Evans, Reverend Ephraim
Reverend Ephraim Evans was born in England on June 30, 1803.1 As a child he studied at a boarding school in Lincolnshire, where he lived until he moved to Lower Canada in 1820.2 He began teaching at a school in Upper Canada in 1824.3 During this time, he strayed from his Methodist background; however, three years later he attended a revival and was converted back to the Methodist faith.4 He left his teaching position to become a reverend and was ordained in 1830.5 For many years, he worked as a minister throughout Upper Canada and the Maritimes, and as secretary for the Upper Canada Anti-Slavery Society.6
The gold rush brought many new settlers to British Columbia and, on February 10, 1859, Evans arrived in Victoria to lead a group of four ministers that were sent to bring the Methodist teachings to the colonies.7 According to this despatch, Reverend Ephraim Evans was Principal of the Wesleyan Methodist Missionaries in the Colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia. Evans worked hard to reach the remote mining areas of BC, leading strenuous canoe trips to Yale and yearly visits to the Cariboo until 1864, when a broken arm prevented him from doing so. He then worked as a minister in Nanaimo from 1866 until 1868.8
Returning to work in Ontario, Reverend Evans eventually settling in London where he worked as the secretary of the Western Ontario Bible Society for fourteen years.9 He remained dedicated to his work throughout his life, often going above and beyond what was required of him.10
Over his lifetime, Reverend Evans was married twice and fathered five children.11 He passed away on June 14, 1892 in London, Ontario.12
  • 1. John Webster Grant, Evans, Ephraim, Dictionary of Canadian Biography.
  • 2. Ibid.
  • 3. Ibid.
  • 4. Ibid.
  • 5. Ibid.
  • 6. Ibid.
  • 7. Ibid.
  • 8. Ibid.
  • 9. Ibid.
  • 10. Ibid.
  • 11. Ibid.
  • 12. Ibid.
Mentions of this person in the documents