EIVINS Family History
The Evans/Eivins family can be traced back to James and Hannah Evans who lived in Estill County, Kentucky as early as 1830. The couple had at least 5 children: James, Louisa, John, Elizabeth and Delina. James and John migrated to Schuyler County, Missouri where they both were living when the Civil War broke out. The story, as handed down through generations: “The Civil War brought a division to the family. John was supporting the North, his brothers the South. The brothers warned John that unless he moved he was to be burned out.” With a 2 year old boy and a 2 day old girl, John, with the help of his brothers, packed the family’s belongings in a wagon, and after dark the family of 4 headed north. Settling in Clarke County brought the name of “Eivins” to Iowa. John Frederick could neither read or write and carried his name on a piece of paper. It has also been theorized that the change in name from Evans to Eivins was a deliberate attempt to further break ties with the brothers. A few years later the family settled in Madison County, Iowa.
This website will deal mainly with the descendants of John and Evoline but will include others as information is discovered. A great deal of the names, dates of birth and death of this line can be credited to Jean Eivins who diligently solicited information from all the relatives, especially those who attended the family reunions. All the information gathered by Jean, including photos, were compiled into “Down the Eivins Trail”. The photos can be found on the Eivins Gallery webpage. There is also a webpage for all the newspaper clippings of the Eivins Family Reunions.
