John Travers

Son of Joseph Travers (1752-1820) and partner in Joseph Travers & Sons Ltd (q.v.), the London wholesale grocers.

1. Married Maria Lindsay 1814; 5 of their 7 sons became partners in the family firm and John Ingram Travers became its head on his father's death in 1844.  John Travers was described as 'intimately connected with the more advanced Liberal politics of his day; indeed the Reform League made their City office at the then address of the firm - 19 St Swithins Lane...From 1815-1846, that is almost exactly the period of JOHN Travers' partnership, the agitation for the repeal of the Corn Laws was being carried on and the offices of Joseph Travers and Sons in St Swithins Lane became the London Centre of the Anti-Corn Law League when it was formed in 1838'.  Will of John Travers wholesale grocer and tea-dealer of St Swithins Lane proved 19/08/1844.

2. Harmony Hall was owned in 1798 by John Ingram senior (Scottish-born merchant of Brighton, Sussex) and his son Robert Ingram (merchant of Billiter Square, London, born in Scotland in 1759): "Deed between Robert Ingram of London, merchant and John Ingram of Brighton, co Sussex Esq. This relates to land and plantation sugar works in the parish of Trelawny in the county of Cornwall and Island of Jamaica and called Harmony Hall containing about 800 acres also 450 acres and called James's Valley. This is in fine state with signature and seal of Robert Ingram, dated 1798." John senior of Brighton, Sussex, died in 1800. His will was proved by his widow Janet Findlay; and mentions his son Robert (a merchant in London), son-in-law Joseph Travers (q.v., grocer, who had married Jane 14/03/1781). Robert Ingram, formally of Billiter Square London now of Bethnall Green Middlesex, died 10/02/1816: in his will he mentions his friend James Cunningham, one of his executors and also George and John Cunningham. Harmony Hall is shown as held by the Hon James Cunningham and George Cunningham up to and including the 1816 Jamaica Almanac: Joseph Travers first appears in the 1818 Jamaica Almanac.

3. The widow of John Ingram Travers, Sarah Anne Travers (née Amory) (1827-1869) was the heiress of her maternal grandfather John Heathcote, and left £100,000 at her death in 1869. John Ingram Travers himself left £40,000 in 1866.

4. According to an unpublished family pedigree compiled by John Travers' son Samuel Smith Travers, John Travers was born 17/03/1788 and died 12/07/1844. He was the son of Joseph Travers of St Swithin's Lane, London (1752-1821, son of Benjamin Travers and Elizabeth Smith) and his wife Jane Ingram (1756-1833).

1. Anon., Chronicles of Cannon Street, a few records of an old firm [Joseph Travers and Sons Ltd.] (119 Cannon Street, London, Joseph Travers and Sons Ltd., n.d.) pp. 25-6; PROB 11/2004.

2. Vere Langford Oliver, Caribbeana being miscellaneous papers relating to the history, genealogy, topography, and antiquities of the British West Indies (6 vols., London, Mitchell, Hughes and Clarke, 1910-1919) Vol. 1 p. 20. PROB 11/1337/21 (John Ingram senior); [will of Robert Ingram?]. Jamaica Almanac (1816 and 1818). See the entry for Susanna Fletcher Ingram for more on the Ingram family.

3. William D. Rubinstein, Who were the rich? 1860- (Volumes 3 and 4, manuscripts in preparation), reference 1869/75 Travers (née Amory), Sarah Anne.

4. Copy of family pedigree sent by Julie Weizenegger, 12/06/2014.

We are grateful to Julie Weizenegger and Isaiah Levy for their assistance in compiling this entry.