January 2007 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 10, no. 1   January, 2007
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WELCOME

Welcome to volume 10, no. 1 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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A RESTLESS PEACE

In order to upload this newsletter supplement on January 1, I'm writing this introduction on Christmas Eve.  This has been a really peaceful Sunday--no buses, no leafblowers, no screaming kids playing on the lawn.  Everybody has been busy with Christmas plans.  And yet, as the sugarplums dance for many tonight, our peace is a restless one.  The world is more complex than ever this year, and we face our own personal problems day after tomorrow when it's back to normal for a few hours.  And then there's the War in Iraq.  Regardless of your feelings about the war, there are still a lot of homesick soldiers in a faraway desert tonight.  And there are a lot of little children who are hungry and homeless, both in Iraq because of the relentless bombings and here at home because of the faltering economy.  Our ancestors would not be pleased with the state of the world today.  And yet, let's not forget the homesick Selfs who served under George Washington in the bitter cold;  and the young Selfs who suffered during the Civil War, both soldiers and children and their respective families.  War and privation go back farther than most of us can go in time.  We can only hope that fighting will give way to unity and a better world for those to come.

A Good Idea:  Please join us at our VIRTUAL REUNION
It only takes a few minutes to scan a photo and write a short paragraph about your research,
your other interests, your children and grandchildren...whatever
Please do check out this opportunity to share with your distant cousins

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SELF SEEKERS MEMBERSHIP FEES

Please send us your 2007 contributions if you haven't already done so...
Your support is invaluable to us and keeps our ISP from starvation...

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THE BURNED COUNTIES OF VIRGINIA
by Barbara Peck
Edited by Tim Seawolf-Self

Until the development of DNA technology and the widespread use of computerized storage and preservation, all that genealogical researchers had to rely on were paper documents and oral tradition.  Personal reminiscences/word-of-mouth history was the least reliable of the two sources.  People die, memories fade, and stories are embroidered with fantasy or lose relevant parts through the generations.  So we have come to consider paper documents as the ultimate proof of our ancestral lines--IF we can find them, that is.

So much of early American Self history remains unproven.  This is mostly due to the lack of paper documentation, especially from the 18th century, and most especially in Virginia, the "Cradle of Selfdom."  Some extremely thorough and conscientious researchers have combed the vaults of courthouses for any scrap of paper with the names of their Self ancestors--and come away empty-handed.  And most of the "brick walls" may have been constructed from the lack of material.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PAPER?

The paper trail of your ancestors may have resided in one of the "burned counties."  Most of them are in Virginia, but some are in Georgia and other--mostly southeastern--states (see map below).  Paper is one of the greatest of all human inventions, but most unfortunately, it's easily destroyed by the elements, particularly fire and water as is the wood from which it's made.  And while many fires and floods are acts of nature, the majority of records lost to courthouse fires were casualties of war.  The worst of these was the Civil War, though the Revolutionary War and other battles took their toll as well.  In some cases, the old wooden county courthouses were burned several times over, surrendering valuable information to the flames. 

Because so many very early records fell victim to fire--and sometimes flood--many counties decided to store their books and papers in Richmond.  Unfortunately, this wasn't a very wise move.  Richmond was burned in 1865 and the worst fears of those counties was realized.

IS THERE HOPE?

There's always been a chance that you can find what you're looking for in some other paper documents.  Not all records were kept in courthouses.  They could still be extant in city or town halls, land offices, libraries, and many other public buildings.  Personal records could also provide a goldmine of information.  If you haven't opened boxes or trunks in your attic or cellar recently, you might just find old Bibles, journals, or other documents that you never guessed were there.  If you live in a house that belonged to your ancestors, you can even go on a treasure hunt, searching for secret nooks and crannies where someone may have hidden papers of importance. 

Furthermore, there is now hope in the processing of DNA.  No one has DNA exactly the same as someone else's unless he or she is an identical twin.  But the more "markers" you have in common with another person, the closer you are in your genetic relationship.  Thus, DNA samples can be used to determine which Self branch you really come from as well as the general movement of entire populations.  If the technology keeps on developing as rapidly as it has been, we may soon be able to be extremely specific.  Hopefully, we can then match "best evidence" lines with those that have already been proven.

SUMMARY

Genealogical research depends greatly on the existence of paper documentation to prove family connections.  But those documents, especially in Virginia, may have fallen victim to courthouse fires and/or the ravages of war.  Someday, DNA may answer all our questions once and for all.  In the meantime, keep on looking for alternate documentation.  Having more than enough proof is far better than having none at all.

The Burned Counties of Virginia

O and V (Nansemond and Warwick) are extinct counties

LETTER
 COUNTY
 DATES
 CAUSE
A
 Appomattox
 1892
 Courthouse Fire
B
 Buchanan
 1885
1977
 Courthouse Fire
Flood
C
 Buckingham
 1869
 Courthouse Fire
D
 Caroline
 1865
 Fire--burning of Richmond
     during the Civil War
E
 Charles City
 Civil War
 Water and various fires
F
 Dinwiddie
 1812
1865
 War of 1812
Courthouse Fire
G
 Elizabeth City
 1812
 Fire
G
 Gloucester
 1820
1865
 Fire
Burning of Richmond, Civil War
H
 Hanover
 1865
 Burning of Richmond, Civil War
I
 Henrico
 Rev. War
1865
 Fire
Burning of Richmond, Civil War
J-K
 James City
 1865
 Burning of Richmond, Civil War
L
 King and Queen
 1828
1865
 Fire
Burning of Richmond, Civil War
M
 King William
 1885
 Courthouse Fire
N
 Mathews
 See above
 Earliest records burned when Mathews
was part of Gloucester
O
 Nansemond
 1734
-----
1866
 Fire--House of Court Clerk
Fire
Courthouse Fire
P
 New Kent
 1787
1865
 Burned by John Posey
Civil War
Q
 Nottoway
 As part of
others
 Fire--Early marriages
R
 Prince George
 Civil War
 Fire
S
 Prince William
 -----
 Fire?
T
 Rockingham
 1787
1864
 Fire
Fire
U
 Stafford
 Civil War
 Fire
V
 Warwick
 Civil War,
     etc.
 Fire


(NEXT: "Simpler Times")
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OBITUARY
MARTHA SELF LEWIS
contributed by Cousin Barry Self

LEWIS, MARTHA SELF, age 91 of 120 Lewis Lane, Tellico Plains, TN,  widow of Fred T. Lewis, went to be with the Lord 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, November 14, 2006 at Sky Ridge Medical Center, Cleveland, TN. She was a member of Unicoi Baptist Church, Tellico Plains.

Survivors:
daughters and sons-in-law-Wilma and Benny Thomas- Benton, TN
                                            Annette and C.A. Stakely- Madisonville, TN
                                            Margaret Millsaps- Tellico Plains, TN
grandchildren and spouses- Michael Thomas and wife Karen,
                                             Devonda Thomas Firestone and husband Tim,
                                             Susan Stakely Bell and husband Kenny,
                                             Amy Thomas McMillian and husband Roy,
                                             Alison Millsaps Garrison;
great-grandchildren- Phillip Firestone,
                                  Ashley Thomas,
                                  Matthew Thomas,
                                  Allison McMillian;
sister- Edna Trotter- Athens, TN
brother- Calvin Self- Leeds, AL
several nieces and nephews

Funeral was 7:00 p.m. Thursday, November 16, 2006,  Biereley-Hale Chapel, Rev. James Atkins officiated. Interment was 11:00 a.m. Friday, in Sunset Cemetery, Rev. Benny Thomas officiated. Pallbearers were Michael Thomas, Tim Firestone, Kenny Bell, Roy McMillian, Dennis Garrison, Phillip Firestone, Matthew Thomas. Family received friends 5-7 p.m. Thursday at Biereley-Hale Funeral Home, Tellico Plains, TN.

Martha Lewis was the daughter of George Washington Self and Eliza Percilla Lackey Self of Lumpkin County, GA.  George W. Self was born 1877 and died in 1943. Eliza was born in 1881 and died in 1970. George and Eliza were married on January 30, 1902 in Lumpkin Co., GA.  George W. Self was the son of John Calvin Self and Rebecca Seabolt Self, who were married on January 1, 1860 in Union Co., GA.  John Calvin Self was the son of William Self and Mary Louisa Spencer Self. William Self was born ca. 1812. He died______. He and Mary Louisa married in ca. 1831. William later married a Rachel McCoy on 1866 in Union County, GA.  William Self was a son to Job Presley Self and Sarah Julianna Jones Self I believe. (If anyone has genealogy that shows differently than what I have listed here, please let me know by writing to [email protected].)

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PLEASE CONTRIBUTE BIOGRAPHIES AND PHOTOS
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MINOR SELF LINES
part 13
by Barbara Peck and Tim Seawolf-Self

In 2003, we presented an article on the major unconnected Self lines.  Now we'd like to concentrate on the minor lines that are still not connected to Olde Robert Selfe, even by "best evidence."  In this installment, we've included Self branches from Oklahoma, Oregon, and Pennsylvania.  We hope to feature more small family lines in the following newsletters.

OKLAHOMA

IDA SELF:  Ida Self was born about 1857 in Hugo, IT and died in 1890.  She was married to William Alexander Sifford and had one son, William Washington Self.  Who were Ida's parents?

ELI SELF:  Who was Eli Self, born 1863 in AL., married to Ella, born 1867 in AL and lived in Jackson County?  Their four children were Albert, Bertha, Hasa, and Boyce.

H. R. SELF:  He was born 1863 in AL and married L. J., also born there in 1864.  They lived in LeFlore in the 1920 Census.  They had one daughter, Pearl (Self) Nichols.

J. J. SELF:  Another Alabama couple was J. J. Self and his wife, Mattie.  Living in McCurtain in the 1920 Census, their children were all born in the first decade of the 20th century:  Altie, May, Etta, and Capitala.

DAVID F. SELF:  Which Missouri line did David F. Self (b. 1856) come from?  His wife, Lusia, was born 1865 in TN.  In the 1920 Census, they were in Murray County, OK and had one son, name unknown, who was married to an unknown wife and had two children, Loter (Lotta??) and Ruby.

J. B. SELF:  There seem to be a lot of initials in Oklahoma.  J. B. Self was born sometime in the second half of the 19th century in an unknown place and married a woman named Olive whose background is equally vague.  Children were Isaac, Chester, Hattie, Ellen, Elza, Elvin, Gene, Bennie, and Onah.  They lived in Pontotoc County, OK.  At least one of the children, Onah (Self) Chandler, later moved to Fresno, CA.

THOMAS SELF:  Husband of Annie (maiden name unknown).  Of their four sons (William P., Harvey, James, and William O.--it's unusual to have two Williams, but that's what our records say), at least one, Harvey, was residing in Fontana, San Bernardino County, CA when he died (1974).

SARAH MATILDA SELF:  Born somewhere in 1871, Sarah Matilda Self died in 1947 in Wewoka, OK.  She is supposedly the daughter of Jack and Katherine Self, but no more information about them can be found.  Benny, Edith, and Bill were the children of her marriage to William Rogers.  Her second marriage to John Andrew Lewis produced four more children:  John, Elisha, Emma, and Archie.  When she passed away, her surname was Bullock.  Who was she?

HENRY R. SELF:  With a residence somewhere in Oklahoma, Henry Self (1861 - 1941) married Louella Gipson or Gibson who died in 1936.  Elmer and Minnie were their two children.


OREGON

EDGAR E. SELPH:  One of the early pioneers in Benton County, OR., Edgar Selph was born about 1821 in Missouri.  Supposedly his father was born in Tennessee and his mother in Iowa.  His wife, Mary, was born in 1839 in Missouri.  Their children were Jesse, George, and Bertie.

ADAH SELPH:  Another early Oregon resident, making her home in Lane County, was Adah (Selph) Morrison and her husband, D. A.  Dying in Salem, Oregon in 1968, their only child, Mary Maud, was married to Alfred Epperly.


PENNSYLVANIA

ANNA SELPH:  Not too many Selfs/Selphs came from Pennsylvania, but Anna Selph was one of the few.  She was born in 1862 in Lycoming County and married Russell Edwards.  We don't know if this couple had any children.

GEORGE W. SELPH:  An interesting person is George W. Selph.  He seems way out of his area, not only living in Tioga County, PA but being born in New York.  His mother also came from New York, and his father was born in Connecticut--again, quite unusual.  He married a New York woman named Mary.  At least one child, Frank, the oldest, was born in Michigan.  Fred and George were born elsewhere.

WILLIAM EDWARD SELPH:  He was apparently related to George Selph above.  He was also born in New York and lived in Tioga County, as well.  Where he died is unknown, but his wife, Julia, spent her last days in Michigan.  Their three children were Rena, William and Jennie.

OSEE SELF:  The lady with this unusual name married Thomas Hendricks and lived in Westmoreland County, PA. along with children Carl, Rosie, and Thomas.

UNKNOWN SELF:  We've been searching for the family of Webbon Self (1900 - 1987) for many years.  Both parents are unknown, although they possibly came to Pennsylvania from Georgia.  Webbon's siblings were Sadie, Fannie, Kenny, and William.


If you know about any of these Selfs from Oklahoma, Oregon, and Pennsylvania, please send us a chart or gedcom showing their ancestry.  In the issues to follow, we'll be listing other "Loose Ends" from other states.  You'll find these people listed on the "Loose Ends" section of "SelfSite" as well.  We'd just love to put them in their place!

(NEXT: Minor Self Lines, part 14)

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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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 1998-2007 Tim Seawolf-Self and Barbara A. Peck, All Rights Reserved

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