The Evans family of Somerset

My paternal Evans family tree so far stretches just three generations, all within the 18th century records of the parish of Combe Florey - a village in the county of Somerset, in South-West England.

The earliest ancestor appearing in these records is Ann Evans, who appears when bringing her son William Evans to be christened. There is seemingly no father with Ann, suggesting that perhaps William was illegitimate.

Illegitimacy?

This lack of father in the register (and lack of a name with the note of 'deceased') suggests that Ann may have been unfamiliar to this church, and so the father's name was not just added in by the person writing in the register. In addition, there are no other Evans children christened here. Maybe Ann was escaping the inevitable shame aimed at her from her own community?

Evans with Welsh roots?

Whilst the Evans surname is commonly association with being a Welsh surname, my limited research has yet to reveal any connection, despite Wales being only about 25 miles away.

Evans family connections

As far as my limited family history research has allowed, I've found only two ancestral families linked to my Evans family: