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Metadata
Catalog Number |
S1176 |
Title |
John Evans papers, 1784-1789 |
Scope & Content |
The John Evans Papers, dating from September 1784 to April 1789, contain thirty "letters" written by John Evans (1737-1791) to himself. The collection more closely resembles journal entries where Evans, referring to himself as "Ange," writes in the second person, as if from the perspective of a conscience or guardian angel. Evans was a merchant of some prominence from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. While unusual in form, Evans's letters document his life experiences, his family, his business affairs, and Portsmouth history. The letters are written in French for the most part. It is probable that Evans learned and used French while he lived in the West Indies. However, French is evidently not his native language due to grammar errors, which he admits. He mixes English words and phrases into his sentences, at times to emphasize certain ideas and perhaps also because he could not think of the proper French term. He often "Frenchifies" the spellings of names, such as "Jean Haven" instead of "John Haven," but usually names are abbreviated. Dates are also abbreviated, and he substitutes numerals for the months of September ("7bre"), October ("8bre"), November ("9bre"), and December ("10bre"). Evans writes fairly regularly, often daily or even multiple times in a day. Nearly every letter contains his "refliches," or reminiscences about the past, especially regarding his time in the West Indies, as well as current events in and around Portsmouth. Other local areas of interest include Exeter, Kittery, York, Wells, and Newbury. He lists nearly 600 unique names, from distinguished Portsmouth merchants and Revolutionary-era figures to contacts from the West Indies, especially Sint Eustatius, Grenada, Martinique, Saint Lucia, Barbados, and Saint Martin. He also mentions other major trade centers, including Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and London. Evans frequently names members of the Haven, Langdon, Moffatt, and Sheafe families, who were his competitors. He is quite critical of others and speaks about his wealthy peers in unflattering terms. He rails against the "trappings de cet Monde embecile" (the trappings of this imbecile World) and notes his abstinence from alcohol and tobacco. While he does not delve very deeply, Evans talks a lot about his family, particularly his father, Richard Evans (1706-1788); his brothers Daniel, Samuel, Eastwicke, and Richard; and his in-laws. With his wife Susanna March (1755-1817?), whom he calls "Sukey," he had ten children. In October 1788, he writes, "vous est comme un General, et votre grande famille comme un petit Armée en un Ennemies paÿs" (you are like a General, and your large family like a small Army in a country of Enemies). It is interesting to note that, in the wake of the Revolutionary War, Evans uses warfare as metaphors to describe how he feels about his success--or lack thereof--in life. There are brief mentions of James and Pero, two Black men belonging to Evans. Other subjects include ships owned by Evans, especially the Two Brothers, Ceres, Cornucopia, Grenada, Laurel, Lund Packet, New Fortune, Placentia, Plenty, Supply, Welcome, Widows Son, and William; ship captains and shipowners; merchandise; Freemasonry in Portsmouth; births and deaths in the city; significant dates and anniversaries; and local, state, and national government. Evans gives an indication of what kinds of materials were traded in Portsmouth, such as rum, coffee, tea, sugar, and flour. In addition, Evans reflects on his finances, offering himself "maxims," or words to live by. These statements usually begin with the French phrase, "il faut que…" (it is necessary that…). He laments that he was at one time quite prosperous but his success declined around the time he left the West Indies and returned to Portsmouth in 1771. He reflects on his brig the Two Brothers, which he used to travel to and from Grenada and was shipwrecked in 1773. Of particular significance are the letters documenting the death of Evans's father; his financial relationship with "S.H.S.," or Samuel Hirst Sparhawk; the celebration in Portsmouth following New Hampshire's ratification of the Constitution; and the early American government. He briefly mentions an apprenticeship with John Moffatt in the West Indies as well as his properties on Grenada, called "Mardi Gras" and "E Hall." As the Portsmouth town clerk, Evans notes town meeting dates and elections, and one of the letters has meeting minutes recorded in English on the back. Evans regularly attended South Church and summarizes some of Reverend Samuel Haven's sermons in his letters. He also mentions his admiration for George Washington and John Paul Jones. |
Admin/Biographical History |
John Evans was a merchant from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, born on September 17, 1737. He was the son of Richard Evans (1706-1788) and Mary Manson (1707-1784) of Portsmouth. On July 27, 1772, he married Susanna March (1755-1817?), the daughter of Reverend Edmund March (1703-1791) and Mary Whittemore (1712-1788) of Newbury, Massachusetts. Reverend Samuel Haven performed the ceremony. John and Susanna had ten children together. Evans owned at least two Black men: James, who drowned in a diving accident on September 23, 1773, and Pero, who was purchased in the West Indies and ran away from Evans in 1771. The Evans family were longtime members of South Church. Evans spent a good deal of time in the West Indies, beginning around 1758 and especially between 1768 and 1771. According to his letters, in his younger days he had an apprenticeship on "the Islands" with John Moffatt. Evans traded among the West Indies, frequenting Sint Eustatius, Grenada, Martinique, Saint Lucia, and others. He ran a plantation in Grenada and established Freemason lodges before returning to Portsmouth in the spring of 1771, an occasion he references numerous times in his letters as he was essentially bankrupt at that point. Once back in Portsmouth, Evans sold goods out of his store on Captain Janvrin's wharf and was an active member of the Freemasons. He would have belonged to St. John's Lodge, one of the first Masonic lodges in the United States, which was constituted in 1736; the Grand Lodge of New Hampshire was formed at the William Pitt Tavern in 1789. He conducted extensive trade with England, losing many of his ships in the Revolutionary War. The Evanses supported the Patriot cause during the American Revolution, and John became a commissary and contractor for army supplies for George Washington's troops. Evans owned many ships, which he either bought locally or had built in Portsmouth, including the Two Brothers, Cornucopia, Grenada, Lund Packet, New Fortune, Placentia, Supply, Widows Son, and William. Notably, he purchased the brig Two Brothers for 400 pounds in York and used it to travel back and forth to Grenada; his brother Daniel often served as master. In March 1771, Evans arrived in Grenada "for the last time." The Two Brothers later shipwrecked off the coast of Cape Cod toward the end of 1772; an announcement about it appeared in the Portsmouth newspapers on January 13, 1773. After the Revolutionary War, Evans took an interest in the early American government and served as the Portsmouth town clerk from March 25, 1785, until his death in 1791. John Evans died in Portsmouth on December 14, 1791, and is buried in the Pleasant Street Cemetery with his two eldest daughters who both died in 1801. |
Creator |
Evans, John, 1737-1791 |
Collection |
Single Items / Small Collections |
Object Name |
Correspondence |
Date |
1784-1789 |
Extent of Description |
1 folder (30 items) |
Language of Material |
French, English |
Access Conditions |
The collection is open for research. |
Physical characteristics |
Many of the letters are torn along the folds; a few have completely separated. Some of the letters are ripped, both unintentionally as well as intentionally by the creator. |
System of arrangement |
Arranged chronologically, 1784-09-12 to 1789-04-13. |
People |
Adams, Elizabeth (Parker), d. 1815 Adams, Nathaniel, 1726-1766 Akerman, Nahum, b.1736 Akerman, Simeon Allen, Thomas, 1728-1793 Anderson, David, fl. 1785-1789 Appleton, John, 1739-1817 Appleton, Nathaniel, Jr., 1731-1798 Atkinson, George, d. 1788 Atkinson, Theodore, c1736-1769 Bailie, Evan, 1742-1835 Bayley, Robert, d. 1828 Bell, Thomas, 1699-1774 Bennett, Josiah, 1753-1832 Blaisdell, Abner (Capt.), 1770-1832 Blunt, Arthur, b. 1763 Blunt, John, 1734-1798 Blunt, William, c1737-1795 Bowles, Samuel, c1739-1802 Boyd family Boyd, George, 1733-1787 Breeding, Andrew, fl. 1768-1769 Brown, John, c1724-1772 Buckminster, Joseph, 1751-1812 Chadbourne, Thomas, c1736-1810 Champney, Joseph, 1760-c1805 Champney, Richard, c1734-1810 Chase, Stephen, 1742-1805 Chauncy, Charles, 1729-1809 Clapp, Supply, 1742-1811 Coffin, Edmund, 1708-1789 Conklin, Jonathan, c1729-1803 Cotton, Solomon, 1745-1805 Coues, Peter, 1736-1818 Crane, Benjamin Cutter, Ammi Ruhamah, 1735-1820 Dalling, Samuel, 1712-1788 de Ponthieu, John, 1732-1773 Dearborn family Dearborn, Benjamin, c1754-1838 Derbage, George Dixon, Thomas, b. 1744 Drown, Samuel Evans family Evans, Catherine Evans, Daniel, 1745-1791 Evans, Eastwicke, 1786-1866 Evans, Eastwicke, b. 1740 Evans, James, d. 1773 Evans, John, 1737-1791 Evans, Pero Evans, Richard, 1706-1788 Evans, Richard, 1777-1817 Evans, Richard, b. 1734 Evans, Samuel Manson, b. 1781 Evans, Samuel, b. 1732 Falls, John, dfl. 1771-1772 Folsom, Nathaniel, 1726-1790 Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790 Frost, George, 1750-1808 Frost, Joseph, 1749-1830 Gardner, William, 1750-1834 Gerrish, Robert Gerrish, Samuel, c1742-1807 Gilman, Nicholas, 1731-1783 Hall, Elijah, 1742-1830 Hall, Samuel, c1730-1806 Hall, Stacy, c1754-1830 Ham, Ephraim, 1729-1798 Ham, Samuel, c1769-1813 Hamilton, Jonathan, 1745-1802 Hart, Daniel, c1741-1791 Hart, Richard, 1733-1820 Haven family Haven, John, 1766-1845 Haven, Joseph, 1757-1829 Haven, Nathaniel Appleton, 1762-1831 Haven, Samuel, 1727-1806 Haven, Samuel, 1754-1825 Holbrook, Joseph, 1749-1783 Hovey, Ivory, 1748-1818 Hovey, James, fl. 1768-1774 Humphreys, Daniel, c1739-1827 Jackson, Clement, 1706-1788 Jackson, Hall, 1739-1797 Janvrin, George, c1713-1789 Janvrin, Mendum, b. c1745 Jones, John Paul, 1747-1792 Langdon family Langdon, John, 1741-1819 Langdon, Polly Evans Langdon, Woodbury, 1738-1805 Lear, John, c1769-1843 Lear, Tobias, 1762-1816 Libbey, Jeremiah, 1748-1824 Long, Pierse, c1739-1789 Lucas family Lucas, Jack, fl. 1785-1789 Lucas, Thomas, c1720-1784 Lucas, William, d. 1787 Manning, Thomas, c1747-1819 Manson, Mary, 1707-1784 March family March, Dorothy, 1752-1817 March, Ebenezer, 1745-1827 March, Elizabeth, 1743-1828 March, Jane, 1749-1832 March, Joanna, b. 1755 March, John, 1735-1820 March, John, c1760-1813 March, Margery, 1732-1810 March, Martha, b. 1748 March, Mary, b. 1739 March, Pelatiah, b. 1741 March, Susanna, 1755-1817 Meserve, George Moffatt family Moffatt, John, c1691-1786 Moffatt, Katherine, 1734-1821 Moffatt, Samuel Cutt, 1738-1780 Moffatt, Sarah Catherine Tufton Mason, 1742-1802 Moore, Joshua Odiorne family Odiorne, Jotham, 1703-1751 Odiorne, Nathaniel, b. 1746 Odiorne, Samuel, 1758-1835 Ogden, John Cosens, 1751-1800 Osborne, George Jerry, 1732-1808 Parker, John, 1732-1791 Partridge, Benjamin, c1741-1796 Pearne, William, c1729-c1790 Peirce, John, 1746-1814 Peirce, Samuel Penhallow family Penhallow, Hunking, 1766-1826 Penhallow, John, 1723-1809 Penhallow, John, 1758-1838 Penhallow, Richard Wibird, 1750-1785 Penhallow, Samuel, 1757-1805 Peverly, Kinsman, b. c1743 Pickering, John, 1737-1805 Pitman, Ezekiel, c1745-1809 Pitman, John, Jr. Purcell, Gregory, 1770-1788 Purcell, Gregory, c1734-c1776 Purcell, Michael, fl. 1759-1768 Purcell, Sarah Wentworth, c1741-1789 Purcell, William, fl. 1752 Rice, Samuel, 1752-1802 Rindge, Daniel, c1730-1799 Rindge, Isaac, 1735-1805 Rindge, John, 1727-1786 Sewall, David, 1735-1825 Seward, Giles, 1717-1797 Sheafe family Sheafe, Jacob, 1715-1791 Sheafe, Jacob, 1745-1829 Sheafe, James, 1755-1829 Sheafe, Thomas, 1752-1831 Sheafe, William, 1758-1839 Shores, James, fl. 1772-1774 Shores, Peter, c1741 Slade, Benjamin, 1735-1815 Slade, William, d. 1789 Smith, Edward, Tyrrell, fl. 1771-1773 Sparhawk family Sparhawk, Andrew Pepperrell, 1750-1783 Sparhawk, Harriet Hirst, 1786-1872 Sparhawk, John, c1742-1787 Sparhawk, Nathaniel, 1715-1776 Sparhawk, Nathaniel, 1744-1814 Sparhawk, Samuel Hirst, 1752-1789 Sparhawk, William Pepperrell, c1746-1816 Stavers, John, 1714-1797 Storer, Clement, 1760-1830 Storer, Samuel, 1752-1815 Sullivan, John, 1740-1795 Talpey, Carter Thompson, James, fl. 1785 Thompson, Thomas, 1741-1809 Threlfal, Robert, fl. 1785-1789 Traill, Robert, d. 1785 Treadwell, Nathaniel, 1730-1817 Treadwell, William Earl, 1727-1793 Trefethen, Abraham, c1740-c1798 Trefethen, William, c1736-1802 Tucker, John, 1719-1792 Underwood, John, c1721 Vaujours de Châtillon, Charles Michel, 1722-1779 Walton, Joseph, 1742-1822 Warner, Jonathan, 1726-1814 Washington, George, 1732-1799 Weeks, William, 1723-1798 Wendell, John, 1731-1808 Wendell, John, 1757-1799 Wentworth, George, 1740-1820 Wentworth, Joshua, b. c1742 Wentworth, Mark Hunking, 1709-1785 Whipple, Oliver, 1744-1813 Whipple, William, 1730-1785 Whittemore, Mary, 1712-1788 Woodward, Moses, c1741-1813 Yeaton, Hopley, c1739-1812 Yeaton, Philip Drew, c1741-c1802 |
Search Terms |
Berwick (Me.) Ceres (brig) City of Portsmouth Cornucopia (ship, 1773: Wells) Dolphin (ship, 1756: Portsmouth) Dove (ship, 1770: Berkley) Exeter (N.H.) First Parish Church of Newbury (Mass.) Gerrish Island Gravelly Ridge Schoolhouse Grenada (ship, 1763: Portsmouth) Henderson's Point Isles of Shoals Kittery (Me.) Laurel (brig) Long Wharf (Water Street) Lund Packet (brig, 1768: New Castle) Nancy (ship) New Fortune (ship, 1772: York) New Hampshire General Court New Hampshire State House (Portsmouth) Newbury (Mass.) Newmarket (N.H.) Odiorne Point Placentia (ship, 1763: Portsmouth) Plenty (ship) Portsmouth (N.H.) Sagamore Creek South Church St. John's Lodge State of New Hampshire Supply (ship, 1755: Portsmouth) Triton (brig) Two Brothers (brig, 1766: York) Welcome (schooner) Wells (Me.) Widows Son (ship, 1769: Portsmouth) William (brig, 1767: Portsmouth) York (Me.) |
Subjects |
Alcohol Barbados Black people Boston (Mass.) Bristol (England) Business & finance Cambridge (Mass.) Cape Cod Commerce Constitutional history Correspondence Debt Diaries and journals Elections -- New Hampshire Enslaved people Faith Families Freemasonry Freemasons French language Genealogy Grenada International trade Judges Lawsuits Legislators Local government London (England) Martinique Maxims Merchant ships Merchants Money New Hampshire New York (N.Y.) Parades & processions Philadelphia (Pa.) Politics and government -- 1775-1789 Property Religion Saint Lucia Saint Martin Shipmasters Shipowners Ships Shipwrecks Sint Eustatius Slave trade Social life and customs -- 18th century State government Tobacco Town meetings Vices West Indies West Indies trade |