This edition of the Evatt Family History is a facsimile of the 1916 edition and has been updated in places with additional photographs and material that has become available since 1916.
This book is one of three that have been produced to coincide with the family celebrations marking the 100 year since the birth of Cara Sinclair Fitzgerald (nee Evatt) on 19th January 1915.
In the days before the internet, email, telephones and photocopiers researching a family history was no small undertaking. Researching required determination, patience and perseverance as well as many hours writing letters and visiting churches to physically inspect parish records.
For over fifty years from 1863 Surgeon-General George J H Evatt, who was living in England undertook the mammoth task of researching the Evatt Family History from early 1900s as far back as William Evatt AD 1266. The wealth of research material gathered by Surgeon-General George J H Evatt was subsequently complied in book form by his distant cousin George Evatt and George’s wife Mary in 1916.
In 1918 as a consequence, of George Evatt (the complier) and his wife Mary both suffering ill-health they decided to pass the original of the 1916 family History to George’s older Richard (“Dick”) Chaplyn Evatt for safe keeping.
The Book of the Evatt Family History was passed on from Dick Evatt to his son Samuel (Tom) Evatt (my grandfather) who in turn bequeath it to Gerald Evatt (my uncle and Cara’s brother). The original Book of the Evatt Family History is now is the safekeeping of Gerald’s granddaughter Diana Mary Evatt Philipp of Wainuiomata, New Zealand.
The text of the original Evatt Family History was transcribed over two years into digital form by Diana Philipp. Diana in turn provided a digital copy of the original Evatt Family History Book to American cousin Danny Evatt and this was incorporated into the 2013 e-book The Evatt Clan: A Worldwide Historical Account of the Evatt Family Name by Danny Evatt. Ian Fitzgerald