Miles Edwin Traver (1834-1902) was born in East Schodack, Rensselaer County, New York, to Miles and Delia Traver. At a young age he began his career as a salesman while traveling in a wagon through the Middle West and the South selling lightning rods.
In 1862 Traver and his brother left for California where he became an agent for "Home Shuttle" brand. Beginning in February of 1868, Traver crossed the Columbia River with his sulky, earning his livelihood selling sewing machines. In addition to sewing machines, Traver advertised the Lovell Washer in the 1870s and sold rights to use the formula for his "Superior Washing Compound."
Traver was married to Stella Clementine Wheeler Traver (1842-1914) and had two daughters, Alice Carey Traver Libby Kennedy (1876-1959) and Edith Grace Traver (1881-1973).
This collection consists of 12 diaries, dating 1859-1902, that document Miles Edwin Traver's journeys as a traveling salesman based in Washington State. Sales trip locations were throughout the Pacific Northwest, the Western United States, and Alabama. Includes an article by Lucile McDonald (1965) discussing Traver's personal experiences selling sewing machines, titled "How the Sewing Machine came to the Northwest." In addition, the collection contains miscellaneous materials consisting of correspondence, receipts, bank notes, rights to Traver's "Superior Washing Compound," etc.
This collection is open and available for research use.
Copyright restrictions apply.
[Item description]
Miles Edwin Traver Papers, 1859-1965 (Cage 190)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.
This collection was donated to the Washington State University Libraries in 1961 by Edith Grace Traver, daughter of Miles Edwin Traver.
Boney, F. N., "Southern Sojourn: a Yankee salesman in ante-bellum Alabama," The Alabama Review, April 1967, p. 142-154 ; McDonald, Lucille, "How the Sewing Machine came to the Northwest," Seattle Sunday Times, August 1, 1965
Alice Carey Traver Libby Kennedy Papers, 1903-1959
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