Problems in Interpretation - Buyer Beware!
This is a letter in reference to the article found in the section: "The Object at Hand," entitled "Cast in Bondage," page 20-22, Smithsonian Magazine, February 2003.
People have been selling an item for 4 or 5 years on the largest online auction house that is identified as a "slave tags," but they are in fact "bogus slave tags" because of a wrong value judgment. Usually at any given time you may find several list in the online auctions. The round metal tag on the front says: "Stratford Hall Plantation - 1833 - (then there is a number) - Virginia. On the back it says: "Cabin (number)." It is etched with slave shackles around the perimeter of the front.
In reality they are key chain tags for the different cabins that the C.C.C. (Civilian Conservation Corps) built there in the 1930's, like you had on old hotel and motel keys tag to identify which room number and the lock that key went to. On the property of the Stratford Hall Plantation is a group of cabins, a conference center and restaurant that date back to the depression era. I have visited Stratford Hall, and I asked my friend who works there about these Stratford Hall so-called Slave Tags. He said these were bogus fakes and would not talk any more about them. People have paid a great deal of money for these travel items in hopes of donating these possibly one of a kind item to Stratford Hall. Basically they have said they are worthless (toss it into the trash can) and walked away. An unnamed source tells me that this fakery was started by a former worker of Stratford Hall who first sold a C.C.C. cabin room key tag on an online auction listing it as a "Slave Tag," and it mushroom after that. I have tried writing the Smithsonian Magazine but they did not print my letter. I have contacted a number of the online auction sellers but they don't seem to care because it would cut into their sales. And the buyers they are always disappointed and upset when they receive the merchandise in the mail. I can't write them all. The online auction house has simply said, "We can't look at every item that is sold though us." I have seen these things from Stratford Hall sell between 60 to 90 dollars, or more in the last year and a half, not bad for depression era travel souvenirs. Perhaps they should be listed with matchbook covers, post cards, highway maps and napkins, etc. In some of the descriptions where the item title does say "Slave Tag," it has stated one of the following: (1) This tag has not been authenticated. (2) I'm sorry but I have no history on the tag nor do I know of it's origin. (3) I'm not sure what material it's made of, but it is Heavy, & covered with Patina. (4) We bought this item & for lack of info. will list at modern. (5) We found this item is a box (or dresser drawer) and know nothing about it. (6) We are NOT experts on any subject. We describe all items to the best of our knowledge and offer them AS IS without warranty or option of return or refund. It is too bad that these travel memorabilia of today were not inscribed on the back with the following phase: "If found, please drop in the nearest mail box! Thank you." There are actual slave tags being offered for sale on this online auction house, but because of their connection with Robert E. Lee too much of a temptation that they are described and listed as one of the artifacts of the gods of the Confederacy. Some of the so-called slave tags in their description mention the 1740's grist mill at the plantation. That is how I first became aware of them. One of my ancestors on my father's mother's family was a freed slave Joseph King who traveled to northwestern Pennsylvania, in the early 1800's where he met a white woman. Joseph King was an albino. They married and had 6 children. He owned and operated a water powered saw mill on a tributary of French Creek east of Waterford, in Erie County. He may have used his farm as part of the underground railroad. At one time there was a covered bridge there which had the name Juva Covered Bridge which is found Pennsylvania State Archives. There he gave as very non Anglo-Saxon name to the local community and post office that of "Juva." It is similar to the Ivory Coast word of "juba," which means joyful dance.
I have recently discovered that "Juva" is a municipality or province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Southern Savonia region. It was founded on 19 January 1442, and is the oldest parish/municipality in Finland. Now the question is, where people from Finland coming to Northwestern Pennsylvania, in the early 1800's from "Juva" or with the last or first name of "Juva?" The Finish would have pronounced the word. "Juva" much differently than it has been long pronounced locally in the area so the there may be no actual connection. What it a name which Joseph King brought with him from where he had been a slave? In Juva was the Black family general store and the Juva post office. The Middleton family later owned the King family farm, and the land where Joseph King's saw mill was located. The Middleton family torn down the house and barn prior to the building of Union City Lake Reservior on French Creek. His wife lived to be 105 and died in 1919, and because of her long years sometime after the turn of the century they started having "King" family reunions. I remember going to them while my father was still alive. For most of my life, I simply thought that my freed ancestor's last name of King was more than likely his former master's name. Then I suddenly realized that the name King may have had no connection with his former slave master. He may have exclaimed when he gained his freedom, "I feel like a King! I am master of my own destiny, and took the name king as his own." Sincerely, Ted Hazen
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