William Ferdinand Evans

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it: the life of William Ferdinand Evans, as recorded in La Salle County. Now, some men seem to collect whole lifetimes before most folks have finished their first cup of coffee. William Ferdinand Evans was born on January 14th, 1831, in Louisiana.

He had eighty-five years and three hundred sixty-four days ahead of him; he'd miss his eighty-sixth birthday by exactly one day, passing on January 13th, 1917. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. By 1850, young Evans had made his way to Polk County, Texas.

Six years later, he was movin' again, this time to Gonzales County. A man who keeps movin' is either lookin' for something or building toward something, and Evans was still just getting started. Then came the Civil War, 1861 to 1865, and Evans was there for it.

He served on Galveston Island in the Texas coastal defenses; that long, exposed stretch of coastline where the Gulf of Mexico doesn't give you much room for second thoughts. He served with Company I, 2nd Texas Regiment, Volunteer Infantry, and also in Cunningham's Company C, Mann's Regiment. Two different units, one long war.

Along the way, he married Nancy M. Weathers. After her death, he married Malissa Justice.

He had four children. A family built across decades, across counties, across grief and continuance both. And then, in 1903 (this man already past seventy years old), William Ferdinand Evans landed in Cotulla, right here in La Salle County.

He'd stay fourteen years, until 1917. Until that last day, one sunrise short of his eighty-sixth birthday. Some lives don't roar.

They just keep going; Louisiana to Polk County, Polk to Gonzales, Galveston to Cotulla; steady as the man himself. And right here is where the road finally stopped for W. F.

Evans.

What the marker says

(Jan. 14, 1831 - Jan. 13, 1917) Born in Louisiana, W. F. Evans moved to Polk County, Texas, in 1850, and to Gonzales County in 1856. During the Civil War (1861-65), he served on Galveston Island in Texas coastal defenses, with Co. I, 2D Texas Regiment, Volunteer Infantry, and in Cunningham's Co. C, Mann's Regiment. He married Nancy M. Weathers, and after her death Malissa Justice. He had four children. Cotulla was his home from 1903 to 1917.