Born in Upper Gornal, then in Staffordshire, to Welsh parents, Evans was working in a coal mine by the age of 10.
[2] He emigrated to the United States in 1869, settling in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, to work in a coal mine.
There, he promoted labor unionism, set up a miners' institute, and organized a literary society at the mine.
In 1877, the local miners went on strike, and Evans spoke at secret meetings at Robinson's Cave, then negotiated a pay rise which ended the industrial action.
His role in the process increased his profile such that in 1889, he was elected as secretary of the American Federation of Labor, serving until 1894.