Scope and Content Note
The papers of Anna Maria Roberts Evans (circa 1828-circa 1905) span the years 1835-1914, with the bulk of the items concentrated in the period between 1855 and 1895. The collection consists principally of correspondence relating to the Society of Friends (Quakers). Anna Maria Evans, the primary individual in the collection and an active member of the Society of Friends, lived near Rochester, New Hampshire, where she and her husband, Thomas H. Evans, owned an apple orchard. Most of the letters were written by her female relatives and friends living in New England. The letters discuss details of everyday life, faith and religious activities, and to some extent touch upon Quaker involvement in the abolition of slavery, women's rights, religious tolerance, and temperance during the second half of the nineteenth century.
The letters of Roanna Fox Bean, a close friend of Evans, span a fifty-year period from their student days in the 1850s at the Friends' Boarding School in Providence, Rhode Island, to Bean's death in 1905. Bean and her husband James, an Indian agent and real estate developer, lived at various times in Iowa, Minnesota, and California. Her letters include accounts of life in these locales. Other letters were from women who were Quaker missionaries or wives of Quaker officials both in the United States and overseas, including Gertrude W. Cartland, M. H. Morrell, and Susan T. Thompson. Education figures prominently throughout the collection, especially in the letters of Elizabeth V. Roberts, an early graduate of the State Normal School in Moorhead, Minnesota. The subject of mental illness is mentioned periodically in letters from various members of the family.
The death of the Evanses' young son Winslow in 1881 while at boarding school is recorded in a file under his name. Their daughter Flora Anna, who worked in and around Boston, was active in the revival movement of the late nineteenth century and wrote frequently of her involvement in religious organizations and attendance at revivals, particularly those of Dwight L. Moody and Sam Jones.
The Civil War is also an important subject in the collection. Although pacifists, thousands of Quaker men of draft age were conscripted during the war. Most served despite their moral opposition, though some chose flight to Canada. Letters in the collection recount such decisions, along with reports of suffering and loss of life caused by the war and the prayers of those at home for the safe return of their loved ones. Other letters chronicle war relief efforts, especially among African American refugees fleeing the South, and contain favorable references to President Abraham Lincoln.
The pursuit of arable land in conjunction with the nation's westward expansion is documented in numerous letters. In addition to offering religious instruction, many of these Quaker settlements promoted advancements in education, farming methods, and social reform for the benefit of believer and non-believer alike. A miscellany file contains a Roberts family genealogy and material relating to Evans's education. There is also a file of printed matter consisting of advertisements, handbills, inserts, programs, receipts, and religious tracts. Among the oversize items are religious printed matter and broadsides advertising dry goods and furniture.