Nashville, Tennessee Owney tag

1888-1897

From time to time, Owney received tokens for goods on his journeys. This square brass token was redeemable for one quart of milk. It is undetermined whether the stamped letters "R.C.C." refer to a business. On the reverse side of the metal piece, someone etched: "Nashville, Tenn / Tom Glascock." According to census records from the time of Owney's travels, William J. Glascock, father of Thomas M. Glascock born 1874 in Tennessee, worked for railway mail and the family were living Tennessee around 1891 according to a voter registration list. (They were also listed in the 1880 Census in Fulton County, Georgia, where William Glascock worked for railway mail). There is no available information to indicate when this tag was presented to Owney, but it is conceivable that someone carved young Tom's name into the metal piece, perhaps when William, Tom, and other family members of the Glascock family may have met Owney while William worked with the railway mail.