Charles Evans (1768-1847) was an American attorney, civic leader and philanthropist during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.Montgomery, Morton L. Historical and Biographical Annals of Berks County Pennsylvania Embracing a Concise History of the County and a Genealogical and Biographical Record of Representative Families, Vol. I, pp. 93, 329, 333, 647, 757. Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co., 1909. “Charles Evans and Wife: Sketch of the Founder of the Charles Evans Cemetery." Reading, Pennsylvania: The Reading Eagle, March 7, 1886, p. 2. He established the Charles Evans Cemetery, an historic, nonsectarian, garden-style, public cemetery located in the city of Reading, Pennsylvania.“Cemetery History,” in "About Charles Evans Cemetery." Reading, Pennsylvania: Charles Evans Cemetery, retrieved online October 22, 2022.Scheid, Lisa. “A Stroll Through Reading’s Charles Evans Cemetery Reveals History and Heroism.” Reading, Pennsylvania: The Reading Eagle, May 28, 2021.
Family and formative years Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 30, 1768, Charles Evans (1768-1847) was the ninth of ten children born to Philadelphia native David Evans and Letitia (Thomas) Evans, a native of Radnor, Pennsylvania."Charles Evans and Wife: Sketch of the Founder of the Charles Evans Cemetery," The Reading Eagle, March 7, 1886. His parents were both members of the Society of Friends.“Cemetery History,” in “About Charles Evans Cemetery.”
Taking up the study of law in 1788 with Benjamin Chew, a prominent Pennsylvania attorney who had served as attorney general during the state’s colonial years and then as chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, Charles Evans was admitted to the Berks County bar in June 1791. In August of that same year, he began dividing his legal work between his hometown of Philadelphia and the city of Reading in Berks County, Pennsylvania, where he opened a new law office.Montgomery, Historical and Biographical Annals of Berks County Pennsylvania, Vol. I, p. 333.“Cemetery History,” in “About Charles Evans Cemetery.”“Charles Evans and Wife: Sketch of the Founder of the Charles Evans Cemetery,” The Reading Eagle, March 7, 1886.
In 1794, Evans wed Philadelphia native Mary Keene (1769-1838),“Cemetery History,” in "About Charles Evans Cemetery." who was a daughter of Philadelphia alderman Reynold Keene (1738-1800) and Christiana (Stille) Keene (1744-1777).Montgomery, Historical and Biographical Annals of Berks County Pennsylvania, Vol. I, p. 333.
Evans and his wife, Mary, were both members of the Episcopal Church. They had at least two children together, Charles and Mary Evans, both of whom died young and were buried in the Episcopal graveyard, and who were later memorialized by the placement of small headstones next to their parents' graves at Charles Evans Cemetery in 1847. In a posthumous biography of the couple that was published in an 1886 edition of The Reading Eagle, a longtime friend described Mary (Keene) Evans as "a noble, educated, refined and most excellent lady, who was liked as well if not better, than any other woman in Reading." The friend went on to state that Charles and Mary Evans "were so well suited to each other, that they were frequently referred to as the model husband and wife of the town."“Charles Evans and Wife: Sketch of the Founder of the Charles Evans Cemetery,” The Reading Eagle, March 7, 1886.
Legal career and civic leadership Posthumously described in an 1886 biographical sketch in The Reading Times as "the most eloquent pleader in court" and a "tall, commanding" man with "courtly bearing," Evans initially practiced law in Pennsylvania's third judicial circuit, which included, Berks, Luzerne, Northampton, and Northumberland counties, gradually building "a large practice" that "won fame and distinction." A man of "excellent health," he reportedly never missed a day in court during one thirteen-year period of his legal career."Charles Evans and Wife: Sketch of the Founder of the Charles Evans Cemetery," The Reading Eagle, March 7, 1886.
During the late 1700s, Charles Evans also played an active role in the development of the Reading Public Library, the sixth public library to have been created in the United States. A member of the library’s board of directors, he later went on to serve as the board’s president for one term.Thomas, Nathaniel A. “The Reading Public Library: 250 Years of Service and Tradition.” Reading, Pennsylvania: Berks County Public Libraries, retrieved online October 22, 2022.“The History of the Reading Public Library” (video). Reading, Pennsylvania: Berks Community Television, January 15, 2013.
He was also a founding member of the Reading Artillerists, a local militia group established on March 23, 1794, according to Pennsylvania historian Morton L. Montgomery.Montgomery, Historical and Biographical Annals of Berks County Pennsylvania, Vol. I, p. 143.“A Condensed History of the Reading Artillerists.” Reading, Pennsylvania: The Reading Times, October 20, 1859.Snyder, Laurie. “The Reading Artillerists — Safeguarding George Washington and America’s Freedom,” in 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers: One Civil War Regiment's Story, 2014.Montgomery, Morton L. “Historical Sketch of Reading Artillerists, Read Upon the Occasion of the 102nd Anniversary in Metropolitan Hall, May 25, 1896.” Reading, Pennsylvania: Press of James E. Norton & Co., 1897.
In 1809, Evans served on the three-member legal defense team that represented Susanna Cox during the initial criminal trial in which she was convicted of murdering her infant. “Reading April 15: At a court of Oyer and Terminer held at Reading, April 7, 1809, Susanna Cox.” Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Lancaster Intelligencer, May 19, 1809, p. 2 (subscription required). In 1823, Evans was a member of the three-member legal defense team that represented John Zimmerman during the unsuccessful appeal of his conviction for the murder of his daughter, Rosina.“Oyer and Terminer of Schuylkill County, July Term, 1824: The Commonwealth v. John Zimmerman.” Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The United States Gazette, August 10, 1824, p. 2 (subscription required).“Oyer and Terminer of Schuylkill County, July Term, 1824: The Commonwealth v. John Zimmerman.” Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Lancaster Intelligencer, August 17, 1824, p. 2 (subscription required).
As his law practice continued to grow, so did his personal wealth and reputation as a civic-minded individual. In July 1824, he delivered an address during dedication ceremonies for the opening of a new stretch of canal between Reading and Philadelphia.“Philadelphia.” Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The United States Gazette, July 9, 1824, front page (subscription required).“The Grand Canal.” York, Pennsylvania: The Gazette, July 20, 1824, p. 2 (subscription required).
Having initially spent his winters in Philadelphia, where he and his wife lived in a "York row residence," and two months out of the year in Reading while devoting the remaining time to his travels to multiple counties for circuit work as an attorney, Evans sold his home in Philadelphia and permanently relocated to Reading in 1826 after buying a home on South Fifth Street. He then began reducing his legal travel, restricting his work primarily to Berks, Lehigh and Schuylkill counties."Charles Evans and Wife: Sketch of the Founder of the Charles Evans Cemetery," The Reading Eagle, March 7, 1886.
Although largely retired from the practice of law by 1828,“Cemetery History,” in "About Charles Evans Cemetery." Evans continued to accept cases periodically. Having made his "last lengthy legal argument in 1840," he "tried his last case, at the age of 75 years," but "made no charges for his services because he was accommodating several old friends."“Charles Evans and Wife: Sketch of the Founder of the Charles Evans Cemetery,” The Reading Eagle.
Politically, he was a member of the Federalist Party and then the Whig Party"Charles Evans and Wife: Sketch of the Founder of the Charles Evans Cemetery," The Reading Eagle, March 7, 1886. before joining the Republican Party.“Berks County Meeting,” in “Electioneering.” Gettysburg, Pennsylvania: The Adams Sentinel, May 4, 1808, front page (subscription required).“Federal Republican Meeting.” Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Lancaster Intelligencer, September 15, 1810, p. 3 (subscription required).
Death of his wife, philanthropy and later years On July 31, 1838, Evans’ wife, Mary (Keene) Evans, died in Reading, leaving him as a widower with no surviving immediate family members.“Cemetery History,” in "About Charles Evans Cemetery." She was initially interred at the Episcopal Church cemetery where their children had been buried."Charles Evans and Wife: Sketch of the Founder of the Charles Evans Cemetery," The Reading Eagle, March 7, 1886.
Eight years later, Evans began a project that would occupy the remainder of his life—the establishment of a non-sectarian cemetery for members of the general public to bury relatives and friends in a pleasant, park-like, meditative setting. Donating the first twenty-five acres of land in 1846, he also contributed $2,000 to fund the cemetery’s initial operations. More than 175 years later, that cemetery still bears his name.“Cemetery History,” in "About Charles Evans Cemetery."Scheid, “A Stroll Through Reading’s Charles Evans Cemetery Reveals History and Heroism,” The Reading Eagle.1846 Incorporation of Charles Evans Cemetery, in “Timeline.” Reading, Pennsylvania: The Reading Eagle, December 23, 2002, p. A7.
That same year, cemetery directors dedicated a life-sized sculpture of Evans. Crafted in bronze by A. S. Esterly and set atop a ten-foot-tall granite base, the six-foot-tall replica is located near the cemetery’s entrance and depicts Evans dressed in a waist coat, shirt with cravat, and trousers with his right hand holding a pair of gloves and his left holding a scroll. “Charles Evans (sculpture),” in “Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture.” Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian American Art Museum.
In addition, Evans also funded the liberal arts education of several daughters "of several good citizens," according to The Reading Eagle."Charles Evans and Wife: Sketch of the Founder of the Charles Evans Cemetery," The Reading Eagle, March 7, 1886.
Illness, death, burial, and legacy