams - 1913 - Page 211

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