Self Seekers Newsletter, v.15, no.2

SELF SEEKERS:

THE SELF FAMILY ASSOCIATION QUARTERLY ONLINE NEWSLETTER SUPPLEMENT

Co-Hosts
Tim W. Seawolf Self
Barbara Ann Peck
[email protected]
Volume 15, no. 2 April 2012
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WELCOME

Welcome to volume 15, no. 2 of the quarterly online newsletter supplement to "Self Portraits: The Self Family NetLetter," the Website dedicated to Self family research at http://www.selfroots.com

You are receiving this newsletter because you were kind enough to join "Self Seekers: The Self Family Association." We appreciate all of your contributions, large and small, and we hope you will continue to support our page, our surname list, and this newsletter.

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THE MISTS OF TIME

One of the most frustrating things about working with genealogy and history is the lack of written documentation. Having these solid sources can provide names and dates and also a glimpse into how life was in the days gone by. When we began our work nearly 50 years ago, there was little interest in the preservation of such documentation outside of an occasional rare book library or collection. It depended on where you were doing your research--for instance, the Vital Records of early Massachusetts were transcribed and published in volumes that anyone could purchase for use at home. But so many records were destroyed in the South because of the Civil War and random courthouse fires and floods that it usually required long trips to the actual location or to a National Archives to find information. We have been so fortunate to have first the efforts of the LDS Church in their microfilm projects and later the introduction of the Internet to find and share data. But these are the bones of our ancestors. Their flesh, hearts, and souls exist in stories that may have come down in oral family legends or notes in old Bibles or diaries. Luckily we have some historians who are also wonderful writers and who have recorded these old memories and events for posterity. This issue of the "Self Seekers Newsletter" is dedicated to our cousin, Ethelene Dyer Jones, and others like her who have broken through the mists of time and brought us closer to the past.
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THROUGH MOUNTAIN MISTS
by Barbara Peck
edited by Tim Seawolf-Self

Many of you have ancestors who lived in the mountains of North Georgia. This is where Tim's family comes from, so we have a special interest in the counties of Union, Towns, Murray, Fannin, etc. But even if your lineage is centered in another Southern state, the lives of the early settlers and their descendants in North Georgia mirror the existence of others of their time. Learning about them is, in a way, like studying the history of the United States.

Tim's 4th great aunt was Celia (Self) Collins, daughter of Francis Self and wife of the elusive Thompson Collins. Celia had ten children, all well-known and as active as she and her husband in the affairs of Union County. The name "Francis" was carried on through her son, Francis Collins, and his son, Francis Jasper Collins. Her great-granddaughter, Fannie Azie Collins married her cousin, Jewell Marion Dyer, who was descended from another Collins child. One of Fannie's children is Ethelene (Dyer) Jones, and she is the one who is conserving and publishing so much Union County history that today gives us a glimpse into life in the past.

For almost a decade, Ethelene Jones has been publishing a series of weekly articles in the Union Sentinel originally entitled "Through Mountain Mists: Early Settlers of Union County, Georgia--Their Descendants...Their Stories...Their Achievements; Lifting the Mists of History on Their Way of Life." A few years ago, she kindly offered to allow us to reprint these tales on our Union County GAGenWebSite The text and any accompanying photographs were first e-mailed to our assistant, Linda Garrett, who re-typed and formatted them for the Web. Linda then forwarded them to me for copy, paste, and final formatting onto our background and uploading to the RootsWeb server that hosts our site. Since January of this year, we have been receiving the articles directly from the author.

The weekly offerings can be broken down into three main categories: (1) historical interest pieces; (2) personal portraits; and (3) genealogical summaries. The historical interest pieces include a wide variety of topics. We learn about buildings such as the Souther Mill, the old Souther-Dyer house, and the Akins Hotel. We visit locations such as Track Rock Gap, the Logan and Unicoi Turnpikes, the Matheson Cove, and Blood Mountain. Some articles are based on customs and traditions celebrated in North Georgia as well as in much of the entire country: old-fashioned Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, National Poetry Month, Valentine's Day, burial customs, and the business of farming from planting to harvest are among those presented. Finally, there are simple stories of historical events and institutions such as articles on the reading of the Constitution, a salute to the American flag, and a recounting of militia districts in Union County.

There are quite a few personal portraits. Most are "thumbnail sketches," histories of an individual's life in one article. A few of the names presented are Richard Jarrett Hood, Frank Loransey Souther, Major James Leon Davenport, and our modern-day master of country music, Don Byers. Some very prominent citizens of the county take up several consecutive articles. Six are dedicated to Dr. Mauney Douglas Collins. Poet Byron Herbert Reece fills 4 articles in 2003 and appears in at least one article in most of the years from 2004-2011; James Nix appears in 4 articles in 2004; "the immigrant" Pierre Chastain's life and influence are squeezed into 4 articles in 2010; and the list goes on.

The genealogical summaries have been extremely helpful to us, and, I'm sure, to many other researchers in Union County. The surnames presented so far are: Jackson; Twiggs; Collins; Vandiver; Stonecypher; Ingram; Townsend; Hughes; England; Burnette; Cobb; Fain; Nix; Haralson; Spivey/Spiva; Erwin; Butt(s); Berry; Cathey; Nicholson; Fields; Sullivan; Chastain; Turner; Crow; Witzel; Self; Cobb; Brown; Reece; Ledford; Greenwood; Patterson; Hooper; Moore; Denton; Humphries; and probably a few more that are embedded in other Mountain Mists offerings.

Some of the very best pieces are those featuring Ethelene's own experiences. Her memories of life on the farm are immortalized in her six-part series, "On the Farm," published in June and July 2011. We are very fortunate that Ethelene has written them down for future generations to enjoy.

If you haven't yet visited the "Mountain Mists" section of our Union County GAGenWebSite, you're missing some great insights into life in Southeastern America in earlier times. And for those of you researching North Georgia mountain families, these articles are a goldmine. Ethelene Dyer Jones, a retired teacher, writes clearly and with a passion for her subject. With each passing week, she takes you back in time to the Union County of our ancestors and leaves you eagerly waiting for more.

(Next: The Social Security Death Index)

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PLEASE CONTRIBUTE BIOGRAPHIES AND PHOTOS

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DEAD ENDS
part 11
"N-O"
by Barbara Peck and Tim Seawolf-Self

When we began "SelfSite at RootsWeb," our objective was to present as much unrelated Self data as possible in the hopes that these individuals and families would be recognized by someone out there. Because the Selfs married into many other surnames, it's just possible that a person surfing the Web could come across a Self connection that was previously unknown to them. We divided the entries into two groups: "Loose Ends" and "Dead Ends." The Loose Ends are Selfs for whom we have no ready ancestry. The Dead Ends are marriages of Self descendants for whom we are seeking descendants. We've decided to reprint the "Dead Ends" bit by bit in this netletter to make it easier for you to go through them and to give visitors to our sites one more point of access. Also there have been additions, deletions, and corrections. Please check your records to see if any of these couples are in your database. As always, information you may provide to us is for posterity. Living people will not be put on the Web.

NAY, Albert and GAVIN, Fern Rosella married 23 Feb 1920, probably in Garfield County, UT
NEAL, Ben and EVANS, Jenora married about 1896, probably in TN
NEAL, Coke and WILLINGHAM, Addie married before 1920, probably in Nacogdoches County, TX
NEAL, Dan and ADAMS, Lela married about 1905, probably in Nacogdoches County, TX
NEAL, Martin Luther and BROWN, Buena Tissia married about 1916, probably in Scott County, AR
NEAL, Rayford and SELF, Susan married before 1920, probably in Nacogdoches County, TX
NEAL, Robert and UNDERWOOD, Alpha married before 1920, probably in Nacogdoches County, TX
NEISE, Christian and SELF, Mary Eveline married 9 Mar 1862 in Allen County, OH
NELSON, J. H. and MARRS, Ruth married about 1904, probably in Washington County, AR
NELSON, Unknown and McCANN, Melissa Jane married about 1875 in Greene County, IL
NESSELRODT, John Wesley and SELF, Amanda Ellen married 22 Apr 1909 in Shenandoah County, VA
NEWBERRY, Alfred Jeff and SELF, Lucy Ann married 17 Nov 1856 in Fannin County, TX
NEWBERRY, William A. and DOBBS, Minerva Newton married 22 Dec 1892, probably in Fannin County, TX
NEWDICK(E), Thomas and SELF, Mary married 1682 in Mildenhall, Suffolk, England
NEWLAND, Isaac and BROWN, Emma B. married about 1911, probably in Edmonson County, KY
NEWMAN, Unknown and BAKER, Mary Ethel married before 1920
NEWTON, Ben and CAIN, Mary Frances married about 1886 in GA
NICHOLS, Unknown and SELF, Margaret P. married about 1897, probably in Vernon Parish, LA
NICHOLSON, E. G. and FLOWERS, Celia married 17 May 1872, probably in Union County, GA
NICHOLSON, Johnny and DUCKWORTH, Carrie Donna married about 1901, probably in Union County, GA
NICKSON, Levi and SELF, Aurilla married 22 Apr 1875 in DeKalb County, TN
NIX, Jim and HUNTER, Margaret Ruth married about 1889, probably in Union County, GA
NIX, Joe and SULLIVAN, Unknown married about 1899, probably in Union County, GA
NIX, John and SELPH, Cynthia married 11 Jan 1883 in Garland County, AR
NIX, William David and UNKNOWN, Dora married before 1900, probably in Union County, GA
NOBLIT, Bert and CORLEY, Pearl married 7 Dec 1915, probably in Collin County, TX
NOLTY, Henry and SELF, Luella married about 1902, probably in Owensboro, KY
NORMAN, Robert J. and SELF, Mary Elizabeth married 12 Dec 1849 in Gibson County, TN
NORTHENER, Unknown and JARRETT, Louise married probably in IN
NORTON, Norman A. and SELF, Leola married 1 Jan 1901, possibly in Houston County, AL
NUNN, Thomas and SELF, Margaret married 1728 in Denham by Eye, Suffolk, England xxx
O'DANIEL, Hosea and SELF, Anna D. married in Cape Girardeau County, MO
ODOM, Avery and SELF, Sarah A. married about 1900 in Union County, GA
O'HARA, John and SELF, Lillian Frances married about 1916 probably in Binghamton, NY
OLDERSON, James and SELF, Elizabeth married 21 Dec 1859 in VA
OSBORN, Charles and SELF, Susanna married 1791 in Weybread, Suffolk, England
OSBORN, John and SELF, Annice married 1687 in Thrandeston, Suffolk, England
OSBORN, Simon Rufus and SELF, Clara Mae married 14 Feb 1904
OVERTON, W. G. and HARRIS, Jettie married about 1911, probably in Lafayette County, MS
OWEN, Johannes (John) and SELF, Gathred married about 4 Jul 1642 in Dickleburgh (Dilham), Norfolk, England
OWENS, J. W. and SELF, Mary Elizabeth Frances married 1877 in Barren County, KY
OWNSWORTH, John and SELF, Sarah married 1719 in Eye, Suffolk, England

(Next: Dead Ends "P")

Maybe your ancestors used to tell stories about life in the "old days," stories you remember hearing as a child. Please tell us about them. We will even supply editing and formatting; but we'd all love to know about daily life in the Self families of old--and you may be able to help. Please contact us. And please state that your story is specifically for the newsletter.

LOOSE ENDS

Please go to our "Loose Ends" subsection at our SelfSite at RootsWeb.

DEAD ENDS

Please go to our "Dead Ends" subsection at our SelfSite at RootsWeb.

SELFS IN SPACE

What would you like to see here? This space is reserved for any topic of interest to Self cousins. Express YourSelf!!

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