Lewis Evans was born in 1853 to Sir John Evans and Harriet Ann Evans (nee Dickinson) in Hertfordshire. Sir John Evans was a noted archaeologist, coin expert, and paper manufacturer. Sir John had joined his uncle, John Dickinson's, paper-making business at Nash Mills, Hemel Hempstead in 1840. He rose to become a partner in the firm and would prove to be influential in the paper-manufacturing industry. Sir John involved in founding the Paper Makers' Association in 1856 and the Paper Makers' Club and served as the first president of both organisations. Sir John was a successful businessman, contributing to the increasing success of John Dickinson & Co, managing the company's mills from 1856 and encouraging technological innovation.

Lewis Evans was no doubt inspired by his father's studies as well as his career, as well as that of his archaeologist older brother, Arthur Evans (excavator of Knossos, Crete). Evans studied Chemistry at University College London before joining the family firm, John Dickinson & Co. In his spare time, he collected scientific instruments, which he would donate to the University of Oxford to form the start of the History of Science Museum in 1924. He also donated much of his library to the new museum.

Not all of Lewis Evans' collections went to Oxford. Instead Evans separated material he had written or collected relating to paper-making, including correspondence related to Nash Mills, home of the family business. He donated this material to the National Paper Museum, and it was ultimately acquired by the Science and Industry Museum when the NPM closed.