Ross, Travus
(born: 1848 - died: 1908)Travus Ross, from Kentucky, served as a body servant during the Civil War, first for Colonel Roberts and later for General Sherman. After the war, he was appointed to the Post Office Department in Washington, D.C., Clerk Class E, where he was a special messenger, serving under 17 postmaster generals. In 1901 his annual salary was increased to $1,000.
Travus Ross died September 29, 1908 in Washington, D.C. [source: District of Columbia Deaths and Burials, rf #cn 182228]. He was thought to be 60-years old. He was the husband of Laura Ross; the couple had a son named Eugene, according to the 1880 U.S. Cenus.
For more see "Travus Ross," an article in the Special Issue to The New York Times, 9/30/1908, p. 7; and in Every Where; an American Magazine of World-Wide Interest, vol. 23, issue 1 (September 1908), p. 173 [available full-text at Google Books].