Pierce Evans, Early Settler and War of 1812 Veteran

 

Pierce Evans was an early settler in Richland Township, Defiance County, as early as 1823, when the area was still in Henry County.  

Born on August 28, 1793, in Bourbon County, Kentucky, he enlisted in the Ohio Militia of Volunteers in September, 1812, for 30 days.  He was in the Company of Captain Moses Patterson, discharged in October, 1812.  

The next year he reenlisted in July 1813, into the Company of Captain Hugh Rogers and Colonel Keys for a 40 day term.  Pierce served from July 29 to August 26, not a full term.  The War of 1812 was fought against the British and some of the Native Americans as a protest against Britain's restrictions on our trade and their impressment of our seamen.  They would take our men from American merchant ships and force them to serve on British ships. 

It was said that Pierce Evans liked the Defiance area so much when he was stationed in Ohio that he came back to it to settle.

At some point upon his return from war, he married Mary Ann Braucher. A marriage record could not be found, but an estimate for the marriage date would be between 1814 and 1817, considering the age of their eldest child in the Federal Census of 1830.

In the early censuses of 1830 and 1840, the couple were found in Richland Township, Henry County, as Defiance County was not formed until 1843. In the Federal Census of 1850, Pierce, 56, and Mary, 50, Evans were in Richland Township, Defiance County on July 26, 1850.  He was farming real estate worth $12,250.  His son, Horatio, 18, was helping on the farm.  His other children at home included: Allen B., 16; John N., 13; Mary A., 11; Alphonse B., 8 and Elizabeth (Evans) Wank, 21, and her husband, Jacob Wank, 20 who also helped with the farming.

In the year 1850, Pierce Evans also applied for the bounty land due to him for his service in the War of 1812.  A law had been passed in 1850 allowing these grants. On December 9, 1850, Pierce wrote a letter to the court requesting this land as follows:

"The State of Ohio, County of Defiance

On this 9th day of December A.D. 1850 personally appeared before me, a Justice of the Peace within and for the county and state aforesaid, Pierce Evans, aged 57 years, a resident of Defiance county in the state of Ohio, who being duly sworn according to the law, declares that he is the identical Pierce Evans who was a private in the Company commanded by Captain Moses Patterson in the First Regiment of Ohio Volunteers commanded by Colonel Samuel Findley in the war with Great Britain declared by the United States on the 18th day of June 1812, that he volunteered at Hillsborough, Highland County, Ohio on or about the 13th day of September A.D. 1812 for the term of 30 days (under the call of General Harrison for volunteers to furnish their own horses, guns, provisions, etc. in consideration of which they were to have the credit of a 6 months term) and continued in actual service in said war for the whole of his said term and was honorably discharged at Urbana, Ohio (though he thinks his discharge was written and dated at Hillsborough after they got home) on the 12th day of October A.D. 1812, as will appear by the muster rolls of said company.

And that he is the identical Pierce Evans who was a private in the company commanded by Captain Hugh Rogers in the Regiment of Ohio Volunteers commanded by Colonel William Keys in the War with Great Britain declared by the United States on the 18th of June 1812, that he volunteered at Hillsborough, Highland County, Ohio on or about the 29th day of July A.D. 1813 for the term of 40 days and continued in actual service in said company for the term of 25 or 30 days and was honorably discharged at Upper Sandusky in the latter part of August A.D. 1815 as will appear by the muster rolls of said company and he further states that both of his original certificates of discharge, one lost or so miss laid that he cannot find them.

He makes this declaration for the purpose of obtaining the bounty land to certain officers and soldiers who have been engaged in the military service of the United States, passed September 28, 1850."   His signature:

 

It should also be noted that Pierce Evans received Homestead Land before his Bounty Land, beginning in 1824 with 82.02 acres; in 1835, 35 acres and 80 acres; in 1837, 80 acres and last in 1837, another 80 acres, his already established farm.

Hence, in the 1860 Federal Census in Richland Township, the value of his land jumped to $22,250.  Pierce, 65, and Mary, 59, lived with just their youngest son, Alfonso, 21, who worked on the farm, and daughter, Mary.  Several men worked as laborers on the farm, and Dora Schultz, 25, worked as a servant.  

The agricultural census of June 18, 1850, in Richland Township noted that Pierce had: 100 acres improved, 700 acres unimproved, 2 oxen, 10 other cattle, 203 sheep, 40 swine, 450 bushels of wheat, 2000 bushels of corn, 200 bushels of oats, and 250 pounds of wool.  The value of the farm was 22,000.

Their children numbered eleven, beginning with the oldest son, Orlando, followed by Reynaldo, Helen, Nancy, Alvaro, Horatio, Allen, John Newton "Newt", Alphonso, Mary Ann and Frederick Richard.

Both Pierce and Mary Ann died in 1862. Pierce died on January 15th, and Mary Ann died on January 22. An obituary for Pierce appeared in the Defiance Democrat on January 18, 1862.

"Died on Wednesday past, January 15th, after a short illness, in the 69th year of his age.  *Judge Evans was born in Bourbon County, Kentucky, August 28, 1793.  He settled on the Maumee in 1822, and since 1825 has resided on the farm near Defiance which he entered and improved.  He was thrifty, upright and a respected citizen.  The funeral will take place today, Saturday, at one o'clock p.m., at the Presbyterian church."

*Pierce also served as an associate judge in probate court in Defiance.

Pierce had written his will in August of 1850, and it was filed for probate in Defiance County on June 20, 1862.  In it, he gave to his wife, Mary Ann, two farms in Richland Township and all the household goods, stock and farming implements for her natural life for the support of her and the minor children.  To sons Horatio, Allen, John, Alphonso and daughter, Mary Ann, he gave $1,000.

To his children, Orlando, Rinaldo, Nancy B. and Alvaro, he gave $1.00  After paying expenses of his sickness and funeral, the rest would be divided.  He gave them the right to sell land excepting the two farms for Mary Ann, containing about 800 acres.  

After Mary Ann died quickly after Pierce, the executors moved to have a farm sale.

Both Pierce and Mary Ann were buried in the Old Riverside Cemetery in Defiance, Old Section A, Lot 30

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W. P. A. Cemetery Survey - Riverside Cemetery, PART 2

In this series, some of the general surveys of Defiance County cemeteries will be shared, transcribed as written on the original W.P.A. reports, with a few punctuation and/or spelling changes for readability.  The surveys were probably done around 1936.

For more up to date information on the cemeteries, check out this chart on our website:
 http://defiancecountygenealogy.org/cemeteries.html)

Riverside Cemetery

6. Names of important persons buried there:

Dr. Charles E. Slocum at www.findagrave.com

 - Dr. Charles Elihu Slocum, 1841 - 1915, perhaps the most noted man buried in the cemetery.  A physician, traveler, philanthropist, and author of The History of the Maumee River Basin, published in 1905.  From this book, a lot of the history and data used in the material for the American Guide and on the Federal Writers Project of Defiance County has been gathered.  

Dr. Slocum donated some five hundred old books to the Public Library at Defiance and some to the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, Ohio.  He also was the donor of the Indian and prehistoric museum in Tenzer Hall at Defiance College.  His tombstone is a bronze statuary pedestal marker with an obelisk pointed shaft.  It is four sided, on the front is a raised facsimile of the head and picture of Dr. Slocum.  In the back is the genealogy of his family.  Descended from the Slocumb (note difference in spelling) who came to America in 1637 from Taunton, England and was one of the founders of Taunton, Mass.  On one of the sides of this marker is a dove of peace, on the other, a sheaf of wheat.  His monument stone is just back of the chapel in the new part of the cemetery. 

William C. Holgate at www.findagrave.com

-Second, according to rank, is William C. Holgate, who is buried in his vault, exact date of birth and burial undecernable, born in about 1824, died in the late nineties of the last century.  He came to this city when a lad of fifteen from New York with his father.  His father's grave is under a large stone obelisk marker, just north of the Holgate vault.  He was born in 1773 and died in 1840.  This man is said to have known Washington and Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin...  He died soon after settling in Defiance, the first named Holgate was a pioneer settler of the city.  A street in Defiance is named for him, also the Town of Holgate, Ohio in Henry County.  He was a very rich man, land owner and banker.  He built the Holgate-Harley Mansion that now stands on Holgate Avenue at the end of Fifth Street and on the banks of the Maumee River.  His son, Wm. C. Holgate and his daughter, Mrs. Fannie Harley, are still living in the City of Defiance, Fannie occupying the old homestead. 

- Pierce Evans, 1800 - 1862, pioneer settler of Independence, Ohio, and cousin of Foreman Evans, founder of Independence and Evansport, Ohio.  Pierce is the only one of the Evans family buried in the graveyard, the others being taken back east to be buried.  His stone is also an obelisk marker, setting in the old graveyard near the Holgate vault.

- Thomas Warren, 1796 - 1878, first fruit raiser, owner of the old and famous Warren Orchards, formerly in the southwest part of Defiance.  Warren Addition in Defiance is named for him.  His grave and marker near the Holgate vault.

Virgil Squire at www.findagrave.com

- Virgil Squire, 1809 - 1878, owner of the first bank in Defiance, Ohio, the grandson being the president of the First National Bank at the time.  His marker and those of his children are in the old graveyard close to the Holgate and Latty vaults.

 -Herman B. Tenzer, born in 1885 and died in February of this year, 1936, rich lumber man, banker and philanthropist, co-donor with his wife of the Tenzer Science Hall at Defiance College and donor of thirty-five thousand dollars to the St. Paul's Lutheran Church, through his will probated this March.  He and Mrs. Tenzer are both buried in the New Mausoleum in the new part of the cemetery.

Silas T. Sutphen at www.findagrave.com

- Silas T. Sutphen, early pioneer judge and attorney of Defiance County, Sutphen Memorial Home for the President of Defiance College is built by his wife and son in memorial to him.  Born 1838 and died in 1909.  Buried in old part of cemetery. Large granite marker built to his memory on the Sutphen lot. 

- Dr. John Colby, affectionately called old Doc Colby, 1818 - 1907, a physician for more than fifty years in Defiance.  Buried in old cemetery.  No relatives living.

- Elbert E. Carter, 1860 - 1934, late president of the State Bank of Defiance, Ohio, who did much in keeping his bank on its feet during the trying times of 1929 - 1933, and injured his health in doing so, but saved the bank and all the money.  

To be continued...

 (The Works Progress Administration was formed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in reaction to the Great Depression as a means of employing Americans and stimulating the economy.  Established in 1935, one of the projects of the W.P.A. was to conduct Historical Records Surveys, one of which included finding information on cemeteries and the graves of veterans.  The W.P.A. was disbanded in 1943, but the historical information provided on these surveys continue to be of interest and are, thankfully, preserved.)