Father: Thomas Howerton
Mother: Grisillah Covington?
Spouse: Thomas
Evans
m: 24/Dec/1780 - Prince Edward Co., VA
Child-1: Martha (Patsy)
2: Nancy
3: Drewery
4: Anna
5: Agnes
- b: ~1786 - VA - nra: 1840
m: Meredith Clay - 3/Jan/1804 - Montgomery Co., VA
6: Priscilla
7: Thomas,
Jr. - b: ~1791 - VA - nra: 1840
m: Anne Crowe - 15/Sep/1808 - Montgomery Co., VA
8: Joshua
- b: 1792 - VA
9: Nathan
10: John
11: William - b:
1798 - VA - nra: 1840
12: Stephen - b:
1800 - VA
Biographical Details:
Jane Howerton was the oldest daughter of Thomas Howerton and was born in Essex County, Virginia, about 1754. The maiden name of her mother, Grisillah, is not known. (It has been purported to be Jackson by at least one researcher, however, all indications from more reputable sources are that there is no credible evidence of this and that Jackson is entirely spurious.) Jane Howerton and Thomas Evans were married on December 24, 1780, in Prince Edward County, Virginia, after which they moved to southwestern Virginia, and then to Overton County, Tennessee. They lived together in Overton County and later Fentress County (organized from Overton, Morgan, and White Counties in 1823) until the death of Thomas in 1832.Source Notes and Citations:It seems that she was still living with her son, Thomas Evans, Jr., in Fentress County as late as 1840; however she cannot be found in the 1850 US Census Therefore, it is likely that Jane Howerton Evans died in Fentress County sometime in the 1840's. Even so, several of her children were still resident in this locality in the decade preceding the Civil War.1
1. Of the twelve children on Thomas, Sr., and Jane Howerton Evans, very little is known about five of them. What is known can be summarized as follows:Agnes Evans Clay - According to Montgomery County marriage records, the husband of Agnes Evans was Meredith Clay. Moreover, in the 1840 US Census for Fentress County, the household of Agnes Clay, consisting of only a single adult female of between fifty and sixty years of age, did appear. This accords well with a presumed birth year of 1786 for Agnes Evans. However, with the exception of the Fentress County population schedule of 1840, no other credible record of this couple has yet been found, nor are there any known records of descendants that can be attributed to them. Therefore, it is plausible to suppose that Meredith and Agnes Evans Clay had no surviving children and that by 1840 at the latest, Meredith Clay was deceased.
a. 1840 US Census Population Schedule for Fentress County, Tennessee, National Archives, Washington DC: pg. 14, (microfilm roll M704_523; img. 27).
Thomas Evans, Jr. - It seems clear that Thomas Evans, Jr., never established a household separate from that of his parents. Because of this some researchers believe that he never married. Nevertheless, Montgomery County marriage records indicate that Thomas Evans, Jr., married Ann Crowe in 1808. (As noted elsewhere, this situation is further confused by marriage records of an apparently different Thomas Evans and Ann Crow about nineteen years earlier.) Perhaps, considering the hardships of time and place, it is understandable that a young couple might remain in the parental household. Moreover, the extended Evans family appears to have been quite close knit since, all of them, including spouses, moved from Montgomery County, Virginia, to Overton County, Tennessee, exactly or very nearly at the same time and, subsequently, lived in close proximity to each other. In any case, in 1835 Thomas Evans, Jr., made an affadavit in support of his mother's pension application in which he explicitly stated that his father was Thomas Evans, Sr. In addition, the name Thomas Evans appeared on the 1833 Tax List for Fentress County and, since, Thomas Evans, Sr., died in 1832, it is probable that this was Thomas Evans, Jr. Likewise, the household of Thomas Evans appeared in the Fentress County population schedule of the 1840 US Census. Again, one can conclude that this was Thomas Evans, Jr. However, no records subsequent to 1840 have been found, which unambiguously correspond to Thomas Evans, Jr. Furthermore, no children have, as yet, been attributed to Thomas, Jr., and Ann Crowe Evans. Within this context, one might speculate that, perhaps, Ann died relatively soon after marrying Thomas and, consequently, they had no children. Concomitantly, it might be further speculated that Thomas Evans, Jr., never remarried, which might provide some explanation as to why he continued living with his parents.
b. 1840 US Census Population Schedule for Fentress County, Tennessee, National Archives, Washington DC: pg. 14, (microfilm roll M704_523; img. 27).
Joshua Evans - No spouse has yet been identified for Joshua Evans. Nevertheless, a household for Joshua Evans, which included an adult female and at least two young children was included in the 1820 US Census for Overton County, Tennessee. Since, Joshua was one of the younger children of Thomas and Jane Howerton Evans, it is likely that he did not marry until after the family had moved to Tennessee. There are no subsequent records identifying Joshua Evans or any of his children.
c. 1820 US Census Population Schedule for Overton County, Tennessee, National Archives, Washington DC: pg. 258, (microfilm: roll M33_122; img. 217).
William Evans - Similarly, no spouse has been identified for William Evans. Moreover, there seems to have been another, older William Evans also living in Overton County in 1820, who was likely the person whose name appeared frequently in civil records as "Register" of deeds for Fentress County. It is not known if he was a relative of Thomas Evans, Sr., but this would seem a definite possibility. Within this context, this second William Evans seems to have been born in North Carolina and was at least ten years older than William, the son of Thomas and Jane Evans. However, both of these individuals were apparently included on the 1833 Tax List for Fentress County. Concomitantly, there is evidence that about 1830, the families of William Evans and his older brother, Drewery, may have together moved to Morgan County, Illinois, living there for a short time, but seemingly returning to Fentress County by 1832 or 1833. This is supported by civil records which indicate that William Evans was living on the west side of the Caney Fork of Wolf River on June 25, 1832. Subsequently, the population schedule of the 1840 US Census for Clinton County, Kentucky, indicated that the families of William and Drewery Evans may have, again, moved together out of Tennessee into Kentucky. No later records for William Evans or any members of his family have been found in either Clinton or Fentress Counties.
d. The household of Willaim Evans can be found in population schedules for Tennessee, Illinois, and Kentucky. (1820 US Census Population Schedule for Overton County, Tennessee, National Archives, Washington DC: pg. 258, (microfilm: roll M33_122; img. 217); 1830 US Census Population Schedule for Morgan County, Illinois, National Archives, Washington DC: pg. 88, (microfilm: roll M19_24; img. 179); & 1840 US Census Population Schedule for Clinton County, Kentucky, National Archives, Washington DC: pg. 329, (microfilm roll M704_108; img. 147).)
e. Land Entry Bk. A, Fentress Co., TN, No. 599. - Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville, TN. (microfilm: roll - Fentress Co. #19) (extracted by Albert R. Hogue, unpublished MSS. cited in Anonymous, History of Fentress County, Tennessee, Fentress County Historical Society, Jamestown, TN, 1987: pg. 11. (copyright: Curtis Media Corp.))
Stephen Evans - A household for Stephen Evans, consisting of a young adult couple, was listed in the 1820 US Census for Overton County. This likely indicates that Stephen and his wife had been married for only a short time. Subsequently, between 1827 and 1833 several real estate conveyances have been found involving "Stephens" and Susan Evans and various other parties. Presumably, Susan was Stephen's wife, but nothing further is known regarding her identity. Furthermore, by 1833 Susan Evans appears to have been a widow. Within this context, in September of 1833, Susan Evans conveyed one half undivided interest in thirty acres to John M. Clemens. The tract had originally been granted to Stephen Evans by grant No. 14835. Of special note is that John M. Clemens can be identified as the father of the famous author, Samuel L. Clemens, otherwise known as Mark Twain.
f. 1820 US Census Population Schedule for Overton County, Tennessee, National Archives, Washington DC: pg. 258, (microfilm: roll M33_122; img. 217).
g. Ethel Evans Albert, Southwest Virginia Kin - Vol. 1, privately published, Kingsport, TN, 1977: pg. 511.
h. Deed Bk. A, Fentress Co., TN, pgs. 228, 293, & 354. - Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville, TN. (microfilm: roll - Fentress Co. #7) (extracted by Albert R. Hogue, unpublished MSS.)
i. Fentress County Tax List of 1833, Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville, TN. (Bruce York (tr), Fentress County TNGenWeb Archives, 2000.)
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Additional Citations:
2. 1840 US Census Population Schedule for Fentress County, Tennessee, National Archives, Washington DC: pg. 14, (microfilm roll M704_523; img. 27).3. Larry M. Evans, "Notes by Larry M. Evans", Springfield, IL, May 7, 1979, unpublished. (non-circulating copy available in the Casey County Public Library, Liberty, KY)
4. Robert L. Evans, "Our Family's History", November 9, 2001.