Father: James Johnson Evans
Mother: Mary Ella Welch

Spouse-1: Bertha May Francis - b: 19/Nov/1887 - Jackson Twp., Gentry Co., MO
   d: 10/May/1908 - Colorado Springs, CO - bur: Lafayette Cem., Nodaway Co., MO
  m: 30/Jan/1907 - Stanberry, Cooper Twp., Gentry Co., MO

Child: Bertha Lorene - b: 1/May/1908 - Colorado Springs, El Paso Co., CO
                                    d: 5/Jul/2000 - Stanberry, Gentry Co., MO - bur: High Ridge Cem.

Spouse-2: Angie Grace Johnson
  m: 25/Jan/1915 - Stanberry, Gentry Co., MO

Child-1: Glenn Vernon
          2: Russell Johnson
          3: Harold - b/d: 19/Jul/1919 - Cooper Twp., Gentry Co., MO - bur: High Ridge Cem., Stanberry
          4: Robert Kenneth
          5: Margie Maryann

Biographical Details:

James Homer Evans lived a long and rich life that embraced the simple pleasures of family, land, and church.  He was the third son of James Johnson and Mary Ella Welch Evans and was born in 1883 about three miles southwest of Albany, Missouri, and, except for a very brief interlude in Colorado, lived his entire life within the confines of Gentry County.  The only memory of this early location that he has related to later family members was that the house was near a railroad track and that he and/or his brothers would listen for the train whistle and then see how many times they could run back and forth across the railroad track until the train passed by.  Undoubtedly, this activity caused considerable consternation for engineers and conductors, but illustrates the timeless quality of the pursuits of boyhood.  Known familiarly as "Homer" throughout his life, when he was a small child the family moved to a large farm in Jackson Township about five miles south of the new town of Stanberry (platted in 1879) and one and a half miles east of the village of Island City.  Here, he spent his childhood, attending the Beggs country school up through middle and late adolescence as was the custom of the late nineteenth century.  He did not attend high school, but nevertheless received a more than adequate education considering the time and place.  Other childhood images of Homer are few, however, one that has been passed down through the family was that as a very young boy, of perhaps three or four years of age, he was particularly fond of the liver when pieces of the chicken were shared out among diners at the table and, moreover, he considered it as rightly "his piece".  As entertainment, other family members would often take the liver onto their plate "by mistake" only to have Homer arise from his chair, march around the table, skewer the liver with his fork, and return to his place with the prized portion.  This was all well and good among the family, but led to embarrassment when the parson came to dine one particular Sunday.  Unfortunately, as luck would have it, the liver was also his favorite, which he innocently appropriated to himself, only to have the young boy descend upon him without a word as previously described.  Although not recorded, the parson was presumably speechless considering behavior customarily expected from children of the nineteenth century.  Undoubtedly, parental explanations, however inadequate, were immediately forthcoming.  Accordingly, Homer seems to have been adventuresome as a young adult and in recounting this period of his life he would typically begin his account with the phrase, "When I was a young man ..."  Particularly memorable was an account of his "expedition" to central Wyoming to participate in one of the last large land rushes.  This almost certainly occurred in the summer of 1906 as a consequence of the cession of "surplus" reservation lands by the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes to the Federal Government in return for cash payments and other assistance.  The territory was opened for public entry by non-Native settlers on August 15, 1906.¹  Moreover, to provide some degree of order, parcels were distributed to homesteaders by lot with winners receiving quarter sections (one hundred and sixty acres) to "prove up" if they so desired.  In contrast, town lots in the new municipality of Riverton, Wyoming, were claimed by the traditional method of squatters rights, that is to say, the first person to occupy and hold each lot became its putative owner.  Contemporaneous newspaper accounts report that these proceedings were attended by many people from various parts of the country and that there was considerable public excitement and disorder.  Furthermore, since central Wyoming is semi-arid and access to water is essential to the success of irrigated agriculture, various groups of interested parties informally banded together to survey the countryside to ascertain the value of the land and the practicality of settlement.  Concomitantly, to prepare for his foray into the "Wild West", Homer had the foresight to borrow a revolver from his close friend, Ovid Francis (as protection from Indians no doubt).  As it so happened, Homer, together with a group of others, was standing on the bank of the Wind River.  According to his account, a part of the bank caved into the river, flushing out a snake, which began to swim in the water.  At this moment, Homer exclaimed, "Looky there, boys!", quickly drew down the gun, and fired without even aiming.  As luck would have it, the bullet neatly hit the snake's head.  As can be imagined, the others present were quite impressed with this feat of "quick draw" marksmanship and immediately inquired as to his place of origin.  When he revealed that he had come from near St. Joseph, Missouri, their awe only increased since this was the late home and bailiwick of the notorious outlaw bank and train robbers, Jessie and Frank James.  Of course, Homer was nothing of the sort and the demise of the snake was entirely a consequence of a lucky shot.  Even so, he did not make clear in his later accounts of this incident whether or not he disabused the witnesses present of their impression of his apparent great skill with firearms or rather if he preferred to bask in notoriety (albeit temporary).  In any case, Homer did not settle in Wyoming, but returned to Missouri.  As a final comment regarding his marksmanship, he described his attempts to shoot coyotes from the moving train as he returned home; all were uniformly unsuccessful.  So goes the short career of an aspiring Missouri desperado.  A second personal anecdote also descending from the first decade of the twentieth century is associated with the famous Lousiana Purchase Exposition (or World's Fair) held in St. Louis in 1904.  The Fair was organized to commemorate the centennial of the Lousiana Purchase and was billed as the glorious sequel to the Columbian Exposition that had been held in Chicago eleven years earlier.  As such, the St. Louis World's Fair caused substantial excitement about the country.  Moreover, economic conditions had improved after the Panic of 1893 so that many people had the means and, accordingly, the desire to attend; Homer among them.  However, he (and perhaps others as well) entertained considerable concern regarding the velocity, viz., sixty miles per hour or more, advertised for the train to St. Louis.  At such a speed, Homer later said, "I didn't know if I'd be able catch my breath."  Therefore, to provide for any fatal eventuality he purchased a life insurance policy just in case such apprehensions proved valid.  He did not disclose who was the beneficiary, but fortunately for later generations no benefits were evidently ever paid out.

By his mid-twenties, Homer was apparently ready for domestic life and on January 30, 1907, he and Bertha May Francis (who was a member of a close neighboring family and sister to Ovid Francis, mentioned previously) were married by G. W. Terrell, Minister of the Gospel.  Unfortunately, she was soon found to be suffering from "the consumption", i.e., tuberculosis, as it was then known.  (Indeed, tuberculosis was a leading cause of mortality before the advent of modern antibiotic medicines.)  Homer said very little in later life about this sad time.  It is not known if either she had or if he realized that she had the disease when they married.  What is known is that the couple relocated to Colorado Springs in the hope that the semi-arid climate and higher altitude would improve her health.  This was in vain, and Bertha died shortly after the birth of a daughter, Lorene.²  In Colorado, Homer supported his family as a hired laborer hauling coal.  As might be expected, this occupation was unappealing and he and the baby girl returned to Missouri.  Upon his return from Colorado he evidently lived with his parents and had no home of his own.  In these circumstances, Homer seems to have felt unable to care properly for his young daughter and from an early age she lived with her widowed maternal grandmother, Mary Alice Stuart Francis.  Perhaps, in the beginning this arrangement was meant to be only temporary; however, as time passed it became permanent and, for all practical purposes, Lorene never lived in her father's household, even after his remarriage.  She, herself, never married and in later life became an elementary school teacher, residing in various western states (in particular, Colorado, Oregon, Hawaii, and Arizona).  It is known that Homer expressed some later feelings of regret that Lorene did not receive a "normal" upbringing but, even so, it is certain that he did not abdicate his parental responsibility and that he provided for her as well as he possibly could.  Homer married Angie Grace Johnson at her parents' home in Stanberry, Missouri, on January 25, 1915.  They "set up housekeeping" on the Johnson family farm located about four miles southwest of the town and two miles north of Island City.  All of their children were born here in the following years.  The farm originally consisted of one hundred, fifty-eight and one half acres, which Homer and Angie purchased from her parents, John A. and Delilah Johnson, on February 27, 1919.³  This is further confirmed by a plat of Gentry County published in 1930.⁴  The original farmhouse is now abandoned, but remains standing (as of the year 2000) in the southeast corner of the standard forty acre parcel legally described as the "Southwest quarter of the Southwest quarter of Section Thirteen in Township Sixty-two of Range Thirty-three".   Without interruption, Homer lived at this location for the rest of his life and, as his father and grandfather before him, was engaged in farming and stock raising in Gentry County.  The period of World War I was a time of prosperity for American agriculture and in 1918 or 1919 Homer built a large, new barn about three hundred feet west of the farmhouse.  The frame was constructed of native burr oak timber and the building was large enough to accommodate five teams of work horses.  In general, Homer tended to be an optimistic, forward looking individual; hence, he readily adopted modern mechanized farming techniques and in 1923 purchased a Fordson tractor and associated mechanical implements.  Even so, in early 1920 the national economy entered a severe recession, which lasted until the summer of 1921, as a consequence of reduced demand in Europe and elsewhere in the aftermath of the First World War.  Unfortunately, agriculture did not share in the general recovery and economic boom of the 1920's that followed, but remained relatively depressed throughout the entire decade.  In this environment, farmers tended to assume large debts, which when the Stock Market Crash of 1929 came, proved ruinous.  This situation was rendered even more difficult by the failure of many rural banks and collateral disappearance of uninsured deposits.  As with many others, Homer was a victim of local bank failures and low commodity prices and as a consequence, "lost the farm" to creditors.  Fortunately, the situation did not become so dire as to force the family off of the land, nevertheless, they endured substantial hardship and survived the Great Depression through hard work and with the assistance of extended family members and neighbors.  The suffering of rural families during the decade of the 1930's was magnified even further because, in addition to economic dislocations, the American West and Middle West was also subject to extreme drought conditions.  In the Great Plains this was the period of the "Dust Bowl" during which topsoil was blown away in dust storms that turned day into night and, as a consequence of these troubles, farmers abandoned the land in droves.  Climatic conditions were not so extreme in Gentry County, but the heat and drought, particularly of  the years 1934 and 1936, remained a topic of local conversation for many years afterward.  Similarly, extremely cold and icy winters occurring in the same period were also long remembered.

Eventually, Homer was able to repay his debts and recover ownership of the land with the exception of a parcel known locally as the "Schoolhouse Eighty" (the "East half of the Southeast quarter of Section Fourteen in Township Sixty-two of Range Thirty-three"; excluding the grounds of the Crosswhite school located in the southwest corner, one and a half acres, more or less).  Although he regretted this loss and felt that he had not been given a fair opportunity by creditors to recover his property, he did not become embittered and continued agricultural operations as usual.  Moreover, as a result of settlement of his mother-in-law's estate, he and Angie came into possession of an additional eighty acres located in Section Twenty-four.  They also purchased an adjoining forty acre parcel that in 1930 was owned by Angie's unmarried sister, Leah Johnson, and, later, they were able to purchase an additional forty acres immediately to the southeast of the house and barn (owned in 1930 by C. J. Smith), thus, increasing the size of the farm to two hundred and forty acres, which Homer and Angie held for the rest of their lives.  Therefore, in addition to the forty acres in Section Thirteen including the house and barn, the remaining two hundred acres consisted of the "Northwest quarter and the Northeast quarter of the Southwest quarter of Section Twenty-four in Township Sixty-two of Range Thirty-three".  Subsequently, although the Second World War was a catastrophe for the entire world, prosperity returned to American farmers.  Indeed, demand for industrial and agricultural products was so high to support the war effort, that the United States Government imposed rationing and price controls on the civilian population.  In addition, there was a critical shortage of workers as a consequence of the large number of able young men drafted for military service.  Accordingly, agriculture was considered a critical defense industry and deferements were available within certain restrictions.  Nevertheless, all three surviving sons of Homer and Angie Evans served in the Armed Forces of the United States during World War II.  Perhaps, the most significant improvement in rural living conditions occurred in the immediate postwar years with the acceleration of rural electrification and construction of many all weather "farm-to-market" roads throughout the Midwest.  No longer were rural families stuck in the dark and mud, but could participate in the rising consumer culture equivalently with those living in towns and cities.  Concomitantly, this was a period of security and tranquility for Homer and Angie, which was marred only by a few events such as the death of their oldest son Glenn Vernon in 1957.  For the most part they remained in good health and able to enjoy the company of extended family and friends.  A particularly memorable occasion was Homer's eightieth birthday which coincided exactly with the assasination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963.  An evening party had been organized and although it was not cancelled, the mood was quite somber as might be expected in the circumstances.  Another memorable occasion was a reception celebrating Homer and Angie's fiftieth wedding anniversary, which was held at the Island City Christian Church in January of 1965.⁵.  A unexpectedly large number of family and friends were in attendance.  James Homer Evans died on August 18, 1971.  Indeed, the circumstances of his death provide a final illustration of the persistance which was an essential feature of his character.  Throughout his life and even at the age of eighty-seven he was unwilling to be idle, but kept a herd of about one hundred stock cows and actively worked his farm.  On the morning of his death he made a trip to the shop of August Sager, a local mechanic, to have some tractor parts repaired.  While inside the shop he remarked that he was "taking a wide track this morning", by which he probably meant that he was experiencing some feeling of dizziness.  Nevertheless, he was still pursuing his business as was his usual custom.  Witnesses said that he then returned to his car and had just turned onto the highway to return home when the car left the road at a low rate of speed and came to rest on the shoulder.⁶  He was found unconscious, could not be revived, and in all probablity, suffered a sudden heart attack, stroke, or rupture of an aneurysm.  A number of personal recollections of Homer still remain.  He was a kind and friendly individual with a well developed sense of humor that delighted in jokes and funny stories, which he often told.  He had a keen mind and was always in search of improved methods of doing things on the farm.  His life spanned an explosion of invention and he personally witnessed the advent of automobiles, airplanes, modern electronics, etc.  It seemed he took a particular interest and satisfaction in the first moon landing on July 20, 1969.  Even so, he always remained connected to the land and local community and was a faithful member of the Island City Christian Church.

1. The Wind River Indian Reservation (originally designated as the Shoshone Reservation) was established by treaty in 1868 in central Wyoming (then included in the Utah Territory).  The land area of the reservation is 3,532.010 square miles and at present encompasses just over one-third of the Fremont County and over one-fifth of Hot Springs County.  Although traditional adversaries, Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes subsequently occupied the allotted lands.  However, by 1900 it was recognized that reservation lands along the Wind River were quite fertile and suitable for irrigated agriculture.  Consequently, in 1904, representatives of the U.S. government negotiated with the tribes for the cession of "surplus" reservation lands north of the Wind River.  Accordingly, a formal agreement, signed in ceremonies outside Wind River Agency headquarters, provided that such lands be opened for settlement under the authority of the Homestead Act and that the tribes would receive individual payments, irrigation systems, livestock, education, etc., from the Federal Government.  Settlement by non-Native Americans began in the summer of 1906 and, concomitantly, the town of Riverton was estalished at the confluence of the Wind and Little Wind Rivers.  Following the cession only about twelve hundred square miles remained under control of the tribes.

a. Charles J. Kappler (ed), Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties, Vol. 2, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 1904: pgs. 1020-4.
TREATY WITH THE EASTERN BAND SHOSHONI AND BANNOCK, 1868.    July 3, 1868. | 15 Stat., 673. | Ratified Feb. 26, 1869. | Proclaimed Feb. 24, 1869.
     Articles of a treaty made and concluded at Fort Bridger, Utah Territory, on the third day of July, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, by and between the undersigned commissioners on the part of the United States, and the undersigned chiefs and head-men of and representing the Shoshonee (eastern band) and Bannack tribes of Indians, they being duly authorized to act in the premises:
     ARTICLE 1.  From this day forward peace between the parties to this treaty shall forever continue. The Government of the United States desires peace, and its honor is hereby pledged to keep it. The Indians desire peace, and they hereby pledge their honor to maintain it.  ...
     ARTICLE 2.  It is agreed that whenever the Bannacks desire a reservation to be set apart for their use, or whenever the President of the United States shall deem it advisable for them to be put upon a reservation, he shall cause a suitable one to be selected for them in their present country, which shall embrace reasonable portions of the "PortNeuf" and "Kansas Prairie" countries, and that, when this reservation is declared, the United States will secure to the Bannacks the same rights and privileges therein, and make the same and like expenditures therein for their benefit, except the agency-house and residence of agent, in proportion to their numbers, as herein provided for the Shoshonee reservation. The United States further agrees that the following district of country, to wit: Commencing at the mouth of Owl Creek and running due south to the crest of the divide between the Sweet-water and Papo Agie Rivers; thence along the crest of said divide and the summit of Wind River Mountains to the longitude of North Fork of Wind River; thence due north to mouth of said North Fork and up its channel to a point twenty miles above its mouth; thence in a straight line to head-waters of Owl Creek and along middle of channel of Owl Creek to place of beginning, shall be and the same is set apart for the absolute and undisturbed use and occupation of the Shoshonee Indians herein named, and for such other friendly tribes or individual Indians as from time to time they may be willing, with the consent of the United States, to admit amongst them; and the United States now solemnly agrees that no persons except those herein designated and authorized so to do, and except such officers, agents, and employés of the Government as may be authorized to enter upon Indian reservations in discharge of duties enjoined by law, shall ever be permitted to pass over, settle upon, or reside in the territory described in this article for the use of said Indians, and henceforth they will and do hereby relinquish all title, claims, or rights in and to any portion of the territory of the United States, except such as is embraced within the limits aforesaid. ...
                                                                                                                          Shoshones:
/s/N. G. Taylor (seal)                                                                                Wash-a-kie (his X mark)
/s/W. T. Sherman  (seal)                                                                           Wau-ny-pitz (his X mark)
    Lieutenant-General                                                                               Toop-se-po-wot (his X mark)
/s/Wm. S. Harney (seal)                                                                           Nar-kok (his X mark)
/s/ John B. Sanborn (seal)                                                                        Taboonshe-ya (his X mark)
/s/ S. F. Tappan (seal)                                                                              Bazeel (his X mark)
/s/C. C. Augur (seal)                                                                                Pan-to-she-ga (his X mark)
    Brevet Major-General, U. S. Army, Commissioners                           Ninny-Bitse (his X mark)
/s/Alfred H. Terry (seal)                                                                                   Bannacks:
    Brigadier-General and Brevet Major-General, U. S. Army                 Taggee (his X mark)
                                                                                                                 Tay-to-ba (his X mark)
   Attest:                                                                                                    We-rat-ze-won-a-gen (his X mark)
/s/A. S. H. White  Secretary                                                                      Coo-sha-gan (his X mark)
                                                                                                                 Pan-sook-a-motse (his X mark)
                                                                                                                 A-wite-etse (his X mark)
   Witnesses:
/s/Henry A. Morrow
    Lieutenant-Colonel Thirty-sixth Infantry and Brevet Colonel U. S. Army   Commanding Fort Bridger
/s/Luther Manpa  United States Indian agent
/s/W. A. Carter
/s/J. Van Allen Carter interpreter    (Available electronically at digital.library.okstate.edu/kappler)

b. Charles J. Kappler (ed), Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties, Vol. 3, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 1913: pgs. 117-23.
CHAP.--1452    Mar. 3, 1905. [H. R. 17994.] | [Public, No. 185.] 33 Stat., 1016.
     Whereas James McLaughlin, United States Indian inspector, did on the twenty-first day of April, nineteen hundred and four, make and conclude an agreement with the Shoshone and Arapahoe Tribes of Indians belonging on the Shoshone or Wind River Reservation in the State of Wyoming, which said agreement is in words and figures as follows:
     This agreement made and entered into on the twenty-first day of April, nineteen hundred and four, by and between James McLaughlin, United States Indian inspector, on the part of the United States, and the Shoshone and Arapahoe Tribes of Indians belonging on the Shoshone or Wind River Indian Reservation, in the State of Wyoming, witnesseth:
     ARTICLE I.   The said Indians belonging on the Shoshone or Wind River Reservation, Wyoming, for the consideration hereinafter named, do hereby cede, grant, and relinquish to the United States, all right, title, and interest which they may have to all the lands embraced within the said reservation, except the lands within and bounded by the following described lines: Beginning in the midchannel of the Big Wind River at a point where said stream crosses the western boundary of the said reservation; thence in a southeasterly direction following the midchannel of the Big Wind River to its conjunction with the Little Wind or Big Popo-Agie River, near the northeast corner of township one south, range four east; thence up the midchannel of the said Big Popo-Agie River in a southwesterly direction to the mouth of the North Fork of the said Big Popo-Agie River; thence up the midchannel of said North Fork of the Big Popo-Agie River to its intersection with the southern boundary of the said reservation, near the southwest corner of section twenty-one township two south, range one west; thence due west along the said southern boundary of the said reservation to the southwest corner of the same; thence north along the western boundary of said reservation to the place of beginning:  Provided: That any individual Indian, a member of the Shoshone or Arapahoe Tribes, who has, under existing laws or treaty stipulations, selected a tract of land within the portion of said reservation hereby ceded, shall be entitled to have the same allotted and confirmed to him or her, and any Indian who has made or received an allotment of land within the ceded territory shall have the right to surrender such allotment and select other lands within the diminished reserve in lieu thereof at any time before the lands hereby ceded shall be opened for entry.  ...
     In witness whereof the said James McLaughlin, U. S. Indian Inspector, on the part of the United States, and the male adult Indians belonging on the Shoshone or Wind River Indian Reservation, Wyoming, have hereunto set their hands and seals at the Shoshone Agency, Wyoming, this twenty-first day of April, A. D. nineteen hundred and four.
          /s/James McLaughli (seal)    U. S. Indian Inspector  ...

We, the undersigned, hereby certify that the foregoing agreement was fully explained by us in open council to the Indians of the Shoshone or Wind River Reservation, Wyoming; that it was fully understood by them before signing, and that the agreement was duly executed and signed by 282 of said Indians.
          /s/Charles Lahoe    Shoshone Interpreter.
          /s/Michael Manson    Arapahoe Interpreter.

SHOSHONE AGENCY, WYOMING,  April 22, 1904.
     We, the undersigned, do hereby certify that we witnessed the signatures of James McLaughlin, U. S. Indian Inspector, and of the two hundred and eighty-two (282) Indians of the Shoshone or Wind River Reservation, Wyoming, to the foregoing agreement.
          /s/John Roberts    Missionary of the Protestant Episcopal Church on the Reservation.
          /s/John S. Churchward    Assistant Clerk, Shoshone Agency, Wyo.

SHOSHONE AGENCY, WYOMING,  April 22nd, 1904.
I hereby certify that the total number of male adult Indians, over eighteen (18) years of age, belonging on the Shoshone or Wind River Reservation, Wyoming, is four hundred and eighty-four (484), of whom two hundred and eighty-two (282) have signed the foregoing agreement.
          /s/H. E. Wadsworth    U. S. Indian Agent

SHOSHONE AGENCY, WYOMING,  April 22nd, 1904.
Therefore    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the said agreement be, and the same is hereby, accepted, ratified, and confirmed, except as to Articles II, III, and IX, which are amended and modified as follows, and as amended and modified are accepted, ratified, and confirmed::  ...
     Approved, March 3, 1905.

c. ibid.: pg. 262.
 JOINT RESOLUTIONS OF THE FIFTY-NINTH CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION, 1906.  ...  Mar. 28, 1906. [H. J. R. 117.] | [Pub. Res., No. 12.] 34 Stat., 825.
     [No. 12]  Joint resolution extending the time for opening to public entry the unallotted lands on the ceded portion of the Shoshone or Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming.
     Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the time for opening to public entry the ceded portion of the Shoshone or Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming having been fixed by law as the fifteenth day of June, nineteen hundred and six, it is hereby provided that the time for opening said reservation shall be extended to the fifteenth day of August, nineteen hundred and six, unless the President shall determine that the same may be opened at an earlier date.
     Approved, March 28, 1906.

d.  John T. Wertz, "Map of that Part of the Wind River or Shoshone Indian Reservation To Be Opened For Settlement August 15, 1906", United States Department of the Interior, Washington, DC.

(unpublished notes)
back to bio.

2. "Lorene Evans, 92, died at Pine View Nursing Home, Stanberry, July 5, 2000.
     Born May 1, 1908, she resided in Phoenix until moving to Stanberry in 1999.  She taught in elementary schools in Ill., Calif., Ore., Morenci and Phoenix, AZ., until retiring.
     She was a graduate of NW Missouri State Teacher's College, Maryville, and did graduate work at University of Colorado, Boulder.  She was a member of the First Christian Church, Phoenix.
     Preceding her in death was her father and stepmother, Homer and Angie Evans; her mother; her grandmother who raised her, Mary Stuart Francis; and two half-brothers, Vernon and Harold Evans.
     Surviving is two half brothers, Russell Evans, Stanberry, and Kenneth Evans, Russell, Kan.; a half sister, Margie Duley, Lawson; nieces and nephews; and several cousins.
     Graveside services and burial were July 7, 2000, at High Ridge Cemetery, Stanberry, under the direction of Roberson-Polley Chapel, Stanberry."   (obituary: Albany Ledger-Headlight; Albany, MO, Wed., Jul. 12, 2000.)
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3. This Indenture, Made on the 27" day of February A. D. One Thousand Nine Hundred nineteen by and between John A. Johnson and Delila Johnson, his wife of Gentry County, Missouri parties of the First Part, and Homer Evans and Angie Evans, husband and wife of the County of Gentry in the State of Missouri, parties of the Second Part,
     Witnesseth, That the said [parties of the First Part], in consideration of the sum of Thirteen thousand, [thirty five?] Dollars to them paid by the said parties of the Second Part, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, do by these presents, Grant, Bargain and Sell, Convey and Confirm, unto the said party of the Second Part, his heirs and assigns, the following described Lots, Tracts or Parcels of Land, lying, being and situate in the County of Gentry, and State of Missouri, to-wit:  All Southwest quarter of the Southwest quarter of Section thirteen (13) and the Northwest quarter of the Northwest quarter of Section twenty four (24), the East half of the Souteast quarter of Section fourteen (14), all in Township sixty-two (62) of Range thirty three (33), except one and a half (1½) acres in the Southwest corner, for school.  Subject to taxes of 1919 and thereafter
     To have and to hold the premises aforesaid, with all and singular the rights, privileges, appurtenances and immunities thereto belonging or in anywise appertaining unto the said parties of the Second Part, and unto their heirs and assigns, FOREVER; the said Grantors hereby covenanting that they are lawfully seized of an indefeasible Estate in Fee in the premises herein conveyed; that they have good right to convey the same; that the said premises are free and clear of any [incumbrances done or suffered] by them or those under whom they claim, and that [they will WARRANT] AND DEFEND the title to the said premises unto the said parties of the Second Part, and unto their heirs and assigns, FOREVER, against the lawful claims and demands of all persons whomsoever.
     In witness whereof the said parties of the First Part have hereunto set their hands the day and year first above written. /s/John A. Johnson /s/Delila Johnson  (filed: 8 Apr 1919, Bk. 147, Gentry Co., MO, pg. 15.)
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4. Anonymous, Plat Book of Gentry County, Missouri, W. W. Hixson & Co., Rockford, IL, 1930.  (Available electronically at digital.library.umsystem.edu)
     H. Evans: 1) Twp. 62 N; Rng. 33 W; Sec. 13; SW¼ of SW¼ - 40 acres.  2) Twp. 62 N; Rng. 33 W; Sec. 14; E½ of SE¼ less one acre and a half associated with the Crosswhite country school - 78.50 acres more or less.  3) Twp. 62 N; Rng. 33 W; Sec. 24; NW¼ of NW¼ - 40 acres.
     L. Johnson: Twp. 62 N; Rng. 33 W; Sec. 24; SW¼ of NW¼ - 40 acres.
     D. Johnson: 1) Twp. 62 N; Rng. 33 W; Sec. 24; SE¼ of NW¼ - 40 acres.  2) Twp. 62 N; Rng. 33 W; Sec. 24; NE¼ of SW¼ - 40 acres.
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Additional Citations:

7. 1920 US Census Population Schedule for Gentry County, Missouri, National Archives, Washington DC:  pg. 67A, (microfilm: roll T625_919; img. 702).

8. 1930 US Census Population Schedule for Gentry County, Missouri, National Archives, Washington DC:  pg. 76A, (microfilm: roll T626_1188; img. 153).

9. 1940 US Census Population Schedule for Gentry County, Missouri, National Archives, Washington DC:  pg. 89B, (microfilm: roll T627_2106; img. 542).

10. Marriage Records, Gentry County, Albany, MO:  Bk. 6, pg. 304, (Missouri State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Jefferson City, MO (microfilm: roll 37664; img. 540)).

11. marriage notice: Albany Ledger; Albany, MO, Fri., Feb. 1, 1907.

12. marriage notice: Albany Ledger; Albany, MO, Thur., Jan. 28, 1915.

13. World War I Draft Registration Cards, National Personnel Records Center, National Archives-Southeast Region, Morrow, GA, (microfilm: roll MO-1683214; img. 4346).

14. obituary: Albany Ledger; Albany, MO, Thur., Aug. 26, 1971.

15. Don Raymond,"High Ridge Cemetery", unpublished. (Gentry County MOGenWeb Archives, 2005.)

16. High Ridge Cemetery, Gentry County, Missouri (www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=1367686&CScn=High+Ridge&CScntry=4&CSst=26&CScnty=1434&, continuously updated).

17. Lafayette Cemetery, Nodaway County, Missouri (www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=179853&CScn=Lafayette&CScntry=4&CSst=26&CScnty=1470&, continuously updated).

18. Death Master File, Social Security Administration, Washington, DC, continuously updated.

19. Robert L. Evans, "Our Family's History", November 9, 2001, unpublished.

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