Obituary of John D. Evans

Date: 1884

JOHN D. EVANS.

The death of Mr. Evans on the 6th Instant removes one of our oldest and well-known citizens. He was a youth when the Philadelphia and Columbia railroad was laid out by the State. The corps of surveying engineers, Major Wilson their chief, looked on the Paoli as a home where a warm welcome always awaited them from Joshua Evans. At his decease in 1846 his son John succeeded to the ownership, a family property since 1718, when first pur­chased by William Evans of Philadelphia. The new owner of 1846 saw the pioneer railroad become the Pennsylvania railroad, and an immense freight add travel between the West and the East passing daily by his door. A large business grew on his hands, and besides it become a favorite summer  resort. Mr. Evans was adequate to the demands of his business and controlled  and managed all its details by his industry, energy, and good common sense.

Born, reared and living his whole life in Tredyffrin township, nearly seventy years he became one of its landmarks. He had a private library and was a constant reader and close ob­server. He took an interest in his neighborhood and in matters of public concern. His disposition was friendly and social. He was a good neighbor and useful citizen. Within the last two years an affection of the lungs, grew on him and he predicted the result with composure.

A large concourse of friends and acquaintances attended his funeral on the 10th instant. Addresses were made at the house by two members of the Society of Friends. The burial was in the grounds of the Great Valley Baptist Meeting, where lay the remains of his father, mother, brother and sister. This has been a burial place for old residents since 1711.

References

Evans Family Tree
Early History of Paoli by Mike Bertram, TEHS Quarterly, April 2014, Volume 51, Number 1.