OLD SETTLERS' STORIES
Number Three
Dr. John M. Evans, Sr.

Editor of The Badger:

In response to your request to say something of my early experiences here as a Rock County pioneer I have made
a few notes which may be of interest to some of your readers.

I was born in Rutland County, Vermont, February 13, 1819. My ancestors on both sides of the houses were of
Puritan stock, both members of families who helped to develop New England. My father's name was Calvin R.
Evans. My mother's name was Penelope Goodrich. When I was fifteen years old my mother died and I spent
several years with grandfather Goodrich. When I was nineteen I came west as far as La Porte, Ind., to join my
father.

My journey from Vermont to La Porte was made every step of the way by stage coach. It took two weeks to make
the journey. By the time I reached Ohio I was badly used up from exhaustion and had to leave the coach for a
while. This was in February of '38. Later in the same year I went on horseback from La Porte to the west side of
Chicago. On Lake street, near the mouth of the river, I got stuck in the mud and had to get off my horse in order to
get the animal out. The man that owned the land came along to help me and offered to trade me that quarter
section of land for the horse but as she was a good mare I would not trade.

There were not nearly as many openings for boys in those days as now. My education was such as could be
gotten from the common schools of Vermont, but I then had no thought of studying for one of the professions.

In casting about to decide upon something for a business I decided to be a carpenter and served my three years
apprenticeship. Owing to a trouble in one hip I was advised by my physician to give up carpentering and so I began
the study of medicine under Dr. Meeker of La Porte. When a medical school was founded in that city I became one
of its students and was a member of its first graduating class, finishing in the class of '46.

I began to look about for a desirable opening for a young M. D., came to Chicago and then on to Freeport, thinking
some of locating there, but finally concluded not to stop there, but came here, all the way on horseback.

Some of my La Porte friends had settled in this vicinity and so in looking for a place to locate I came to "The
Grove." I found my new home was located in a settlement consisting of one frame house, one log school-house,
and one double log cabin.

The frame house was the one already referred to by Mr. Bennett, owned by Henry Spencer. The school house was
the one where Mr. Leonard was hired to teach the children useful knowledge.

The log cabin was owned and occupied by Amos Kirkpatrick, the original owner of the quarter which had for its
northwest corner the site of the Pioneer drug store.

For about two years I boarded in the family of Henry Spencer, and had my office up stairs. My practice was mostly
riding as people did not live close together in those days, but the roads were good, (plenty of room to turn out)
they have never been bettered except by grading marshes and bridging steams.

There was one other physician, living in Union, at this time.

Those were good old days; everyone was a friend to everyone else. We had many privations and hardships but we
helped each other to share them and looked ahead to the better days coming and they came.

I had been here two years when I bought the corner where Cummings & Clark now have their store, of Lewis
Spencer. There was a frame house near the corner facing on Main St. It is the same house now owned by James
Powles, on Liberty street, situated between his residence and that of S. J. Baker. My sister, now Mrs. McCotter,
joined me and we went to housekeeping. Around the corner facing on Madison street I built an office and occupied
it for some time. Later I had one where the house of my son now stands, having purchased ten acres of land from
Henry Spencer, fronting on Main Street.

In 1849 we had come to be of enough importance to have a post office established here as a part of the postal
system then carried on by stages.

I was appointed postmaster and had the office where W. F. Biglow now has his furniture store. The office was
called Evansville and in 1855 when the town was platted the same name was kept.

In 1854 I was married to Miss Emma Clement of La Porte and after that we boarded a few months in Janesville.

In about a year after my marriage we came to Evansville to live in the red brick houses which was torn down a few
years ago, on the site where we now live.

In 1861, I accepted the commission surgeon of the Wisconsin 13th Infantry and followed the fortunes of war till
1865 when I was obliged to resign on account of my health. I gladly welcomed peace and home. For four years I
had been trying to do my best to get our boys so they could go back home or help them die a little easier under
foreign skies.

Since then my residence has been uninterrupted here. I have watched nearly every house go up, all the schools,
all the churches, and feel that the early men of this community were made of good fiber. It is with pardonable pride
that I mark each improvement in our prosperous town and take a personal interest in every thing connected with
the community. I enjoy looking down our streets bordered on either side by beautiful shade trees and became
convinced a long time ago that hard work and privations have been paid for. The pioneers that broke the sod and
hewed the logs have been permitted to live and see their children and grandchildren enjoy the fruits of their early
labors.

J. M. Evans

March 9, 1895, The Badger, p. 4, col. 4 & 5, Evansville, Wisconsin