The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-07-26
TAPS SOUND FOR
CAPTAIN EVANS
Very Prominent keokuk Citizen Died
Last Night at His Home Here
After Long Life Of Use-
fuIness.
BRILLIANT ARMY RECORD
OF Revolutionary Ancestry, He Fought
Through the Whole Civil War,
from Private to
Captain.

ITOUl TTiNdSS W
/ Captain.
Captain Amos Hart Evans died at
! his home, 621 Franklin street, at IL
o'clock last night at the age of seven.
ty-nine years.
The funeral will be conducted by
Rev. DR.. Ezra B. Newcomb at the
residence Sunday afternoon at
o'clock
Captain Evans had been closely
identified with the business and so
cial and political life Of the city for
more than forty years.
He was born at Pennington, New
Jersey, on August %, 1910 and made
! his home in that state until the out
break of the civil war.
He was the last of three children OF
New Jersey school teacher. When
the boy was ave years of age his
father died, and it became necessary
for him to earn living at very
early age. When he was ten years
old he hired out to farmer and was
to receive for his services his board
ana TOOlu anu IuIcS 1AoulAo oShooiiA5
each year.
At the age Of sixteen he appren.
ticed himself to cabinet maker and
followed that trade until the time OF
his enlistment in the army.
A Lawmaker In Arkansas.
At the end of the war, he decided
that the west offered greater oppor-
tunities to a young man and he set
tied at Indian Bay, Arkansas, town
which has since gone out of existence.
During the years there. between the
close of the war and 1877, he was In
the general merchandising business
and in numbering.
He was a member Of the constitu
tional convention of that state and
was later elected to the state senate.
In 1877, he came to Keokuk and en-.
tered into the grocery business with
his brother-in-law, l.. D. Shepperd.
After two years in that business, they
went into the lumber business and
engaged in that for seventeen years.
Since 1896, he has been In the coal
business.
He has also been president of the
Loan and Building association for a
number of years.
Fifty Years a Mason.
He was one of the few men in Keo-
kuk who had been a member OF the
Masonic lodge for more than fifty
years. During the past year he reach
ed that mark and received fitting
recognition of his long membership.
He had been life long member OF
the Presbyterian church and had his
membership In Westminster church
ever since coming to Keokuk. His
qualities of leadership caused him to
be elected an elder few years later
and in that position ever since, he has
been one of the leading forces in the
Westminster church for over gener-
alton.
Always identified with the best in
terests of the city, he was active in
every civic and philanthropic move
ment. Between the years 1886 and
1891, he was alderman from the third
ward continuously
He was married to Miss Ruth Null
ford Shepperd on August .26. 1869 at
Greenwich, New Jersey. They had
five children of whom two are now
living. Mrs. Evans died about two
years ago.
Those surviving him are Miss Mabel
Evans and Mrs. Ruth Evans Brinker,
both of this city.
Long and Appreciated Service.
CAPTAIN Evans entered the service
Of his country in the civil war as
private. enlisting in Co. D, Third New
Co tho
first call for troops came. He was
mustered in April "a, 1861, to serve
thu ee months, discharged July 81, and
on September %, 1861. he re.en1sted
in CO. F, Ninth New Jersey infantry,
for three years. In November. 1863
he re-enlisted again as a veteran vol
unteer in the same regiment, WfSH III
a break in his service. He was fin
ally discharged July II, 1865, having
served four years and three months in
the army.
Soon after his first enlistment, he
was appointed duty sergeant, and In
1868, was made first sergeant of his
company. April 10, 1864, he was COM
missioned second lieutenant, and four
weeks later was made first lieutenant
and transferred to Co. e. In October
of the same year, he was commission
ed captain of Co. D, to rank from
April %, 1865.
E7"
Fighting All the Time.
While still in the three months
service, his company crossed the Long
bridge into Virginia with the first ad.
vance Of the union army. In 1862, the
company fought in North Carolina
long list of engagements, before re-
turning to Virginia where Drury's
Bluff and General Buffers move on
Richmond were only details Of its
hard fighting. They then went to Cold
Harbor and into the Petersburg cam
paign, and then back to NorSh Caro-
lima.
CAPTAIN Evans was in the combat
zone practically all the time the war
between the states lasted. in battles
and skirmishes innumerable.
March 7, 1866, he was captured on
the picket line, but escaped on the
way to prison and spent twelve days
getting back to his own men.