Born in London of Welsh parents, George Essex Evans was raised and educated by his mother Mary Ann (née Owen) in Pembrokeshire after she was widowed when George was only a few months old. Emigrating to Queensland with his siblings to Australia at age 17 with the intention of farming, Evans was badly injured in a horse-riding accident, when he was thrown against a tree and was unable to do any physical work. Evans was described as a reserved man, and at times rather moody and impulsive. However, he was also described as a kind person and a loyal friend. He had a strong sense of honour and self-respect, traits that made him a model husband and father. Evans was described as having a tremendous memory, particularly for poetic verse, of which he was able to recite a prodigious amount. Few of his contemporaries were able to match his breadth of knowledge of English, American, and Australian poetry.