Samuel Evans Stokes of India

Samuel Evans Stokes of India was active in the Indian National Movement and an associate of Mahatma Gandhi. For details see "Samuel Evans Stokes, Mahatma Gandhi, and Indian Nationalism" by Kenton J. Clymer, Pacific Historical Review, Volume LIX, February, 1990, #1.

For some reason the Genealogy of the Stokes Family lacks information on Samuel Evans Stokes, Sr. He was the son of John H. Stokes and Tabitha Jenkins (see page 103 of the Stokes Genealogy). Their son Samuel, married FLorence Spenser of Moorestown. Samuel Sr. lived in Philadelphia and was president of the Stokes and Parish Elevator Company. Below is the information from the 1900 census.
Samuel Evans Stokes Sr., b. Oct. 1846,
Florence Stokes b. June 1847.
Children were-
Samuel Evans. Jr., b. August, 1882,
Ann Spencer, b. Sept. 1883
John Spencer, b. November 1884
Florence Spencer, b. August, 1889

From the Philadelphia Public Ledger, Monday, Nov. 14, 1910. Samuel E. Stokes Sr. died November 12, 1910 at his residence at 5419 Wayne Ave., Germantown, Philadelphia, Pa.

Samuel Evans Stokes Jr. moved to India in January 1904 to act as a Christian missionary. Soon after his arrival an earthquake shook Kangra and he volunteered to go there and help. He later helped with a smallpox epidemic that struck in Punjab. He was administrator of the Gorton Mission School in Kotgarh where he lived in a cave.

About 1912 he returned to Kotgarh where he later married Agnes Benjamin and started his family.
Children were-
Prem Chand Stokes, b. Dec. 7, 1913
Pritam Chand Stokes, b. Jan. 13th, 1915
Tara Chand Stokes, b. July 23, 1916
Champavati Stokes, b. July 22, 1917
Savitri Stokes, b. March 30th, 1919
Satyavati Stokes, b. April 10th, 1920
Lal Chand Stokes, b. March 17th, 1925
{This information from the collection of Milton Rubincam)

He introduced apple production to this section of India and also started a school. At the outbreak of World War I he volunteered for service in the British and served as a Captain in India. After the war he began to become disillusioned with British treatment of the Indian people He was involved with the India National Congress. In 1919/1920 he began active opposition to begar (forced labor), where Indian men were forced to carry the baggage for British government officials. This posed a severe problem for those men who were pulled from their work to accommodate these officials. Stokes began a letter writing campaign in Indian newspapers and organized protest strikes and public meetings to oppose the practice. Mahatma Gandhi, in "Young India" wrote "No Indian is giving such battle to the Government as Mr. Stokes" By 1921 Mr. Stokes was successful, he managed to bring an end to the practice, prisoners would be released and those responsible would be removed.

Stokes' position began to become more radical as he supported the move towards non-involvement in government affairs. In Oct. 1921 Samuel Evans Stokes was invited to a meeting of the Directorate of the Indian National Congress, he signed a manifasto that advocated non-Indian involvement in government affairs, including the military. Stokes was the only foreigner invited to that meeting. The British response was to outlaw the All India Congress and Stokes was arrested. He served 6 months in jail, refusing to offer a defense. He wrote to his mother about how proud he was to serve in prison as had his ancestor, Thomas Stokes. (Thomas Stokes was in prison for violating what came to be known as the Clarendon Code, a series of laws intented to restrict the rights of religious dissenters.)

In 1932, at the time of his conversion to Hinduism he wrote a book on religion called Satykama which was banned by the British

.

During World War II Stokes urged the Indian Nationalists to support the British, not because he thought them admirable but because he thought the Germans worse. Because of British government reluctance to accommodate the views of the Indian National movement his position shifted to a more anti-British point of view.

Samuel Evans Stokes died May 14, 1946 at Harmony Hall (named after a family residence in New Jersey) Barobagh Village, Kotgarth District of Simla, Punjab, India.

Samuel Evans Stokes showed himself to be a truly compassionate and unique individual. He was able to place himself in India without the arrogance and racism usually associated with Westerners.