Among
the many prominent and
influential business men of Macoupin County, nowhere do we find a man
possessed of better business instincts than he whose name heads this
narrative. Mr. Travers, whose portrait accompanies this sketch, conducts a
general merchandise store and is also postmaster of the village of Shipman.
He was born in Macoupin County south of Shipman, July 7, 1858, and is a son
of William and Mary A. (Loveland) Travers.
William Travers was a
native of Somersetshire, England, and came to America when 18 years of age
in company with his parents. He located it Shipman, where he purchased
property; at his death he owned a so-acre tract within the corporation lines
of the village, besides a number of town lots in the village, including
three lots on which were buildings in the business portion of the town. Mr.
Travers was married to Mary A. Loveland, the estimable daughter of Leonard
Loveland, a native of Massachusetts. The Loveland family were pioneer
settlers of Shipman township, Macoupin County, having come to this region
when one could drive for miles across the prairie without seeing a house. In
1858 Mr. Loveland went to Pike's Peak during the gold excitement. After his
return to Macoupin County he organized a company oi citizens and started to
return to Pike's Peak, but died while on the trip.
William L.
Travers received his education in the district schools of Shipman, and
entered upon the cares of a business man in 1890, when he engaged in the
general merchandise business, which he still continues with the best
results. Mr. Travers is a member of the Republican party, and was appointed
postmaster of Shipman on January 12, 1898, which position he still holds,
having filled it with remarkable efficiency. In fraternal circles he is a
member of the Modern Woodmen of America.
In 1880 Mr. Travers was
married to Mary J. Utt, a daughter of Jackson Utt, of Jersey County,
Illinois, who came to this State from Pennsylvania. They are the parents of
two children, namely: Harry Everard, born February 13, 1881, and Walter
Elsworth, born June 26, 1887.
Extracted 2018 May 08 by Norma Hass from Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens of Macoupin County, Illinois, published in 1904, pages 506-508.
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