Jane Elizabeth Walker was born in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England, on the 1st January 1885, the daughter, and eldest child, of Joseph and Selina Annie Walker (née Denton). In 1889, her father died, and her mother re-married in 1890. Her second husband, Jane’s step-father, being Thomas Turner.
While still a teenager, Jane found work in a local shoe factory - Crockett & Jones, but then, in 1911, she emigrated to the United States of America and settled in Newark, New Jersey, where she carried on working in the shoe making trade. On the 9th August 1913 she married John Alfred Travers, variously described as a labourer or mechanic, who was a citizen of the United States of America. The couple set up home together at 342. Sth. 20th St., Newark. Both the bride and groom stated they were aged 23 years at the time of their marriage, but in actuality, John was aged 21 years, while Jane was aged 28 years!
Her mother still lived in Northampton, at 3 Arthur Street, Kingsthorpe Hollow, and by the spring of 1915, was reported to be in failing health. Jane Travers found she was pregnant at this time, and decided to return to England to be with her mother and to have her baby there. By this time, her husband was out of work and her mother and step-father decided to advance her £10-0s-0d, to help pay for her fare across the Atlantic.
As a result, a third class ticket was purchased for her from Barker’s Shipping Agency of Northampton, to travel from New York to Liverpool on a ship of The Cunard Steamship Company. This ticket was posted on to her in Newark. It was originally hoped that she would arrive home at Easter, but when she did not turn up at that time; her family became uncertain of her actual travel arrangements.
In the event, she actually departed on the Lusitania’s last ever sailing which left New York just after mid-day on 1st May 1915. Also travelling on the same sailing was Mr. George Ward, and his wife Ellen, who originally came from Earls Barton, in Northamptonshire. Mr. Ward had at one time worked in the same shoe factory as Jane Travers in Newark.
Taking that sailing was obviously an unsound decision for Mrs Travers, however; for when the Cunarder was sunk, six days out of New York and in sight of the southern Irish coast, both she and her unborn child were lost. She was aged 30 years.
When the members of her family heard about the sinking, they still did not know whether or not she was supposed to be on board and tragically, eventually found her name amongst the list of those who had perished!
Local newspaper The Northampton Mercury reported at the time: -
When the Lusitania crime was committed they naturally scanned the lists of passengers. On finding the name “Jane Travers” among those listed as missing, they communicated at once with the Cunard office at Liverpool, but without satisfactory result.
The Cunard company by telegram stated that in the absence of papers and tickets, they were unable to say whether the Jane Travers on board the Lusitania was the person whose passage had been booked through Barker’s Agency of Northampton.
Unfortunately for the family members, this telegram only prolonged their anxiety, for nothing was ever seen or heard of her again and as her body was never recovered and identified, she has no known grave.
The Northampton Independent would later report, doubtless with total exactitude, that: -
It is cruel that the stricken parents should have made so great a monetary sacrifice with such a terrible result.
Mr. and Mrs. Ward did survive the sinking, however, and eventually made it back to their former home in Earls Barton.
In 1918, John Travers changed his name to John Reid, which was his mother’s maiden name, left Newark, and went to reside with his aunt in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He subsequently went to Atlantic City, where he found work with the Electric Light & Power Company, and resided at 20. North Ohio Avenue. He died in a work-related accident on the 28th July 1921, aged 29 years, when he came into contact with a live 3,500 volt electric cable. His remains were returned to his family in Newark and interred in St. Sepulchre Cemetery, Newark.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, Northamptonshire England Church of England Baptisms 1813 – 1912, New Jersey Marriage Index 1901 – 2016, 1891 Census of England and Wales, 1901 Census of England and Wales, 1911 Census of England & Wales, New Jersey State Census 1915, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, New Jersey State Archives, Newark Evening Star, Northampton Independent, Northampton Mercury, Graham Maddocks, Janette Norridge, Kate Wills, Ray Gregory, Bette M. Epstein, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.