Emma was born in Augusta, Maine on August 1842, only 22 years after Maine became a state. Augusta was chosen to be Maine's capitol in 1827. The town started to flourish after new industry was introduced, from 1840 to 1850, while Emma was a child. Augusta ranked among the 100 largest urban populations. During the next decade, however, the city was quickly bypassed by rapidly growing metropolises in the midwest.
Maybe the Evans family moved to South Scituate, Massachusetts when Augusta seemed to be lacking in growth possibilities. Emma's sisters, Julia and Catherine, and brother Charles were all born in Maine. But the youngest daughter, Anna, was born in Massachusetts in 1862. In fact, the family is in the 1860 Federal census in South Scituate and Emma is age 17.
During a visit with me c. 1985, Mildred Shepard showed me Emma's diary and two strange entries that Emma had made in it, in 1856, writing:
"January 7, 1856=I have this day commenced to teach 11 scholars in the front chamber. We study reading, writing, spelling, geography and arithmetic." [Don't you just love the way she expresses herself and gives a hint about her home?]
"January 11, 1856=Unforeseen circumstances---school is closed." [Poor girl. I wonder what happened.]
Mildred told me that Emma had gone to college in Massachusetts, so I think she may have been studying to be a teacher. However, since you have already read about your great grandfather's letters to Emma during the Civil War, bought property in Michigan, and he and Emma became man and wife, you know that her career to become a teacher was ended. Cyrus and Emma left for Michigan soon after their wedding. Also, somewhat later, Emma's family moved to Michigan and lived close to Emma and Cyrus.
Mitten-shaped Michigan has over 80 counties now. Montcalm is located centrally where the thumb of the mitten juts out. It was marked in red when I copied it for this story...I'm sorry that it didn't copy. The photographs of the cities in Montcalm look very modern and crowded, hardly similar to the farming countryside that Emma and her family were accustomed to in the mid-1800s.
Cyrus and Emma had three sons and two daughters, all born in Michigan, as follows:
1866 Carrie
1870 Irving
1874 Verner
1879 Hershel
1881 Edith, our ancestor
Edith was born in early March and poor Emma died on the 28th of May in 1881 of "quick consumption" which Mildred believed was the measles. Fortunately, Edith had her Evans' grandparents living nearby who adopted her and cared for her in her infancy. When they both died, Edith's Aunt Anna Evans, Emma's youngest sibling, took care of her. Cyrus was busy rearing his three active young sons and working on his farm. Carrie, the oldest daughter, was married and living in Denver, Colorado when Emma died.
EMMA HARRIET EVANS
BORN: 14 Aug 1842 in Augusta, Kennebec, ME
MARRIED: 19 Nov 1865 in Norwell, Plymouth, MA
DIED: 28 May 1881 in Vickeryville, Montcalm, MI
SOURCES: "Michigan Deaths and Burials, 1800-1995," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FH27-Q5G Emma H. Dickinson, 28 May 1881; citing Evergreen, Montcalm, Michigan, reference v A p 124; FHL microfilm 1,295,523; Federal census records of 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880; wikipedia history of Augusta, ME; marriage record; interviews with Mildred Shepard; quotes from Emma's personal diary.
