Evans Family Petitions

EVANS FAMILY PETITIONS

Solomon Evans, b. 1873, was the son of William Evans & Lucy Evans, of Halifax County, NC. He was married to Carrie Rattley- Dunston of Franklin County, NC. Until these petitions came to light, all other records have indicated his mother, Lucy, to have been Lucy Richardson, however, these petitions are in the words of both Lucy and her husband, William, which clearly identify their parentage, and so there is now no doubt as to who they were. Other information given in these petitions also surprisingly identifies several family lines not previously known, including helping to understand why certain EVANS families were also known by the SCOTT surname, and together with the information from the RICHARDSON and LYNCH Family Petitions, give us a much clearer picture of who these families were. EVANS family researchers will want to look through these records and study the information in them, and possibly re-write some of what you thought your history was.

Before the Honorables, Henry L. Dawes, Frank C. Armstrong, A. S. McKennon, T.B. Cabaniss, and A. B. Montgomery, Commissioners.

In the matter of applications of
SOLOMON EVANS, et. al.

Nation's No. 3108

for citizenship in the Cherokee Nation.
Your respondent, S. H. Mayes, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, comes now and demurs the said application, and for the grounds thereof says:

1st. That this Commission has not jurisdiction over the parties or subject matter of this controversy, and no legal right, therefore, to hear and determine the same.

2nd. That the application does not state facts sufficient, if true, to show the applicants are entitled to citizenship.

Respondent not waiving his aforesaid demurrer, but insisting upon the same for answer to said application, says that LEVEL EVANS, through whom the petitioners claim to derive their right to citizenship in the Cherokee Nation, is not now, and has not been a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, since the removal of said Nation, west to the Indian Territory as at present located and defined; that his name does not appear on any of the authenticated rolls of said Nation; that neither he nor any of his ancestors now reside, or ever have resided in the Cherokee Nation and Indian Territory, as citizens thereof.

Having fully answered, your respondent asks to be hence dismissed.

S. H. MAYES, Principal Chief Cherokee Nation.

By Hutchings, Hastings & Bondinet, Attorneys. John L. Adair, Executive Secretary, Cherokee Nation, having been first duly sworn, states that the matters contained in the foregoing answer are true to the best of his knowledge and belief.

JOHN L. ADAIR
Subscribed and sworn to before me this, the 26 day of Sept. 1896.
D. J. BALL
Notary Public
----------------------------------------
For any further information with respect to this address.

SOLOMON EVANS, Louisburg, NC

SOLOMON EVANS -Dawes Application 1896

In the matter of application of SOLOMON EVANS, et. al.
Nation's No. 3108
Filed September 26, 1896
Louisburg, North Carolina

W.K.A. WILLIAMS being duly sworn according to law says that on Sept. 2, 1896 he saw a package registered at the P. O. at Louisburg, N.C. address to Hon. S. H. MAYES Taklequah Ind. Ter. (Chief of Cherokee Tribe), that registry receipt No. 43 as received from the Post Master all attached is a receipt for and package which contains copies of the applications of ELIJAH EVANS, ELIJAH EVANS JR., THOS. HENRY EVANS, WM EVANS, LUCY EVANS, & SOLOMON EVANS and of the affidavits of NICK SHEARIN, J. H. SHEARIN, WM. STOKES & JAMES J. KING in support of same.
W.K.A. WILLIAMS

Subscribed and sworn to before me this Sept. 2, 1896
THOS. B. WILDER

To the Honorable the Dawes Commission in citizenship in the Five Civilized Tribes in the Indian Territory.
Your petitioner SOLOMON EVANS, undersigned, respectfully states that he is a Cherokee Indian by blood and asks to be enrolled as a member of the Cherokee Nation of Indians in the Indian Territory.
That he derives his Indian blood from LEVIN EVANS and his wife KIZZIE EVANS his great grandparents who were Cherokee Indians by blood and the grandparents of his mother. Your petitioner states the above facts as the lawful grounds of his application for citizenship in the Cherokee Nation and prays that his application may be fully instigated by your Honorable Commission and that he be adjudged to be a citizen of said Cherokee Nation of Indians and entitled to all the rights and privileges pertaining to such citizenship in accordance with the laws and treaties with said Nation of Indians.
My age is 24 years. My Post office address is Louisburg, NC. He has as family of his own. Witness my hand this Aug.29, 1896.
SOLOMON EVANS

Personally appeared before me the undersigned Notary, SOLOMON EVANS to me known to be the petitioner in said petition who after being first duly sworn on his oath says that he is the petitioner in said petition, that he has read the said petition and that the facts stated therein are true as he verily believes.

SOLOMON EVANS

To the Honorable the Dawes Commission on Citizenship in the Five Civilized Tribes in the Indian Territory:

Your petitioner LUCY EVANS the undersigned respectfully states that she is a Cherokee Indian by blood and ask to be enrolled as a member of the Cherokee Nation of Indians in the Indian Territory.
That she derives her Indian blood from MARIAH EVANS her mother, who was the daughter of LEVEN EVANS & his wife KIZZIE who were Cherokee Indians by blood.

My age is 60 years. My post Office address is Louisburg, NC.
My family consists of my husband WM. EVANS and the following children:
ANNIE aged 38
SARAH aged 35
MOLLIE aged 33
FED aged 29
DOCTOR aged 28
JOHN aged 26
SOLO. aged 24
JOSEPH aged 21
PATTIE aged 17

Witness my hand this Sept. 1, 1896.

LUCY EVANS ("X" her mark)

To the Honorable the Dawes Commission on Citizenship in the Five Civilized Tribes in the Indian Territory:

Your petitioner WM. EVANS the undersigned respectfully states that he is a Cherokee Indian by blood and ask to be enrolled as a member of the Cherokee Nation of Indians in the Indian Territory.
That he derives his Indian blood from LEVEN EVANS his father, who was a Cherokee Indians of the half blood and his mother HARRIET SCOTT was a Cherokee Indian of the quarter blood.

My age is 65 years. My Post Office address is Louisburg, NC. My family consists of my wife LUCY and nine children whose names are on the accompanying application of said LUCY EVANS.

Witness my hand this Aug 31, 1896.
WM. EVANS ("X" his mark)

To the Honorable the Dawes Commission on Citizenship in the Five Civilized Tribes in the Indian Territory:

Your petitioner THOMAS HENRY EVANS the undersigned respectfully states that he is a Cherokee Indian by blood and ask to be enrolled as a member of the Cherokee Nation of Indians in the Indian Territory.
That he derives his Indian blood from his father ELIJAH EVANS, who was part Cherokee Indians by blood.

My age is 30 years. My Post Office address is Louisburg, NC. My family consists of my wife JENNIE and the following children
NICK aged 10
ANNIE aged 8
ROBT aged 6
SARAH aged 4

Witness my hand this Aug 31, 1896
THOS. HENRY EVANS ("X" his mark)

To the Honorable the Dawes Commission on Citizenship in the Five Civilized Tribes in the Indian Territory:

Your petitioner ALECK EVANS the undersigned respectfully states that he is a Cherokee Indian by blood and ask to be enrolled as a member of the Cherokee Nation of Indians in the Indian Territory.
That he derives his Indian blood from his father ELIJAH EVANS, who is part Cherokee Indians by blood.

My age is 24 years. My Post Office address is Louisburg, NC. My family consists of my wife SUSIE and one child named JAMES aged 2 years.

Witness my hand this Aug 31, 1896.
ALECK EVANS ("X" his mark)

To the Honorable the Dawes Commission on Citizenship in the Five Civilized Tribes in the Indian Territory:

Your petitioner ELIJAH EVANS the undersigned respectfully states that he is a Cherokee Indian by blood and ask to be enrolled as a member of the Cherokee Nation of Indians in the Indian Territory.
That he derives his Indian blood from LEVEN EVANS his father, who was Cherokee Indian by blood of at least be half blood.

My age is 53 years. My Post Office address is Louisburg, NC. My family consists of my wife ROXANNA and the following children
THOS. aged 30
JOSEPH aged 27
LUCY aged 25
ALECK aged 24
BETSY aged 22
HAYES aged 19
MAJOR BLAKE aged 17
FOX aged 15
LIJAH aged 8
ESTELLA aged 6
LIZZIE aged 4
AMOS aged 1

Witness my hand this Aug. 31, 1896.
ELIJAH EVANS ("X" his mark)

State of North Carolina
Halifax County

That JAMES J. KING being sworn according to law states that he is a resident of Halifax County and are 95 years of age and that he is well acquainted with the ancestors of ELIJAH and DOCK EVINS, that his grandmother PEGGY SCOTT was an Indian and his grandfather JOHN SCOTT had Indian blood in him and they were the mother and father of LEVEN EVANS and HARRIET EVINS who was the mother and father of ELIJAH and DOCK EVINS.

WILLIAM STOKES

Sworn to before me this day Aug. 1896
NORMAN L. KEEN, JP

(Note by DW: They meant to say that PEGGY & JOHN SCOTT were the mother and father of HARRIET EVINS; this was incorrectly signed by STOKES rather than by KING, as also will be seen by the next petition; this letter apparently got misquoted, as well as the signatures got mixed up by the Notary Public who accepted them)

Application - ELIJAH EVINS, DOCK EVINS

State of North Carolina
Halifax County

WILLIAM STOKES being sworn according to law states that he is a resident of Halifax County and that he is 81 years of age and that he is personally acquainted with ELIJAH EVINS and DOCK EVINS and their ancestors LEVEN EVINS and HARRIET EVINS their father and mother and JOHN SCOTT and PEGGY SCOTT their Grandfather, and mother. JOHN SCOTT was the father of HARRIET EVENS and PEGGY SCOTT was her mother AND ELIJAH and DOCK EVENS is the sons of HARRIET EVENS and the grandsons of JOHN SCOTT who was said to have Indian blood in him, and PEGGY SCOTT was the grandmother of the said ELIJAH and DOCK EVINS and the said PEGGY SCOTT was an Indian of the Cherokee Tribe.

JAMES J. KING ("X" his mark)

Sworn to before me this 26th day of Aug. 1896
NORMAN L. KEEN, JP

SOL EVANS
Louisburg, NC
Cherokee Nation

Filed Sept. 27, 1896
REJECTED

North Carolina
Halifax Co.

The undersigned parties being duly sworn according to law, says and each for himself says, that he was well acquainted with MARIAH EVANS who was a daughter of LEVEN EVANS and his wife KIZZIE EVANS; that the said LEVEN EVANS & his wife KIZZIE were full blooded Cherokee Indians and that LUCY EVANS is the daughter of the said MARIAH EVANS; said LUCY EVANS married WM. EVANS and has several children by said marriage.
Affiants are in no way interested in said matter.
The affiant NICK SHEARIN is 70 years old
The affiant JOHN H. SHEARIN is 60 years old.
The affiant WM. STOKES is 81 years old and
the affiant JAMES J. KING is 95 years old and all are residents of the community wherein said EVANSES lived.
Witness our hands this the 31st Augst 1896.
Half Indian - NICK SHEARIN
J. H. SHEARIN Sr.
WILLIAM STOKES
JAMES J. KING ("X" his mark)

Best knowledge & belief
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 31st August 1896.

R. C. HARDY, JP

See also: Estate of Sally Dales-1868

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