WELCOME

Welcome to the 15th issue 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.

In the meantime, we are proud to be a very large repository of Self information. With three domains, a second Webpage at RootsWeb, a surname forum and a suite of cluster pages at RootsWeb (see the link on "Self Portraits"), a Listserv, a Collaboration Surname list on the LDS "Family Search" site, a site on "My Family.com," well over 5,000 pages of connected and unconnected Self lines, and over 1200 valid e-mail correspondents willing to share information, we are well able to help you with your family research. We are also the Surname Resource Center (SRC) for the surnames of Self, Selfe, and Selph. We also host SelfSite at RootsWeb, an extension of Self Portraits containing our Census pages as well as state-by-state and county-by-county "loose ends," Selfs presently unconnected to any of the major branches. Family Record Online enumerates families presented on our Self Family of the Week page. And each time a new "Self Seekers" newsletter is released, we upload the one for the same month from the past year to our public page for all cousins to enjoy.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

We would like to have your gedcom so that we can add your information to our database. With your permission, we will also list and distribute your gedcom on request (but only with your permission). Please send us gedcoms so that we can start a library that will help others. If you've already submitted one, kindly re-send so that we will have the latest information. We would appreciate being kept informed of new family members as well as other changes.

If you haven't joined our Self Surname Mailing List yet, please subscribe. Instructions will be found on the main page of our Website. Note that we also host the Swindle, Eden, Edens, Cease, Breeze, Brezee, and Salazar Surname Lists as well as listservs for Erath County, TX., King County, TX., Bossier Parish, LA., Murray County, GA., Grayson County, TX., and Clay County, NC. In addition, we host the King County, TX, Murray County, GA, and Clay County, NC USGenWeb sites. Our three county sites join "Self Portraits" in featuring a handy search engine for locating topics discussed in previous messages posted to their corresponding listserv--please click on the button directly beneath the instructions for joining the listserv on the main page of each site.

Membership fees remain the same in 2001: Regular Member, $12 and Charter Member, $25. If you are a Patron Member, your initial contribution is gratefully acknowledged and good for the lifetime of the "Self Seekers" association. If you haven't paid your 2001 fees yet but are still reading this newsletter, please send a check now. We want to retain you as a "Self Seekers" member, and you cannot know how much your monetary contributions help keep us going. [Of course, we'll also take kind words along with your donation :-) ]

And PLEASE contribute something to this newsletter. Photographs, articles, family trees, and reunion recaps will be gratefully received and enjoyed by everyone--and they will be released to the general public one year after first publication so that they can be shared with all cousins who visit our sites.

Whenever we go out to eat, I think of Tim's 3rd great grandfather, Thomas R. Self, who lived in the rural hills of North Georgia. I imagine him herding his 15 children into McDonald's, trying to find enough tables to accommodate his family and enough money to pay for a bunch of Happy Meals. In fact, I think about Thomas R. Self often in terms of today's world. He never knew about cars or planes or computers. They were the stuff of science fiction--if he even knew what science fiction was! He probably couldn't even envision the everyday things we take for granted. We have an advantage over him in that we can easily picture him in his own environment and recognize quite a few of the things in his everyday world--even though many of us have never seen them except in the movies.

FOOD

If there had been a fast food place just around the corner, Thomas R. Self probably couldn't have routinely afforded to take 15 children there in his day any more than he could in ours. Only cities and large, well-defined towns had good restaurants. Even on an occasional visit to one of them, seating a family of 17 might be way too expensive for country dwellers. Hungry mouths consume a lot of food in any time and place which may partially account for the small size of today's average family. Actually, a reverse philosophy prevailed in Thomas R.'s day. While most of us have to pay the price for having more than 2.3 children, his world encouraged large families so that there would be enough hands to help with the labor-intensive production of food. The number one occupation listed in the 1850 Census in just about every county in every state was that of "farmer." Even if one held another occupation, the "family business" was still "farming." Barter was still an acceptable form of payment--for example, exchanging eggs or milk for non-edible goods at the general store or as payment for medical services. Almost all rural families kept a few cows for milk and meat, chickens, goats, pigs, and other livestock; and raised common vegetables such as beans, peas, tomatoes, corn, etc. If one had many acres of land, much of it could be cultivated by the children after school, on weekends, and on breaks--in fact, this is the historical rationale behind those long 3-month summer vacations. Meat involved butchering animals--our ancestors had to have strong stomachs for that. Of course, you could buy some food items at the general store--if there was one close enough--but your visits might be sporadic depending on distance, prices, and availability.

CLOTHING

There were several ways to procure clothing in Thomas R. Self's day--depending again on availability of material, costs, and fashion. Probably most families were able to purchase cloth at the general store and make their own simply-styled clothes as needed. But although dependence on sheep and spinning wheels was nowhere near as prevalent as it had been in the previous centuries, no doubt some very rural families had to rely on these ancient ways. The very poor wore feed sacks and went without expensive shoes in the warm weather. The moderately well-to-do to the very rich, on the other hand, were able to visit tailors and seamstresses for exact fittings of fashionable clothes. Some items were also sold in general stores--sometimes dresses or petticoats, but usually accessories such as shawls and gloves.

TRANSPORTATION

The nineteenth century had lots of horsepower--using real horses. If Thomas R. Self took all his children to town, he would probably need 2 or 3 wagons, leaving room for the supplies he might bring back with him. Some of the children might ride along on horseback if he owned enough horses to accommodate everyone as single or double riders. Caring for the horse(s) upon return to their farm would involve grooming, feeding, and watering--the equivalent of an oil change at JiffyLube for each major outing. The horses, working or idle, would eat their worth in gasoline today. If Thomas R. could afford luxuries such as visits to a barber or a dentist, he would have to figure that into the costs as well--and combine things within one trip as much as possible. Long-distance travel, by rail, by sea or by stagecoach, was much better organized but also would have cost quite a bit for a family of 17 people--and wagon trains were the only way West toward the fabled lands of California and Oregon for some time. Looking back on the pathways of Self migration, it seems incredible now to see how far our ancestors managed to spread out from Virginia, the "Cradle of Selfdom" with the "horsepower" they had available to them.

COMMUNICATION

Today we live in the "Information Age" and travel the "Information Superhighway." We're lost without our e-mail, phones, fax machines, and PDAs. When Nancy (Cook) Self passed away and Thomas R. Self allowed himSelf to fall in love again, it was with the mother of his son-in-law, James Henry Garner. While Thomas R. lived in Towns County, Nancy Garner (as well as James and daughter Mattie) lived in Cherokee County. And since Thomas R. was Sheriff of Towns County around the time of his courtship, he obviously had to do some of that by snail mail, the fastest thing around. The U.S. mail also relied on horsepower, first ponies, then stagecoaches and wagons, and it might take a week or more for a letter to get from one location to the other. Telegraphs were another option, but used far more widely for business communication than for personal contact. We aren't sure when Thomas R. himSelf died, so we don't know if he ever saw the widespread use of the telephone--but again, that device was slow to enter rural homes, and the cost of long distance calling was prohibitive.

SCHOOL

"Classroom"--or group instruction--began at the height of the Greek civilization and had changed little by the time that Thomas R. Self's children were ready to begin their formal education. Even into the twentieth century, many children from rural homes were not able to attend school. Distance was a factor as well as the need for children to stay at home and work on the farm. If the parents had any energy left at the end of the day--and if they could read and write and owned some books--they would teach their children simple English and mathematical skills. If there was a schoolhouse in the area, children of all ages would attend. In addition to learning, they were often required to help clean the schoolhouse, chop wood, bring in water, and perform other chores. In cities and large towns, teachers might be brought in from "the outside world" and paid a salary. They were expected to have a certificate from a "normal school" (teacher's college) or credentials of equal standing. In the rural areas, the teacher was often a teenage student who had learned as much as possible from his or her predecessor. Credentials there were not as important as knowledge of the basic subjects and the ability to keep proper discipline. Completion of the sixth grade in those times was a worthy achievement, as the 1850 Census shows that many people were illiterate for reasons beyond their control. A high school diploma was a prize, and college was mostly for the wealthy or the rare gifted student who was able to attract a benefactor or win a scholarship. The tools used in the rural schoolhouse were chalk, pen and ink, slate boards (small-sized ones were often carried by students), paper, and whatever textbooks or readers could be found. The Bible was the book most commonly read by literate individuals, and it was often used as a means of teaching children to read and memorize while at the same time instilling religious principles in their young minds. Today's outlawing of religion in the schools would have crippled the educational system of the nineteenth century considerably.

WORK

Farmers worked long hours every day, even if their farms were primarily for household food production. Their tools were iron plows, scythes, and buckets, and their energy sources were horsepower, man- and child-power, and sometimes wind and/or water. They lacked modern day irrigation and planted and harvested by hand. Even the invention of large farm machines, powered at first by steam, encouraged the formation of cooperatives and the infancy of agribusiness while doing little for the rural farmer who couldn't afford to own them. Feeding the animals was a full-time job, often delegated to younger members of the family.

There were, of course, other occupations. The Census lists bankers, storekeepers, teachers, lawyers, physicians, preachers, and other jobs that were more mental than physical. Those who filled them had no computers, not even mechanical calculators (though some had cash registers), and did much of their work with paper and pen. They had to be literate in order to fill these positions. Some even had high school diplomas or advanced degrees and more often than not received monetary payment for their services. In many cases, they also farmed, or their families ran their farm while they worked outside the home. Sometimes people came to them, and sometimes they went to the people--so for some of these "white collar workers," a good horse and wagon were necessities.

LEISURE TIME

Thomas R. Self and his children weren't couch potatoes. They didn't flop in front of the television or play video games on the computer. There were no national sports teams populated with high-paid athletes until much later in the century, no stadiums, no theme parks, and no rock concerts. If the children could read, they often spent their time poring over the Bible, the local newspaper (if any), or the few leather-bound books that might be on their shelves. They would go for walks, gather berries or mushrooms, tend flower gardens, or play family games. Without fancy toys, children made their own dolls and soldiers, some elaborate and some drawn on paper and cut out with scissors. Traditional games such as hide-and-seek and blind man's buff were also popular. Neighbors might be invited for dinner. People might go into the nearest town to attend dances, plays, and religious gatherings. Boys might go fishing or hunting while girls might sew or bake in their spare time. As today, kids played pranks and gathered together in groups to giggle and gossip. If there was snow, they could build snowmen and slide on home-made sleds. Sometimes they had skates for the icy ponds and lakes. They played with their dogs and cats and caught fireflies and frogs. And the older folks would often just sit on the porch and relax while they enjoyed the sunset and the rare moments which weren't consumed by chores. They might enjoy liquor or homemade ice cream and cookies. The really interesting events were once again part of the city: theater, dining, and shopping. Perhaps our leisure time activities today reflect one of the most altered areas of our increasingly urbanized lifestyle. Our emphasis on entertainment and our willingness to pay dearly for it would be foreign concepts to Thomas R. Self.

GOVERNMENT

In Thomas R. Self's day, there was a wonderful absence of "Big Brother." The Federal government functioned many miles away, and there was no wire-tapping, V-chipping, or similar types of intrusion. April 15 was just another day since the introduction of income taxes was as far in the future as the two horrible world wars. Chads were unknown; Apollo (if you recognized the name) belonged to a Greek God; the moon was an object of beauty and superstition, and no one even dreamed of setting foot on that alien world. On the other hand, Thomas R. Self and his children lived through much of the politics of Southern history--the days of the Old South, the devastation of the Civil War, and the Reconstruction.

Even the State government was remote to rural households. Their political life was centered around their individual counties--in particular, their Courthouses. Although we've added many new laws on all our books in the intervening years while repealing a few others, our justice system would look quite familiar to Thomas R. Self. As a sheriff, he knew about crime, debt, and property disputes. The courts were similar to ours with permanent or circuit judges, attorneys, and jurors. Records--many sadly destroyed during the Civil War or the inevitable fires--were kept in the Courthouse. Much has been written about people who drove or even walked many long miles, crossed rivers and climbed high hills just to get to the Courthouse to conduct their legal business--and towns and cities often grew up around the courthouses. Political contests were hotly debated by most of the men, and the thought of women casting votes or sitting on a jury panel was something for them to chuckle about since it would obviously never happen.

OTHER EVERYDAY THINGS

The necessities of life today include utilities such as water and electricity. Sanitation (sewer systems and trash pickup) and recycling are also a part of modern living. Thomas R. Self had no city services to help him out with these needs.

Water was taken from a well or from a nearby water source such as a lake or river. As late as the decade between 1910 and 1920, some of our relatives in Washington State made trips to the river to do their laundry. The son of Tim's second great grandfather had a business collecting that water into a large tank and delivering it to homes in the area. We've also heard stories of water conservation that involved using the same bathwater for several family members--each Saturday night if the water was plentiful and maybe once a month if not.

In the place of electricity, candles or possibly lanterns were used before and after sundown. Food was cooked and baked over fire and in pots within ovens and fireplaces. Those fireplaces were used to heat the house when it was cold. When it was hot, Thomas R. Self probably sat outside, braving the mosquitos and other insects, and hoped for a cool breeze.

Trash was probably buried or, more likely, burned--although Thomas R. certainly didn't have the waste we have today. There was little fancy, colorful packaging, and whatever scraps were unfit for human consumption went to fatten up the pigs or to feed the dogs and cats. This was the family's idea of recycling. And we can only imagine the traffic to the outhouse with a family of that size!

Are you old enough to remember when asking for "credit" was considered a form of begging? It was a clear indication that you couldn't pay your bills. Thomas R. Self would have been ashamed to ask for credit at the general store unless he was induced by extreme poverty to resort to that kind of humiliation. Today, debt is a way of life. In fact, your "credit" is worth zero if you don't owe money to someone. Somehow, we don't think that Thomas R. would have approved of this aspect of the twenty-first century.

TOOLS AND OBJECTS

There were many other objects that Thomas R. Self had in his home--things that he saw and perhaps handled every single day but which are now obsolete or out of fashion. It may have taken him many days to make a wooden cabinet for Nancy to keep her dishes in. He may have made it very simply, without ornament, wishing that he could buy her something truly fancy and unique from a store in a distant city. Today, that wood would be worth a lot of money in itSelf--and the pretty modern facades conceal the particle board underneath.

Those dishes might have been real China, but more often than not, they were made of wood. Food was cooked in iron pots. Our plentiful plastic was unknown. Silverware was also something for the rich. The best utensils were often knives that were used for other tasks as well, supplementing forks and spoons made of wood or pewter. Bread was also used as a utensil to soak up soup or to top with meat and vegetables.

Waking up in his iron bedstead with (if he was fortunate) a feather mattress, Thomas R. Self would have washed with water poured from a jug or pitcher into a basin. He would use the chamber pot to avoid going outside in the cold early morning hours. He would take his clothes from wooden pegs. If he shaved (well, we have never seen a picture of him so we don't know if he had a beard or not) he would have used a straight razor sharpened on a strop. His floor would be cold wooden slats, probably quite wide ones, and if he had a braided rug and a comforter and pillow filled with down, he would have been very happy indeed.

SUMMARY

Thomas R. Self would have a hard time adjusting to our world. He would suddenly have to deal with objects that weren't even dreamed of in his lifetime. Things we take for granted like electricity, cell phones, and the Internet would appear to him to be magic or even the work of the Devil. But we would have difficulty living his life, too. What is most striking when re-reading this article is not the objects or daily routines themSelfs but the time it took to accomplish even simple tasks. When we gaze nostalgically upon the past, remarking wistfully on the "slower pace" of life, we need to remember that life was slow because it took so long to do so many things. We all have our own time and place in the scheme of things, and it's a tribute to the ingenuity of our ancestors that they saw the need for improvement and made the necessary changes. Let's hope that our descendants say the same thing about us in the next two centuries!

We have had only one response--from Cousin Judy--concerning the genealogical treatment of adopted children in the family gedcom. She echoes our feeling that the child should be considered part of the family into which he or she has been adopted, with a mention of the fact that this child is related by love rather than biology. However, it is up to the individual researcher whether this line should be continued. We feel that it should stop there--not because the child is thought to be anything other than the legal child of the adopted parents, but because this individual may later wish to delve into his or her own past and publish that genetic line. In any case, a note might be included concerning the adoption. We'd still like to know what you do in your gedcom.

We also had just one response concerning crimes, which is probably a good thing since it shows that criminal activity played little part in the lives of our Self ancestors. In the reply we received from Cousin Mary, her Self ancestor was a victim.

The story is one that has been repeated many times: On July 12, 1857 in Freestone County, TX., John Cockrum/Cochrum stabbed his brother-in-law, William N. Self in a heated moment involving a statement (not know to be true or false) concerning horse theft.

William N. Self (1832-1857) was born in Alabama and was the son of William B. and Mary Ann (Burleson) Self. He left his wife, Adeline (Loper) Self and two children, Polly (b. 1854) and William (b. 1856) for whom we have no further information.

John Cockrum was married to William's sister, Patience Malinda Self (1835-1913) who, following the death of her incarcerated husband in 1860, married Charles Kilgore in 1861. John Cockrum left four children: Garnet G. (b. Nov. 21, 1852 and d. Aug. 1, 1881); 2. William Benjamin (b. Nov. 12, 1853 and d. Sep. 13, 1934); 3. Eliza A. (b. ABT 1856); and 4. John Van Buren (b. ABT 1859)

Cousin Mary has a most interesting comment on this event. She writes:

"One of my gggaunts married this man named Cockren [the spelling varies] and he killed her brother with a knife right in front of her and her mother and dad. He was the first prisoner in the new jail and was supposed to be hanged for murder but he died before they could hang him. This happened in Freestone County [TX]. The Jail was in Fairfield, Texas which is the county seat. They have had two new jails since then. Some people bought the old Jail and did it over in to apartments. My Mom and Dad and sister lived in one of the apartments at one time and my little sister slept in the room when the prisoners were hanged."

This family was part of the general Daniel Self line, from the John and Mary Self branch of Marion County, AL.

We have heard from descendants of both parties to this crime, and despite what happened so many years ago, they are wonderful cousins and have reunited with each other after the passing of several generations.

It's understandable that young people don't usually embrace genealogy as their number one hobby. They're busy planning their futures. When I was 14 and the youngest voting member of several genealogical societies, I often felt that I was an intruder in a decidedly "senior" world. But today, as "finding one's roots" becomes more and more popular with the younger set, it seems that many older people are losing their interest in or not even concerned with finding their ancestors.

REASONING AND EXCUSES

There appear to be several reasons for this reversal in the age of the average genealogist. To begin with, people are living longer, healthier lives today. When they retire, they feel a lot more like traveling or enjoying active pursuits rather than sitting in a library or in front of a computer. If some pastime offers more excitement or their spouse has a list of things to do or the grandchildren come to spend the summer, they will of course choose to neglect their ancestors. "It's only genealogy!" or "They're not going anywhere!" are the phrases they offer as excuses to themSelfs.

Sometimes people will work hard for years only to turn up some unflattering information about their ancestors. I can sympathize with this feeling because it's happened to me. I resisted researching my father's family for a long time because he had been placed in an orphanage and was reluctant to talk about his background. Even as a child I could sense his pain and rejection, but being also of a more liberal generation, I decided that his past couldn't be as awful as it sounded. When I discovered that it was all, for the most part, true, I felt quite let down and didn't want to find out any more. Even my mother, who had encouraged me to begin this research as a way to honor my father (now deceased), tried to console me by saying: "Well, you know YOU were a wanted child. So what does it matter about the past?"

Getting around may be difficult for elderly people, too. They may not see well or suffer from other infirmities that cause depression and frustration and make them turn away from genealogy.

People will also get discouraged and give up when the riddles are not easily solved. This can happen after just one trip to the National Archives or after 40 years of following false leads and wandering down dead end alleys. Many older folks sense that if proof is ever found regarding their early ancestry it will be long after they have passed away. Thus, they lose interest in their quest.

Finally, older people may be frustrated by the lack of resources. Early records may never have existed in the first place, or they may have been destroyed. There are not enough National Archives locations, and the closest one might be just too far away for one's energy and finances. The local Family History Center may have similar problems. Usually, the staff will gladly order in microfilm, but of course that takes time and a fee, however small. In our area, the very closest FHC (about 2 miles from us) is not allowed to order in microfilm because they would be "competing" with the much larger library 20 miles away. Seniors on fixed incomes may not be able to afford a home computer. Even if they can afford one, they may be afraid of learning how to use one or resent the time spent on learning how to compute when it could have been utilized in the pursuit of their ancestors. In truth, no one interested in genealogy today can afford NOT to have a computer. But the expense and sharp learning curve are quite discouraging, as is the alternative--the cost of postage and the delays and poor service involved in corresponding by snail mail and the charges incurred when making long-distance telephone calls to potential cousins.

HOW TO PROMOTE INTEREST

Here are several ways to interest adults in genealogy that I've tried over the years. They usually work. Even if that interest is not exactly sustained, it can be rewarding both for you and for the adult you're working with.

First, talk with your relative or friend and ask them to tell you about their childhood. Chances are that they remember elderly family members of their own. I used to picture mySelf knowing, say, my grandmother who was born in 1891--who knew her own grandmother, maybe born in the 1830s or 1840s--who knew her own grandmother who was born in the 1700s...what knowledge lay in that human chain that may have been passed on verbally if not in documentation! This person might reveal names of others that he or she heard mentioned in childhood. Also, most older people (mySelf included) have some very good stories to tell about their families, their childhood, and how things were in the "old days." You won't have any trouble showing your fascination and delight to this relative who will enjoy reminiscing as well. One such conversation will almost always be followed by others. And in this case, it doesn't matter whether the adult has done genealogy work or not--having done so may simply make relationships more clear and precise--because you'll learn a whole lot from each session.

Invite your relative to accompany you on genealogy trips. These may be visits to the National Archives, your local Family History Center, or the County Courthouse. If you both live in the area where your family lived for generations--or if you visit there together--you can ask this relative to point out spots of interest or tell you what used to be in certain locations before modern-day structures were built. Cemeteries are also wonderful places to investigate--be sure to take along some paper and pencils, a camera, and a picnic lunch. Historic monuments could also jog your relative's memory about local events, war heroes, etc.

If your older relative has been involved in genealogy in the past, ask to see the work they've done. This will give you a chance to absorb some of it into your own gedcom if it isn't there already. It will also signal that you're assured enough of their accomplishments to use them as a trusted source. If some lines are unfinished, ask for help in trying to complete them. Your relative just might remember a cousin who moved West or a couple that may have died without issue. Most of all, show interest and respect for a hobby that may have consumed a lifetime. Reassure your older relative that their work will not be thrown out or destroyed when they pass on, but rather that it will be treasured and lovingly preserved for future generations.

SUMMARY

Elderly people--even those who are very interested in finding their roots--may get easily discouraged as they age. The challenge of new technology, the lack of documentation, the pressures of children and grandchildren, and health limitations may all play a part in weaning them away from an interest in genealogy. You can do a lot of things to encourage them to get back into their hobby. Most of all, you can offer love, support, and understanding. The bond you create while searching for genetic ties will be even stronger--the bond of the heart.

JONESBORO, AR- Arrageonline.com has allied with America Online, Inc. and Digital City, AOL’s local guide, that will provide AOL members and Digital City visitors easy access to family and genealogy information as well as a national database of current and historic obituaries.

Under the agreement, Arrangeonline.com will provide AOL and Digital City with genealogy and historical information for people with interest in building family trees and histories. Arrangeonline.com will also offer access to services that both record the deaths of prominent names in the news and ordinary people through newly created obituary areas in AOL’s News Channel (AOL Keyword: Arrangeonline) and Digital City’s News, Sports & Issues section, or through customized, co-branded web sites.

Arrangeonline.com launched its web site in early October 2000 with the exclusive endorsement of the National Funeral Directors Association. The startup immediately embarked on building the largest obituary database in the world, and by today had more than 5 million death records online.

"Through this alliance, Arrangeonline.com will enable AOL members and Digital City visitors to easily and conveniently search for a variety historical, genealogy, and obituary information. We’re also making important funeral information more easily available to millions of people across the country," said Paul DeBenedicts, president of AOL’s Digital City.

The obituary pages have long been among the most widely read features of local newspapers, but in an increasingly mobile society, millions of people are seeking such information beyond their local areas. By building a central database, called the National Obituary Archive, Arrangeonline.com makes millions of obituaries freely available to genealogists and family-tree researchers, as well as those seeking information about the most recent deaths in their community.

The custom-built archive enables visitors to search not just by name or date but also by hometown, place of birth, place of death, organization memberships and numerous identifying criteria. That feature will be used by AOL Digital City to list local deaths on more than 200 local Digital City sites.

The co-branded web sites will offer an Obituary Alert feature that enables people to register to be notified by e-mail whenever an obituary fitting their selected criteria is published on Arrangeonline.com. People can also send flowers and condolences to family and friends or create their own memorial tributes. Other information available on the sites will include maps and directions to funeral homes, services and cemeteries, a directory of the nation’s 22,000 funeral homes and guidance for planning a funeral.

Arrangeonline.com is a subsidiary of Jonesboro, Arkansas-based Continental Computer Corporation, maker of the leading software for managing funerals and funeral homes.

The tie to Continental gives the internet startup access to between 5 million and 10 million obituaries already stored electronically by users of The Director’s Assistant for Windows.

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.

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