General Robert Morgan Evans (February 17, 1782 – December 14, 1842) was born in Frederick County,

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. In 1803 in the town of

Paris, Kentucky Paris is a home rule-class city in Bourbon County, Kentucky, and the county seat. It lies northeast of Lexington on the Stoner Fork of the Licking River. It is part of the Lexington–Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2020, it ha ...

, he was married to Jane Trimble, a sister of Judge Robert Trimble of the Supreme Court of the United States. Evans, for whom

Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 118,414 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is Indiana's List of cities in Indiana, third-most populous city after India ...

is named, did not actually found the city, but his influence played a role in determining the future of the town. He was the tenth

Speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives The speaker of the Indiana State House of Representatives is the highest official in the Indiana House of Representatives, customarily elected from the ranks of the majority party. As in most English-speaking world, Anglophone countries and provin ...

. At the age of 22, he moved to

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in what was then Knox County about two miles north of present-day

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in Gibson County. He settled in the wilderness and at the first sale of public lands in 1807, bought the settlement that he had selected for a home. After living at this pioneer home for four years, he moved to

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and opened a tavern, which he kept for two years until returning to his settlement in the woods. He was a captain in the militia, and after his duties in the

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was promoted to the rank of brigadier general. After the war, he returned to his homestead and was elected by his fellow citizens to the office of county clerk. Eventually he was elected to the territorial legislature from Knox County. Evans remained in Gibson County until about 1820 when he moved to what is now

Vanderburgh County Vanderburgh County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2020, the population was 180,136. The county seat is in Evansville. While Vanderburgh County was the eighth-largest county in 2020 population in Indiana, it is also the eighth-s ...

, where he had bought land from

Hugh McGary Hugh McGary (1744 – 1806) was an Irish-born American military officer and landowner who was the founder of McGary Station in present-day Oregon, Kentucky. Early life Hugh McGary was born in 1744 to John McGary and his wife Sarah in Ireland. Th ...

, the original owner of the land now called Evansville. He moved to New Harmony for a few years after becoming fascinated with the German socialist movement there, and worked as assistant postmaster. He moved back to Evansville and remained there until his death in 1844. Oakhill - Evans

He was Vanderburgh County clerk, helped plot lots and streets in Evansville, and was a successful dealer in farm implements and real estate. He remained active in the legislature and was elected Speaker of the

Indiana House of Representatives The Indiana House of Representatives is the lower house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The House is composed of 100 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. House mem ...

in 1825. In the legislature he put forth bills to establish railroad service to Evansville. His efforts were unsuccessful, although shortly after his death the legislature did approve a railroad into Evansville.

Personality and physical appearance

He was a man of sterling integrity and a radical advocate of the right. In stature General Evans was above six feet and with a smooth shaved face, small hands and feet, and with an open expression of countenance his personal appearance was such as to attract the attention and admiration of all. Kind and affable in his disposition; possessed of rare conversational powers, in his declining years, he enjoyed the friendship and veneration of all who knew him. On all occasions he was agreeable and entertaining, and in business transactions a man of sterling integrity.Living relatives include Louie Laplante of Chicago, Illinois
History of Vanderburgh County, Indiana
Brant & Fuller, 1889

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Robert Morgan Speakers of the Indiana House of Representatives Members of the Indiana House of Representatives 1844 deaths 1780s births People from Frederick County, Virginia People from Vincennes, Indiana People from Gibson County, Indiana Politicians from Evansville, Indiana 19th-century members of the Indiana General Assembly