April 2013 Self Seekers Newsletter
SELF SEEKERS:
THE SELF FAMILY ASSOCIATION QUARTERLY ONLINE
NEWSLETTER
SUPPLEMENT
Co-Hosts
Tim W. Seawolf Self
Barbara Ann Peck
[email protected]
Volume 16, no. 2 April 2013
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WELCOME
Welcome to volume 16, 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
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SELF PORTRAITS
We're hoping that you're reading this on time: April 1,
2013. It's been a crazy month here at "Self Portraits."
First, Barbara was ill for two weeks and wasn't able to sit up at the
computer. Then, when she got better, her computer's video card
died, and it just wasn't worth it to spend the money on a 6-year-old
machine. A new "cutting edge" computer is on the way, but in the
meantime, we're struggling with Tim's old "NetBook" and a collection of
back-up files (this is one of them from two external hard disks).
On Saturday evening, March 23, she set things up to work from the
external drives, and all seemed well. But, surprise! The
internet was up and down, and finally it became impossible to get
e-mail or even most Web pages through our main ISP. So if this
newsletter is late, you know why. Let's hope for better luck next
time!
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SOCIAL NETWORKING AND PRIVACY:
A GENEALOGIST'S NIGHTMARE
by Barbara Peck
edited by Tim Seawolf-Self
INTRODUCTION
I've already written several articles about privacy and paranoia.
And I've come to the conclusion that a certain amount of paranoia may
be a good thing in today's world. But where the desire for
privacy on the Internet was once left to the wishes of the individual,
sites today are making it almost mandatory. And along with the
benefit of discouraging SPAMmers comes the frustration for those of us
who want to contact others for legitimate purposes.
A BRIEF
HISTORY OF PRIVACY AND PARANOIA (FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE)
Many years ago I began using the Internet and its sub-section, the
World Wide Web. I was fascinated by the ability to click on a
bracketed number and be whisked away to another page and to download
items from around the globe. I didn't do much posting then, but I did
see an early listserv on the Civil War that was of interest to Tim and
me. I joined the group and began printing. Tim had no
computer yet, so I wanted him to be able to read the postings.
After a week or so, my fingers and my little dot-matrix were exhausted
from so much information, and soon I unsubbed from the list.
From this experience, I salvaged one good piece of advice: "Don't
give out your home address, telephone number, or Social Security number
online."
As the graphical Web became popular, we began to wonder about this
rule. Even though we discouraged people from giving out this
information--even if it was their own--and carefully edited out any
such references from postings to our sites and listservs--the number of
external sites that DID contain addresses and telephone numbers
continued to grow. One of our first projects was to collect those
given on free sites like Switchboard
until we discovered that a great many were outdated. Today there
are lots of sites that, for a fee, offer all types of information about
individuals including arrest records, divorce documents, and employment
records. So why did we bother to take so much care in what
appeared in our publications?
We've never been able to answer this question. For the most part,
we followed the online publishing conventions which have always
included a silent ban on giving out the personal information of living
people. One of the silliest of these is the substitution of
"Living" in online family trees for the names of those who may or may
not still be alive. Not only can you find their full names
courtesy of many snoop sites as well as the printed telephone
directory, but chances are that there are quite a few people in the
world with those same exact names anyway. Without a location or a
Social Security number, it wouldn't be that easy to steal these
identities. Even before the advent of electronic communications,
people who relied on names alone often ended up contacting the wrong
person.
THE RISE
OF SPAM
SPAM was always a nuisance. It's growth was so predictable:
any means of communication will soon spawn those who abuse it.
First came the cluttered Web pages full of advertising. Then came
the incessant e-mails, never targeting those who might be interested
but just throwing out their stuff to everyone. Automated
"spiders" were developed that "crawled" through Websites and
"harvested" e-mail addresses to add to their contact lists of largely
uninterested individuals. Soon, people were complaining that a
large percentage of their in-box was comprised of unwanted
advertising. The CAN SPAM law was passed, but in our opinion, it
has done little good.
SPAM was the real reason for the demise of free exchange on the
Internet. Paranoia over identity theft is another thing
entirely. Stealing one's identity can cause great financial harm
as well as all the shock and extra work that accompanies it. SPAM
is mostly a nuisance. At first it was a minor nuisance, but when
it reached its peak in the middle of the last decade, it was beginning
to waste work time and to cause a lot of anger in its recipients.
Numerous solutions were tried, but the SPAMmers simply went around
them. Sometimes users would get ten or more of the same message
from different senders in one day. Later laws prevented sending
messages from an obvious alias which ranged from some cute moniker to a
series of nonsense characters; but who's to say that a sender who
appears to be a person even exists? Anyone can make up a false
name.
Regardless of where the SPAM originated, people became concerned about
posting their e-mail addresses in plain site only to end up as victims
of the voracious "spiders." Thus, sites such as RootsWeb,
Ancestry, Genealogy, and others began to help their customers by
offering sensible solutions to this problem. For example, one
could choose to remain anonymous on a forum or message board.
There are a whole lot of people named "Hidden" on some of them.
Or, an address could be displayed in a graphic format with all kinds of
lines or symbols around it so that a text-based "spider" couldn't read
it. Earthlink and a few others showed nonsense characters that
you were supposed to enter into a little box--kind of difficult for
seniors with weak eyes. (As a by-product of paranoia, there is a
general demise of listservs now in favor of forums that offer
protection.) These safeguards were nuisances, but they seemed to work
for the most part and limit the amount of SPAM in our mailboxes.
ENTER
SOCIAL NETWORKING
Social networking began quietly. Our granddaughter joined MySpace
which was originally intended for children and teenagers so that they
could have a Website of their own. This experience was good for
her: she sharpened her writing skills while allowing her to
release her frustrations and receive support from her followers.
The success of MySpace spawned new social sites such as FaceBook and
Twitter. But this time, had our granddaughter chosen to start a
page on those sites, we knew that we wouldn't have been able to
correspond with her there unless we also became members. We
thought of these sites as a form of virtual CostCo--lots of good stuff
but ONLY available to those who belonged to them.
The next logical step was to combine social networking with the
public's paranoid desire for privacy. Overtly social sites, such
as Facebook and Twitter, had no more need for "hidden" or graphical
e-mail addresses; they now controlled access to the individual
with an exclusive "members-only" policy. I've asked my friends
why they want to literally belong to a web inside of the web, and the
answer usually involves being able to share photographs with
others. Another explanation is secure contact with those who have
"friended" or "followed" them. Mostly I would say that it's
because setting up a social networking site costs nothing (in
comparison to setting up a site with the space allotted by one's ISP)
and because it camouflages e-mail addresses from the "spiders" that
roam the internet. Of course, it is really no deterrent to SPAM.
Nothing is stopping anyone from signing up and then collecting e-mail
addresses. Where there is a will, there's a way...
What happened next makes it very difficult for many of us--and most
especially for those who host all-encompassing single-surname sites
like "Self Portraits" and its satellites. Many Websites have now
borrowed the idea of exclusivity from those dedicated to general social
networking. It seems that to get needed information from many
places on what used to be a "free" World Wide Web, you have to join
something. Sometimes money is the objective, such as at
Ancestry. They get around the issue of selling public documents
by instead selling you a proprietary search engine and format for this
data for as long as you keep up the payments. But often these
sites are free. It appears that they just want to control their
members by withholding public information if you don't "belong."
Yes, you may be thinking that our own "Self Seekers" required
membership* as well as access to the Self (and other) listservs.
True. But at some point everything is available to the general
public as archived material. Nothing we've created locks anyone
out permanently. However, MyFamily.com is an early example of
this type of membership site even though it is a function of a
corporation and not our doing...
Now, suppose you're looking for your first cousin whom you haven't seen
in years. You know where he lived the last time you saw him, and you
know what his job was and what sports and hobbies he enjoyed. But
now, of course, he may have moved, changed jobs, or perhaps he isn't
even among the living. So you begin to search the Web for his
e-mail address so you can contact him. It used to be simple.
Chances are, he would have participated in something Web-based where
the address would be presented openly or in a link. But not any
more.
If he's on FaceBook, you have to join to contact him. If he's on
Twitter, the same thing applies. And almost every genealogy site
or other interest group page requires you to join or
register--sometimes for free and sometimes not--to access anything of
value. What began as a way to post on simple social networking
sites has now become the norm on just about every new site, no matter
what the topic. This is a psychological pacifier for the paranoid
who want to remain anonymous to SPAMmers at any cost. It's a
nightmare for someone legitimately searching for an individual with
good intentions...
You can see my point if you take your search for your first cousin and
magnify it over a thousand times. That's approximately how many
"lost cousins" we have in our files--people who once wrote to us but
whose addresses are now invalid--about the same amount of individuals
whose e-mail addresses are current. Our objectives in having your
address are twofold: (1) we like to keep in touch at least once a
year with our annual greetings. We hope you know that we haven't
forgotten you, and the simple October message helps to remind you that
we're always here, always friendly, and that we'll always write back to
you; and (2) people write several times each week with answers to
the queries posted on our pages. Some of them are writing about
queries posted over ten years ago. We can't pass on these
messages if we don't know your e-mail address. And even if you've
found an answer by now, you are missing out on meeting a new, possibly
close, cousin...
Today. nearly every site wants to become a social networking site and
control its members while hoarding its data. If you are a
business person, you should link with others. If you like
football, woodworking, even genealogy, you should "sign in" to show
that you belong before you post or copy information. What's
happened recently is that the options have been taken away from the
general public. You can no longer simply choose to hide or disguise
your address. The webmasters--the virtual "big brothers"-- are
"protecting" you now, taking the choice out of your hands. And
for those of us in our position, how could we--and WHY would we--want
to join hundreds of closed sites just to contact a cousin who forgot to
inform us of their change of e-mail address? This would be
impractical and, in some cases, very expensive to do, not to mention a
huge waste of time. We're here to help you and to help other
cousins, not to profit. Nothing makes us sadder than to have to tell a
new cousin that the person they are trying to reach is no longer
available...
Whenever a new cousin writes to us, our response includes a plea to
them to keep their e-mail addresses current. If someone really
abandons genealogical research and truly wishes to fade "into the
woodwork," that's their right. But we would ask those of you who
post queries or express an interest in any certain Self branch to think
about close cousins who may write five, ten, or fifteen years in the
future and how disappointed they will be not to meet you and share
information. After all, we're all family...
SUMMARY
Social networking sites began as a way to bring people together for
discussion and entertainment. Unfortunately, their success has
led many other sites to close themSelfs off from the general public by
requiring paid or unpaid registration/membership. One could
belong to hundreds of groups, each with its own password, rules, and
regulations, but it would be a waste of time, and possibly money, to
join something unless you have a real interest in the subject matter
they represent. Joining a social networking site is not a good
way to find the new addresses of forgetful friends and relatives.
It still pays to keep in touch by e-mail, snail mail, or telephone and
keep your accessibility current. If we don't do this, we may end
up as our ancestors did, pulling away from those we care about, those
whom we have worked so hard to find again.
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*The "Self Seekers" newsletter is now free. Membership is NOT required.
(Next: Computer Backups:
Saving Your Genealogy)
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PLEASE
CONTRIBUTE
BIOGRAPHIES AND PHOTOS
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DEAD ENDS
part 14
"Y"
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.
TALBOT, Jefferson and JOHNSON, Clara married 22 Nov 1888 in
Morgan County, MO
TALLANT, John L. and SELF, Nellie Agnes married 11 Jul 1889 in
Bollinger County, MO
TALLENT, Alonzo and STANDRIDGE, Percilla Avis married before 1920,
probably in AR
TALLY, William S. and SELF, Sarah J. married 20 Jan 1858 in Caswell
County, NC
TATE, Charles G. and BLATTMAN, Martha Agnes married 23 Nov 1858 in
Jackson County, MO
TAYLOR, Arthur and NIX, Mary Elizabeth married about 1912, probably in
GA
TAYLOR, Charles D. and CLOSE, Nancy Tennessee married 11 Dec 1893,
probably in DeKalb County, TN
TAYLOR, George and SELF, Dicie married before 1830, probably in VA
TAYLOR, George and SKELTON, Columbia married about 1880
TAYLOR, Henry and SELFE, Elizabeth married about 1765 in Lacock,
Wiltshire, England
TAYLOR, James D. and SELF, Callie V. married 20 Jan 1876 in Columbia
County, FL
TAYLOR, James Jonathan and WATTS, Mahala Jane married about 1867
probably in TN
TAYLOR, James Walter and BLACK, Mattie May married about 1904, probably
in MS
TAYLOR, John and SELF, Pearlie May married Apr 1910 in Pontotoc County,
OK
TAYLOR, Lambert and WATTS, Fanny May married about 1851, probably in AL
or TN
TAYLOR, Loyd and HENDRIX, Rennie married about 1879, probably in TN
TAYLOR, Samuel and SELF, Minnie Eliza Isora married about 1909,
probably in Jefferson County, AL
TAYLOR, William J. and SELF, Sarah married 3 Jul 1979 in Trowbridge,
Wiltshire, England
TAYLOR, Wylie William and BECK, Annie married about 1916, probably in
Gregg County, TX
TEAS, D. M. and COBERLY, Grace married about 1905 in KS
TERRY, Eugene C. and BENNETT, Sarah Ella married 16 Aug 1908 in LA
TETHROW, Arthur and LANCE, Dora V. married about 1902, probably in
Union County, GA
THARP, Henry F. and CASWELL, Evelina married 1888, probably in KY
THARP, Logan Dock and UNKNOWN, Millie married about 1889, probably in KY
THOMAS, Alvin and SOUTHER, Mary married 20 Oct 1887, probably in Union
County, GA
THOMAS, Burt L. and SELF, Lelia married 16 Apr 1906 in Collin County, TX
THOMAS, John Carroll and SELF, Sallie Virginia married 21 May 1912 in
Buckingham County, VA
THOMAS, John Isaac and MALLORY, Julia E. married 17 Mar 1901 in Perry
County, IN
THOMAS, Richard and CASEY, Sealie N. married 11 Feb 1909 in Newton
County, AR
THOMAS, William and SELF, Lewinza married 7 Oct 1876 in Union County, GA
THOMAS, William and SELF, Sarah A. married 6 Nov 1856 in KY
THOMASSON, Robert and SELF, Mandie married 17 May 1919 in Pike County,
MO
THOMPKINS, David and SELF, Cordelia Ann married 1 May 1867 in Sabine
Parish, LA
THOMPSON, James M. and SELF, Jane married 30 Mar 1843 in Wake County, NC
THOMPSON, John A. and SMITH, Myrtle Leora married 12 Aug 1908 in MO or
KY
THOMPSON, John W. and RAMSEY, Nancy married 19 Mar 1890 in Perry
County, IN
THOMPSON, Unknown and BRATCHER, Mary Eliza married before 1920,
probably in KY
THOMPSON, Will and LANCE, Susan Catherine married about 1876, probably
in Union County, GA
THORN, Charles and HODGE, Melissa L. married about 1916 in MO
THORN, Reuben and CASTLEBERRY, Etta married about 1875
THORN, William and HOBBS, Eura E. married about 1900, probably in
TN
THORNTON, Seaborn and SELF, Emma Sofronia married before 1900, probably
in GA
THORNTON, Unknown and SHARP, Artie May married before 1910, probably in
Van Zandt County, TX
THRIFT, Thomas and SELF, Ann Cole married 25 Aug 1775 in Northumberland
County, VA.
THURMAN, Isaac and QUICK, Cora Belle married 16 Apr 1908, probably in
Perry County, IN
TIDWELL, William Nelson and REYNOLDS, Mary Elizabeth married 1 Mar 1857
in UT
TIGNER, Jeremiah and SELF, Marinda married 22 Sep 1853 in Hocking
County, OH
TITUS, Unknown and HOWELL, Dora married before 1920, probably in Perry
County, IN
TODD, George H. and CARPENTER, Sarah married before 1910 probably in
Fulton County, IL
TODD, John and SELF, Mary L. married 7 Dec 1865 in Clark County, OH
TOLIVER, Brack and SELF, Emma married 11 Apr 1904 in Bell County, TX
TOLIVER, George and SELF, Callie married 31 Mar 1907 in Bell County,
TX
TOOP, James and SELF, Keziah married about 1825 in Westbury, Wiltshire,
England
TOWERS, John A. and SELF, Ruth A. married 7 Jan 1845 in Union County, GA
TOWERY, John and SELF, Paralee N. married 9 Mar 1853 in Benton County,
AL
TOWNSEND, Unknown and BARNETT, Lucy married about 1815 probably in
Nicholas County, KY
TOWNSEND, William A. and COLLINS, Fannie E. married 1900, probably in
Union County, GA
TOWNSETT, Edward and SELFES, Dorothy married about 1670 in Street,
Sussex, England
TRAFTON, Walter Malicy and HAGEE, Mary Annie married 5 Mar 1902,
probably in Gonzales County, TX
TREAT, Hyram and SELF, Sarah married before 1870 probably in Searcy
County, AR
TRULOCK, Morgan and TAYLOR, Rosa married about 1895, probably in KY
TRUSSELL, Marion J. and BRADEN, Lovie B. married 18 Sep 1857 probably
in Ray County, MO
TUCK, John and SELFE, Mary married unknown in Melksham, Wiltshire,
England
TUCKER, Henry and SELF, Emma married 27 Dec 1911 in Jackson County, AR
TUCKER, John Henry and SELPH, Florence married 21 Sep 1914 in Caroline
County, VA
TUCKER, Stephen and SELF, Anne probably married 25 Jul 1597 in
Urchfont, Wiltshire, England
TUDOR, Jason W. and SELF, Delia Belle married 6 Apr 1911 in Custer
County, OK
TUNNELL, Amphias Seaton and JOHNSON, Zola married about 1885 in TX
TUNNELL, Bon F. and BRACKEN, Edna married before 1920 in Smith County,
TX
TUNNELL, Edward Cicero and GREENE, Maggie married before 1920 probably
in Garden Valley, TX
TUNNELL, Eldon and DICK, Lillian married before 1920 in Smith County, TX
TUNNELL, Emmett and GREENE, Lizzie married before 1910 in Comanche
County, TX
TUNNELL, E. R. and HADDOCK, Pearl married before 1920 in Smith County,
TX
TUNNELL, Eugene Bailey and JACKSON, Frances married before 1910
probably in Garden Valley, TX
TUNNELL, Fisher Ethan and MONEY, Lillian Mae married before 1920
probably in Garden Valley, TX
TUNNELL, Harry Mathews and BELL, Laura married before 1900 probably in
TX
TUNNELL, Henry Cullen and BAILEY, Dora married before 1920 probably in
Garden Valley, TX
TUNNELL, Ira Otis and UNKNOWN, Minnie married before 1900 in Comanche
County, TX
TUNNELL, Jesse Franks and STRAWN, Emma married before 1920 in Comanche
County, TX
TUNNELL, Josiah Allen and WELCH, Nancy married 27 Dec 1838 in AL and
went to TX
TUNNELL, Josiah Taylor and STEWART, Kittie married about 1860 in AL
TUNNELL, Perry and ZORN, Henrietta married about 1875 in TX
TUNNELL, Sanford Bishop Annis and PEDIGO, Leone married before 1920 in
Comanche County, TX
TURNER, David and COLLINS, Anna married 2 Jan 1895, probably in Union
County, GA
TURNER, Julius and PAINTER, Unknown married about 1902, probably in
Union or White County, GA
TURNER, Thomas and MITCHELL, Mandy married about 1891, probably in
Union County, GA
TURNER, W. Riley and SELPH, Susan C. married 7 Nov 1886 in Logan
County, AR
TURNEY, David D. and SELF, Frances J. married 16 Dec 1869 in Blount
County, AL
TWIGGS, J. W. and COLLINS, Helen C. married 1910, probably in Union
County, GA
TYLER, A. N. and EVANS, Lee Ella married 15 Jan 1896, probably in TN
TYNES, John and SIMPSON, Melvina married 27 Jun 1872 in Sabine Parish,
LA
(Next:
Dead Ends "T")
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!!
If you do not wish to receive this electronic publication, please
take a moment to e-mail us.
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DISCLAIMERS OF WARRANTIES AND LIABILITY
Some parts of this newsletter contain information
contributed by individuals. The editors may not monitor or censor the
information
placed on these Pages. We do not invite reliance upon, nor accept
responsibility
for, the information posted here.
Each individual contributor is solely responsible
for the content of their information, including any and all legal
consequences
of the postings. We are in no way, in whole or in part, responsible for
any damages caused by the content in this newsletter or by the content
contributed by any person.
We do not warrant, or guarantee any of the services,
products, or information used for these pages. We do not make any
warranty,
expressed or implied, and do not assume any legal liability or
responsibility
for the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any of the information
disclosed in this publication, or represent in any way that the use
would
not infringe privately owned rights.
NOTICE: The information in this newsletter is
Copyrighted, and must not be used for any commercial purposes
or republished in any form without prior permission. This newsletter is
copyrighted, except where previous copyright applies.
Copyright 1998-2013 Tim Seawolf-Self and Barbara
A. Peck, All Rights Reserved
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