Signor Lawanda
Encyclopedia
Signor Lawanda born Hugh David Evans, was a nineteenth-century circus performer and strongman
renowned for his strength.
, his mother died two weeks after his birth due to puerperal sepsis. Evans was put to work as a child labor
er in the slate mines
of Pennsylvania
and in Granville, New York
. Coming from several generations of slate miners in Northern Wales
on his fathers side, his mother was a Pennsylvania German woman who was famed for her feats of strength in her Bethlehem neighborhood. One of her feats was reportedly lifting a 375-pound barrel of flour and carrying it up a flight of stairs. (George W Stark Detroit News)
Evans was first introduced to the circus at 11 years old, when he attended the circus with his father in Rutland, Vermont. From then on it was in his blood to be a circus strongman. He practiced his feats of strength at home and would lift the heavy bundles of slate in the Quarries he worked in. Men would come from all around to challenge him at lifting the heavy bundles. By the time he was 16 years old, he was defeating all challengers.
Evans left home in 1865 with a man named Comical Brown to barnstorm in the eastern United States
. His father was mortified at a son of his becoming a show performer. As part of his act in his trouping days, Evans would lift a barrel of water and let four men climb astride it, weighing approximately 1000 pounds. He also would juggle a 35 pound chair, toss it in the air, somersaulting it several times, then catch it with his teeth. If someone would donate a silver dollar, he would bite it in half within a couple of minutes. He amazed circus goers and astounded P.T. Barnum by lifting a 1400 lb horse with his teeth. (Detroit Free Press November 15, 1934)
In June 1882 while performing in Boston, Massachusetts at Forest Gardens, Evans became ensnared in a confrontation with John L. Sullivan
, then the heavyweight champ. Evans out-lifted Sullivan by hoisting a barrel filled with water, weighing approximately 375-490 lbs, using one arm. His opponent was unable to lift the barrel and wanted to fight afterwards, but years later they would become friends.Signor Lawanda worked for Dan Rice Circus among many other circus ,he settled in Detroit Michigan and worked for E.W. Pop Wiggins traveling across the country and in to Canada, he worked for the Wonderland theatre at the end of his career,which was a theatre in Detroit at Woodward and Jefferson. Evans died on November 14, 1934 in Detroit, Michigan
.
, and they had four sons - George, twins Fred and Frank,Timothy Catalano Grandson and John (Lawanda)Son and owner of Mavis Nu icy bottling company in Detroit, Michigan.
Strongman (circus)
The circus strongman is one of many acts found in a modern circus. The strongman demonstrates great strength, power and agility to the audience. The strongman and strongwomen were very popular attractions in the circus in the 19th century....
renowned for his strength.
Biography
Born Hugh David Evans in Bethlehem, PennsylvaniaBethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...
, his mother died two weeks after his birth due to puerperal sepsis. Evans was put to work as a child labor
Child labor
Child labour refers to the employment of children at regular and sustained labour. This practice is considered exploitative by many international organizations and is illegal in many countries...
er in the slate mines
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and in Granville, New York
Granville, New York
Granville is a town on the eastern border of Washington County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. Coming from several generations of slate miners in Northern Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
on his fathers side, his mother was a Pennsylvania German woman who was famed for her feats of strength in her Bethlehem neighborhood. One of her feats was reportedly lifting a 375-pound barrel of flour and carrying it up a flight of stairs. (George W Stark Detroit News)
Evans was first introduced to the circus at 11 years old, when he attended the circus with his father in Rutland, Vermont. From then on it was in his blood to be a circus strongman. He practiced his feats of strength at home and would lift the heavy bundles of slate in the Quarries he worked in. Men would come from all around to challenge him at lifting the heavy bundles. By the time he was 16 years old, he was defeating all challengers.
Eastern United States
The Eastern United States, the American East, or simply the East is traditionally defined as the states east of the Mississippi River. The first two tiers of states west of the Mississippi have traditionally been considered part of the West, but can be included in the East today; usually in...
. His father was mortified at a son of his becoming a show performer. As part of his act in his trouping days, Evans would lift a barrel of water and let four men climb astride it, weighing approximately 1000 pounds. He also would juggle a 35 pound chair, toss it in the air, somersaulting it several times, then catch it with his teeth. If someone would donate a silver dollar, he would bite it in half within a couple of minutes. He amazed circus goers and astounded P.T. Barnum by lifting a 1400 lb horse with his teeth. (Detroit Free Press November 15, 1934)
In June 1882 while performing in Boston, Massachusetts at Forest Gardens, Evans became ensnared in a confrontation with John L. Sullivan
John L. Sullivan
John Lawrence Sullivan , also known as the Boston Strong Boy, was recognized as the first heavyweight champion of gloved boxing from February 7, 1881 to 1892, and is generally recognized as the last heavyweight champion of bare-knuckle boxing under the London Prize Ring rules...
, then the heavyweight champ. Evans out-lifted Sullivan by hoisting a barrel filled with water, weighing approximately 375-490 lbs, using one arm. His opponent was unable to lift the barrel and wanted to fight afterwards, but years later they would become friends.Signor Lawanda worked for Dan Rice Circus among many other circus ,he settled in Detroit Michigan and worked for E.W. Pop Wiggins traveling across the country and in to Canada, he worked for the Wonderland theatre at the end of his career,which was a theatre in Detroit at Woodward and Jefferson. Evans died on November 14, 1934 in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
.
Family
Evans's family consisted of his father David Robert Evans, stepmother Mary, sisters Jane, Hannah, Catherine, Ann, and brothers James David and Robert. Hugh married a Canadian farmer's daughter, Nellie McAleer, in January 1880 in Detroit, MichiganDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, and they had four sons - George, twins Fred and Frank,Timothy Catalano Grandson and John (Lawanda)Son and owner of Mavis Nu icy bottling company in Detroit, Michigan.
Sources
- Evans Family
- Grandson of Enoch "Pop" Wiggins (witness)