Lieutenant John Evans was born in August 1738 in Caernarvon, Lynnon County, North Wales to Esquire William Evans and Elizabeth. In 1756 at the age of 18, John became a Lieutenant for the British Army. In 1763 he was sent to American Colonies to help defend them during the French and Indian War.
After the cessation of those hostilities, John elected to remain inAmerica to seek his fortune. John traveled to Newark, New Jersey where he met Ann Birney and married her on April 10, 1769 in Newark, New Jersey. They resided in Gloucester County, New Jersey after they married and raised their first six children there.
In 1778, John, now trying to raise a family, felt the full impact of British taxation and dominance that was being forced on the Colonists. He appreciated the merits of independence as more patriots supported the war. John made the decision to enlist as a private in Captain Henry Luse's Company. The Company served in the 2nd New Jersey Regiment under the command of Colonel Israel Shreve. The regiment participated at a battle that was fought in Monmouth, New Jersey on June 28, 1778. The colonists were victorious. He served from May 5, 1778 until his discharge on March 5, 1779.
The family moved to Pennsylvania after hearing about the vertile farm lands in the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania. During the hot summer months of 1782, John and his family traveled by foot, over Indian paths from Gloucester County, New Jersey to Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. On July 25, 1782, they arrived in Eaton Township, and were forced to stop at the John Miller Farm, later owned by the Chellus family, as their seventh child, John, Jr., was born on that day. Finding the area to their liking, the family decided to make it their home. Thereafter, seven more children were be born to John and Ann in Eaton Township. John was one of the first two school teachers in Eaton.
John Evans died on December 6, 1817 in Eaton Township and was buried on the Miller farm. The cemetery has been destroyed, rumored to have been dug up to get to the gravel underneath it. The excavating of the gravel was stopped when old bones were found. There is today, a plague located in the Court House of Wyoming County, Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania listing John Evans among other Revolutionary War Soldiers who lived in the County courtesy of the Wyoming County Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. It is displayed in the Wyoming County Court House in Tunkhannock, Penmnsylvania.
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Mary Evans (?-?) | |||
| Ann Evans (?-?) | |||
| James Evans (?-?) | |||
| Thomas Evans (1776-1856) | 22 August 1776 | 7 May 1856 Henry County, Illinois, USA | Sarah Scott (1779-1852) |
| William Evans (?-?) | |||
| Elizabeth Evans (?-?) | |||
| John Evans, Jr. (1782-?) | |||
| Stephen Evans (?-?) | |||
| Simeon Evans (?-?) | |||
| George Evans (?-?) | |||
| Rebecca Evans (?-?) | |||
| Louise Evans (?-?) | |||
| Rachel Evans (?-?) | |||
| Perry Evans (?-?) | |||
- Abstracts of Graves of Revolutionary atriots, Volume 2: E-K page 17