John Miles Evans, the youngest son of James G. and Rebecca Kryder Evans, was born near Spring Mills, Center County, Pennsylvania, August 9, 1848. He attended Oley Academy at Friedensburg, under the principalship of his brother, L. Keyder Evans, and later Penn Hall Academy, after which he taught, schools and clerked in a store. He finished his preparatory studies at Bellefonte Academy and entered the Sophomore class of Franklin and Marshall College in 1872, graduating in 1875, as the valedictorian of his class. In the fall of the same year, he entered the Seminary at Lancaster, graduating in 1878. On January 7, 1879, he was ordained by West Susquehanna Classis and installed pastor of the Curllsville Charge.
After a pastorate of six years in this field, he accepted a call to the Paradise Charge. The following April, he was married to Mrs. Ellella Bott Weller, Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Mrs Evans first was a graduate of Heidelberg University. Mr. Evans first met her at Clarion Collegiate Institute, Rimersburg, Pennsylvania, where she taught and was assistant principal to Prof. W. W. Deatrick, now professor in Keystone State Normal School at Kutztown, Pennsylvania.
Possessing most excellent qualities of heart and mind she was a most faithful and efficient co-worker with her husband. Another writing of her says: “She was an humble and faithful and zealous servant of the Loar; a faithful and devoted wife and a loving Christian Mother. Towards all she was considerate and kind. The affairs of the Church lay near to her heart.” In the Outlook of Missions for March 1915, a co-worker pays her the following tribute:
“Mrs Evans was born leader and organizer. While an ardent advocate of Foreign Missions, her interest did not wane in the Home Field, but was a liberal supporter of both. A little more than thirty years ago, she was one of the noble women who organized the Woman’s Missionary Society of General Synod at Akron, Ohio, and was one of its Vice Presidents. Soon after she was one of the five or six women who met at Butler, to organize Pittsburg Synodical Society. She also wrote the first constitution of the Synodical Society. She was the prime mover in the organization of the Somerset Classical Society, and was its first President. The women of this Missionary Society, in appreciation and recognition of her efficient and loving service, have recently made a contribution in her name, which entitles it to be placed on the list of Members in Memoriam of the W. M. S. of General Synod. It was not an easy task to formulate plans for the organization of these societies at that period. It required firm faith, undaunted courage and ardent prayers. The women of that day were timid, ready to follow, but slow to lead”.
The Ellelia Bott Evans Church-Building Fund was given by the W. M. S. of Somerset Classis and the members of the Paradise Charge in memory of Mrs. Evans.
The division of the Charge was questioned that was debated for years. But just when and how seemed to be the difficult problem. The work in all the congregations had grown to such an extent that the Pastor and his wife felt that the time had come for a division of the field. At an annual meeting of the Joint Consistory the pastor presented the proposition of dividing the Charge so as to include one Pennsylvania and one Maryland Congregation in each Charge. The matter went over to a special meeting, when after a warm but friendly debate, a resolution was passed, providing for the division of the Charge as it now exists, which action was ratified by the Congregations, and a petition was sent to Classis, which was acted upon favorably. We share the opinion of the now sainted Elder Peter S. Hay, who repeatedly remarked in after years, that the division of the Charge was one of the best things done during our pastorate.
These were strenuous, but happy years, until the shadow of death hovered over us. At this time the health of Mrs. Evans was broken, and it was deemed best to leave the new Charge in new Hands. The pastor was called to the Denmark-Manor Charge, Westmoreland Classis. It was in this new home that Mrs. Evans passed to her eternal reward. She left behind, and in great sorrow, a Husband and two Sons, James Wolf, aged seven , and John Kryder, aged three. Both boys are graduates of Franklin and Marshall College. James is superintending large oil refineries and oil industries in Triniday Island. John is in business in Philadelphia. Our feelings are beautifully expressed by the one who wrote: “Once on a Radiant Morning”
