My Genealogy Hound

DR. BENJAMIN W. EVANS, farmer and physician, Sec. 3; P. O. Union City; one of the early pioneers of Darke Co.; born in Delaware Co., Ohio, Feb. 28, 1815; his father, Montgomery Evans, removed with his family from Delaware to Williams, now Defiance Co., Ohio, in 1817, and was the first white family that settled in the Maumee Valley, and here he took up land, upon which he lived until his decease, which occurred in 1847; he suffered all the privations and hardships of frontier life; his milling at first was done at Pickaway, a distance of upward of 100 miles; his marketing being done in the same place; the Doctor lived with his parents until 1843, when he removed to Miami Co., and in 1847 came to Darke Co., and is consequently one of the old settlers of this county. In 1846, Mr. Evans commenced the study of medicine in Shelby Co., and was one of the first physicians in the north part of that county, and has always followed his profession, and has not yet given it up; he was one of the organizers of the first Medical Board of Darke Co., and remained a member for many years. Upon Nov. 14, 1863, he enlisted as a private in the 124th I. V. I., and went forward to battle for the Union; after serving as private a short time, he was promoted to hospital steward, which position he held until the close of the war; during his term of service, he was never absent from duty nor received a furlough; he served in the Atlanta campaign, under Sherman, and was with the above General in North Carolina at the surrender of Johnston; he, with his sons, are strong Republicans, and, to use the Doctor’s expression, he always votes as he fought; his first vote for President, was for William H. Harrison. His marriage, with Rebecca E. Peters was celebrated May 11, 1848; she was born in Hawkins Co., Ohio, Dec. 26, 1826; they were the parents of six children, of whom five are now living, viz., Zeletta F., Ida Z., Segisamar L., Aaron L., Mahlon O.; the deceased, Ella E., died at 3 years of age. The Doctor is a very genial gentleman, and manifested toward the writer a very liberal spirit of hospitality, which is characteristic of his nature as well as of frontier life.