Travis Family

Members of the Travis family came from England Wales. The original Travis immigrant is buried at Jamestown Island, Virginia. Many served their country during the American Revolution and the other wars that followed.

John Travis and Barbara Slater Travis came from Chester County, Pennsylvania, to Perry County, Ohio, about 1835 and settled in Salt Lick Township. John was born about 1802 in Pennsylvania. Barbara was born on September 6, 1805, in Pennsylvania, and died April 3, 1851 and was buried in Hazelton Cemetery, Shawnee, Ohio. John may have been buried in Union Grove Cemetery in Franklin County, Ohio, for his sons, Samuel and Henry, were buried there.

Also in that cemetery were stones for John Travis, born 1758, Pennsylvania, and died May 11, 1838, and his wife, Mary Travis, born 1767, died February 8, 1837. This is thought to be the parents of the younger John, and the parents of Sarah Jane Travis, born 1792, died August, 1877, married John Hazelton, born 1795, died 1841, Perry County, Ohio. Sarah was his second wife and they were married September 25, 1821.

John and Barbara Travis were farmers. They had six daughters and seven sons. John, Absalom and Henry fought in the Civil War with the Union Army. Elizabeth and Mary were not in the listing of the family in the 1850 Census. Those listed were Samuel, born 1827, Pennsylvania, a laborer who could not read or write; Absalom, born 1829, a laborer and could not read or write; Robert, born 1832; Sarah, born 1833; all born in Pennsylvania. Those born in Ohio included John, 1835; Henry, 1837; Hugh, 1839; Jane, 1842; Nancy, 1843; Barbara, 1846 and Zachariah, 1849. Those who came to Henry County, Ohio were Robert, Mary, Hugh, Barbara and a grandson, Samuel, a son of John Jr.

Robert Travis married Charlotte and had Frank, Hugh, Samuel, Jacob, Hannah and Christine. Robert died in 1892.

Frank Travis married Flora Ballard, lived in Grelton, and had Mabel who married Ed Highland; Ethel who married Orris Murrey; Albert who married Charlotte Pierce; and Helen who married Verco Cunningham. Albert had a son, Arthur, who married Ruby Bortel and lives in Toledo, Ohio.

The second child of Robert Travis was Hugh who left no issue.

Samuel Travis married and had five children: Charles, who was a barber and lived in Florida, Ohio, married, had a son and a daughter, Betty; Mary, who married Walter Rafferty, lived in Napoleon Township, had sons, Charles and Grant Rafferty; Nora, married Frank Ramus, lived in Wauseon, Ohio; Ruth, never married, lived in Wauseon, was a telephone operator; Elsie, never married, retired from telephone work, lives in Wauseon.

Jacob Travis married and had Ray, Cort, Nate and Bash.

Hannah Travis married a Mr. Ritter and had seven children: Frances married Orlo Plummer, had Raymond who had Ilva, Frances and Don; Charlotte married Dorr Woodward, had Donald, Marian Graffice and Dorothy, who married William Renneckar and had Linda Lemon and Marilyn Benskin; May Ritter married John O'Dell had Josephine who married N. H. Damm, had James and Blanch; Olive Ritter married Enno Knipp had no children, but were foster parents of Florence Busch Willeman. Nellie Ritter married Vernon Shafer, had Lowell and Roberta. Nellie married second, Charles Kuhlman; Charles Ritter married a sister of Enno Knipp, had Forest, Ruby, Dale, Gladdin, Gaylord, Ione, Eldon and Burnell; Fred Ritter married and had Margaret.

Christine Travis died in 1901, married George Stickley, born 1860, died 1937. They had Gale, Lottie Herr, Blanch Radunz; Bess; and Grace Couch who married George Weasel. Grace was adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Adelbert Couch after Christine Travis Stickley died.

Mary, or Aunt Polly, Travis married John Drury, had sons, John and Will who lived in Bowling Green, married in 1908, buried in Forest Hill Cemetery, Napoleon.

Hugh Travis was born in New Lexington, Perry County, Ohio, and was educated in Perry County. He was married in Franklin County on October 3, 1861 to Mary Matilda Decker, born August 4, 1844 to Elias Jackson and Martha Jane Ward Decker, natives of Franklin County. In 1872, the family came to Harrison Township, Henry County. In 1875, they returned to Canal Winchester. In 1887, returned to Henry County. They had Zebulon Herbert, married Irene Herr, had son, Herbert Rees Travis; Edwin Jackson born 1864, married Lillian Stickley, lived in Franklin County, no living issue, foster son, Robert Tinklepaugh, resides in Columbus. Edwin died in July, 1959.

Wilbur Grant Travis, born September 4, 1868, was a member of Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders, was married twenty-four hours before his death which occurred in Amarillo, Texas, on his birthday, September 4, 1899. He had returned from the Cuban battlefront suffering from illness.

Franklin Slater Travis died November 14, 1916, married Susan Edith Rausch, daughter of Charles Herman Rausch. Franklin was a school teacher and a farmer, and lived near Round Bottom, Napoleon Township, had Clarence, died in infancy, Zebulon Herbert, Harrison Guinther, Rowena, Audrey Elizabeth, Mary Helen and Julian Slater Travis.

Mattie Irene Travis married Daniel Huddle, had son, Howard Huddle who married Mary, and had son, William who married Naomi Gunn of Delta, Ohio. Howard lives in Napoleon. His mother died when he was small, and he was raised by his aunt, Cora Huddle. Daniel married again and raised another family.

Bertha E. Travis, who died on July 5, 1967, married Charles Grimes of Napoleon. Their son, Russell Grimes, born May 6, 1913, married, has son and daughter and lives in Evanston, Illinois.

Barbara Travis, born 1846, married George Cocke, lived in Napoleon, had August, Gus, Cocke who married Alma Ballard. Their children were Bertha, Elsie, Josephine, William, Walter, Donald Raymond, Lawrence, and Veda.

Other children of John and Barbara Travis were Elizabeth Travis Williams.

Samuel Travis, born 1827, died in 1900, no issue. Absalom Travis, born 1829. Sarah Travis Thomas lived in Iowa and had Clarence J., Charles, Bessie McIntyre, Emma R. Lincoln, Myrtle Kastner, Eva Thomas, Arthur, Sarah Boone and A. L. Thomas.

John Travis married Maria Turner and had Samuel who married Meta Barton, lived in Napoleon, had Harley, Lulu, born 1890, married August Kanney, born 1886, died 1969, Jesse, Mary, Frank.

Tom Travis had son, Harold, who married Helen Huddle, Gus, Sarah, Melba; Ida, Leatha and Ella.

Henry Travis died in 1901. Jane Travis married a Geringer and had May and Pearl. Nancy Travis Taylor was born in 1843. Zachariah Travis died while young from eating green apples.