(*Caraway was his mother, Celenda Caraway's, maiden name.)
Unfortunately, John C. Arrowsmith died on May 29, 1864, and was buried in the Farmer Cemetery. About five years later, Ann and her son rode the newly finished railroad out to California to join her brothers, and she followed them later to Reno where she stayed 25 years, living with John Newton and his family.
in 1905, after her brother, John Newton's, death, she and Dick returned home to Hicksville where she lived the rest of her life until the age of 100 1/2. A large party was held for her one hundredth birthday and a special guest was her niece, John's daughter, Elizabeth Evans Robinson from Reno.
Her obituary appeared in the Nevada State Journal on June 15, 1941, p. 5:
"AGED FORMER RENOITE DIES. Mrs. Arrowsmith was 100 Years Old.
At the age of 100 years and six months, Mrs. Ann Evans Arrowsmith, a former well-known Reno resident, died yesterday at the home of her son in Hicksville, Ohio. Mrs. Arrowsmith was born on December 15, 1840, at Fort Defiance, Ohio, 13th child of Pierce Evans and Mary Ann Braucher Evans.
In 1861, she married John Caraway Arrowsmith. He died in 1863 (1864). Accompanied by her son, Dick Evans Arrowsmith, she came west in the first year after the Central Pacific railroad was completed in 1869. She went to Lassen county, California, and made her home in Long Valley. Her four brothers, Orlando, Alvaro, Allen and John Evans were engaged in ranching there.
After living in Lassen county for 10 years, she moved to Reno in 1879, where John Newton Evans had moved. She lived with her son and his family for more than 25 years in the home on Evans avenue where the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house is now located.
She was very active in the social life of Reno, then a rapidly-growing town. Mrs. Arrowsmith was a charter member of the Woman's Relief Corps in Reno, and at the time of her death, a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution in Ohio.
In 1905, Mrs. Arrowsmith returned to Ohio with her son, the late John N. Evans and his family, and resided there up to the present time. (*She returned with her son, Dick.)
Among the surviving relatives are Mrs. J. LaRue Robinson, of Reno, a niece and her daughter-in-law, who was the former Gertrude Rhodes, an aunt of Dr. D. C. Rhodes, and Mrs. Jessie Rhodes Wilcox of Reno.
The 100th birthday of Mrs. Arrowsmith was observed last December with a large family reunion in Ohio. At that time, numerous telegrams of congratulations were sent by many persons, including Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt, Carole Lombard and Clark Gable."
Nancy Braucher Evans, born in February 1823, was Mary Ann's older sister. She married James Cheney and they settled in Indiana. (Braucher was her mother's maiden name.)
She died on June 27, 1895, and her obituary appeared in the Defiance Democrat on July 4, 1895, page 5:
"From Fort Wayne Gazette of Friday, June 28, we glean the following concerning the death and brief history of Mrs. Nancy Cheney, who was born near this city 72 years ago, and is remembered by some of the old residents still living in Defiance.
Yesterday morning at 9 o'clock occurred the death of Mrs. Nancy Cheney at the residence of her husband, Judge James Cheney on Spy Run Avenue. The cause of death, as revealed by a post mortem exam held by Drs. Ross and Porter, was an ulceration of the bowels, probably of a cancerous nature. Mrs. Cheney had been ill for some time, but few knew that her condition was critical and the news of her death was a fearful shock to her friends.
Mrs.Cheney was born 72 years ago near Defiance, Ohio, and in her childhood days was Miss Nancy Evans, the daughter of pioneers settled on the Maumee River. Fifty three years ago last May, she became the wife of Mr. James Cheney, who is now one of the wealthiest and best known capitalists in Indiana.
In 1854, Mr. and Mrs. Cheney moved to Fort Wayne, where Mr. Cheney started a bank. In a few years, he moved to Logansport where he resided until 1874. He then moved to Fort Wayne with his wife and they have resided here ever since.
There are four surviving children as follows: Mrs. Helen Kimberly of Neenah, Wisconsin; Mr. W. R. Cheney of St. Louis; Mrs. Mary Cornelia Nelson of Logansport and Mrs. C. S. Knight of Spy Run Avenue. The aged husband and three daughters were at her bedside when death occurred yesterday morning, and Mr. Will Cheney, the only son, arrived from St. Louis last night.
Mrs. Cheney was a devoted member of the First Presbyterian Church. The funeral will be held there tomorrow morning, Rev. Dr. Moffatt officiating, and the remains taken to Logansport for interment."
Her husband was the well-known James Cheney. His obituary appeared in the Fort Wayne Sentinel, December 14, 1903, front page:
It was brother Rinaldo (Reynaldo) who stayed in Ohio to farm the lands obtained by his father, Pierce. Born on December 17, 1819, Rinaldo married Mary A. Shaw in 1858. He farmed his land in Richland Township and could be found in the censuses each year until 1880; he died on April 27, 1886. His obituary was short, appearing in the Defiance Democrat on April 29, 1886:
"RINALDO EVANS, an old and highly respected citizen of this section, died at his farm residence in Richland township Tuesday afternoon. The funeral will be held on Friday."
His will was probated in May, 1886, in which he revealed that he had no debts and that his executors should contest any that came forth, expect for his taxes and last sickness. All was left to his wife, and upon her death, designations were named for each child. At that time he had 200 acres along the river in Section 19 and 118 acres in Section 18.
He was buried in Old Riverside Cemetery in Defiance.
As mentioned in an earlier posts, several other brothers died young - the youngest child, Frederick Richard died at age 2. An older brother, Horatio, born in 1830, died in 1851. His brief obituary appeared in the Defiance Democrat on October 25, 1851, p. 2:
"Died at the residence of his father, Judge Pierce Evans, on Tuesday evening, 21st inst, Horatio Evans, aged 21 years, 9 months and 21 days, of typhus fever.
What an adventurous, curious, and entrepreneurial family were the Evans!
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