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.
8Returning 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.