WELCOME

Welcome to the third 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" and to donate money that will be used primarily to contact Self cousins who are not online but who would like to exchange information. 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.

If you do not wish to receive this electronic publication, please take a moment to e-mail us.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

We would also like to have your gedcom. We will 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. And we would appreciate being kept informed of new family members as well as the passing of older ones.

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 Surname List as well as listservs for Erath County, TX., King County, TX., Union County, GA., Towns County, GA., Murray County, GA., Grayson County, TX., and Clay County, NC. In addition, we have adopted the King County, TX and Clay County, NC USGenWeb sites.

The Reunion of the William (Billy) Self and James Lewis and Rachel Self family will be held on July 5, 1998 in Hindsville, AR. This is the Newton County, AR Self line, and there will be many descendants there including lots of new cousins. For more information, contact Cousin Verna.

This month we would like to acknowledge the work done by Cousin Shirley and Cousin Frank in compiling information about their ancestors and scanning photographs to accompany these articles. Please go to "Special Features" at the bottom of this page to link to these interesting contributions. Contributions submitted by Cousin Elaine and Cousin Larry are also links in the "Special Features" section. Cousins Barry, Frank, and Elaine have also contributed material on this page.

PRIVACY ON THE WEB: GENEALOGICAL IMPLICATIONS

by Barbara Ann Peck

We can't wait for the 1930 Census to be released! Maybe the only thing that will spoil that happy day will be the thought that as we add another ten years to our lives, we will await yet another Census that still doesn't give us information on our contemporaries.

Well, it's also not too pleasant to get a printout from the "Ancestral Search" file at our local LDS Family History Center and find it full of the ubiquitous relatives named "LIVING."

We'd like to devote this quarter's "editorial" space to the issue of Privacy. What does it really mean? How does it affect you in your daily life and in your genealogical research? Is there a real basis for the kind of privacy that impedes family research, or is it simply one more twentieth-century paranoia?

Whenever anyone mentions privacy to us, the first thing that comes to mind is the "Privacy Act of 1974." This is the government document that restricts the release of Census information as well as allowing people to request and view information about themSelfs more easily. This Act and its amendments "...requires Federal agencies to adopt minimum standards for the collection and processing of personal information...[and] limits the making of such records available to other public and private agencies or parties..." One of the goals of the Act is "To restrict disclosures of personally identifiable records." You can read the summary from which these quotes were taken at http://www.usbr.gov/laws/privacy.htm [No longer a functioning site] and the entire text of the Act can be viewed at http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/5/552a.htm. [No longer a functioning site]

Since the passage of this Act, there's not much that family researchers can do about the Census. According to the reports of some cousins, a person can obtain a record for himSelf or a close, deceased relative by paying a fee and filling out an application. But one cannot scan the entire Census until it is released to the public. This situation is in accordance with the Act because the Census Bureau is a federal agency and the records it maintains are consistent with the definition of a "record" as found in the Act: "any item, collection, or grouping of information about an individual that is maintained by an agency, including, but not limited to, his education, financial transactions, medical history, and criminal or employment history and that contains his name, or the identifying number, symbol, or other identifying particular assigned to the individual..." If any of you have completed and returned a Full Census form within the last 20 years or so, you know that everything possible is included there. In addition to your name and birthdate and those of your family members, you are asked to list your address, financial information, level of education--even the number of bathrooms in your home. It would be so nice for researchers if later Censuses could be published without all this highly personal data--say in the old format of just basic names and dates within a family; but of course this would take hours of work and millions of dollars to extract. This broad definition of a "record" is different from that of a "statistical record" which is "maintained for statistical research or reporting purposes only and not used...in making any determination about an identifiable individual..." You can see that with today's comprehensive Censuses, there is no middle ground.

What can happen when an agency releases personal information? Three examples come to mind. One, published in the April 17, 1998 News Media Update [you can subscribe to this electronic newsletter by visiting their Website (http://www.rcfp.org/rcfp) which presents news on cases and challenges involving First Amendment and other rights], tells of a case where the Supreme Court of Arizona upheld the rights of a school district to withhold "full-time and substitute teachers' birth dates from a television station that was investigating whether any convicted criminals were employed as teachers. The teachers have a privacy interest in their birth dates that outweighs the public interest in disclosure, even though birth dates are available from other public sources, the high court ruled." It appears that the school district--in its capacity as an "agency" regulated by the government (though not actually federal in nature)--was interpreting the "Privacy Act of 1974" as applicable to their circumstances. The Court agreed with them.

Another instance is the fact that--here in California, at least until just a few years ago--anyone could obtain personal information on anyone else by simply asking for it at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). It took the murder of a young actress by a deranged fan for the State to examine and finally stop this practice.

The third example is the recent cases of fraud where a person assumes the identity of another and wreaks havoc in their personal and financial lives. While all sorts of documents may be forged by the criminal, the favored instrument is usually the credit card. But bank accounts are also targets, and they are a bit more difficult to access. Usually, banks require identification for large withdrawals of money, and they may ask to see a person's driver's license, credit card, or bank card. Frequently, though, they are asked to state a "secret word," and the word of choice is almost always "your mother's maiden name." Occasionally it is your date of birth.

So you're not about to defraud, stalk, murder, or otherwise harm any individuals. You are a genealogist with a compulsion to know every one of your relatives up to the present day, or to contact long-lost cousins, or to begin a search for your real parents or for the child you were forced to give up for adoption. But you're also concerned about fraud and the loss of your rights. What can you do to further your innocent quest for family history while avoid falling victim to those who would use your own personal information against you?

First, be a responsible genealogist. Remember that you are an individual, not a federal agency, and that the "Privacy Act of 1974" does not prohibit you from giving out information to someone else. You have to use your own common sense. For instance, good netiquette means that you never put anyone's home or work address, telephone number, or the Social Security number of a living individual on a Website. Many sites that contain queries have a direct "mailto" link to the e-mail addresses of people who post them. In these cases, those asking for a query will usually give permission for their e-mail address to be used. However, even if someone states that their snail address or phone number may be listed as well, it's still generally best to avoid doing so. And don't publish unauthorized "biographies" or "thumbnail sketches" of living people unless they have allowed you to do so. Finally, do ask living relatives if it's all right with them to put their birthdates on a Web page. Most people don't really care whether you do or not, but if someone has a strong preference for not doing so--even if they're just plain paranoid about it--respect their wishes and leave it off.

Finally, make sure that you yourSelf are not a potential victim for fraud. By now, most of you have heard or read all the warnings about credit card numbers--don't give them out over the phone or to strangers. Don't give out your address either, or your phone number if it is unlisted. But remember, certain things are "fair game" for the Web. If, for example, your phone number and address are listed in your local telephone directory, it is assumed to be public knowledge and perfect fodder for similar directories online. If your workplace posts employee information on the Internet (as opposed to an Intranet), the whole world can see it. So whenever you give out information, stop and think if it is something that is likely to appear in electronic as well as paper sources. And, if you'd like to eliminate one source of needless frustration for both the genealogist and the individual concerned with his or her privacy rights, refuse to go along with any bank or other institution that asks for your mother's maiden name or other "genealogical" data as a "secret word." There are lots of other cues that can be used that do not impact on family research. Making up something is one way to get around this problem; but if we all said "no" to this practice, those who require "secret words" will soon get the message.

What are your thoughts about privacy? How much information is too much? Do you mind being listed in someone's files? As part of a published book? On the Web? Do you worry about misuse of a simple name and birthdate? You've heard our thoughts--now tell us yours.

(The above article is solely the opinion of the editors)

COMPUTERS AND SOFTWARE

by Barbara Ann Peck

In the last issue (April 1998, Volume 1, no. 2) we presented an article on scanning photographs. Now it's time to address OCR scanning--the scanning of text.

The letters "OCR" stand for Optical Character Recognition, and stated plainly, this refers to the process that your computer uses to recognize what has been absorbed by your Scanner and translate it into a meaningful electronic text document.

Most Scanners come bundled with OCR programs, but these are usually very simple ones without too many extra "bells and whistles." You can also buy more costly but feature-rich programs. Or you can use an OCR program that works in conjunction with your word processor. All of these programs basically do the same thing and use a two- or three-step process to achieve the final product: 1) acquisition; 2) recognition; and 3) editing.

When you scan a text document, your Scanner makes no distinction between typewritten characters and handwriting. This is because the initial scan "sees" the document as a single image in the same way that it "views" a photograph. The two most important options that you need to set in your configuration are resolution in dpi (dots per inch) and contrast (light vs. dark). You need to achieve a good balance between these two elements to avoid an image that will produce unreadable or broken characters.

Once you have configured your Scanner, you need to set up your software for the type of scanning you will be doing. If you have a flatbed Scanner, this part is simple: just lay the sheet of paper to be scanned on the glass bed. Most beds are quite long and allow scanning of many sizes of paper as well as books, magazine articles, newspaper columns, etc. Even if you have to lay your original document in a sideways position, the Scanner software should be able to rotate the image automatically. Some programs will allow you to add pages so that your result is contained in one large file. If you have a sheetfeed Scanner, you will not be able to scan directly from books and magazines that have thick bindings, spines, glues, or staples. If you have a hand Scanner, you will have to scan a section at a time in a width that must be slightly less than the width of the Scanner's light bar. Some software will allow you to scan 3-4 columns individually and place the columns in a vertical sequence. In other cases, you may have to cover nearby columns with a sheet of blank white paper to capture on;y the desired column. If you are scanning a page where the text follows continuously from left margin to right, you may have to turn the scanner sideways and make the appropriate indication in your software setup.

ACQUISITION

The acquisition portion of the scan is easiest when using a flatbed or sheet feed Scanner. You will need to click on the appropriate software button to begin the scan and acquire text. Using a hand Scanner, you will need to do the same thing, but you will also have to activate the scanner itself by pressing (and possibly holding) a button while you drag the Scanner over the document. It's not easy to use a hand Scanner. Your first attempts may not be successful if your document is crooked and/or if your hand shakes and you cannot move the Scanner in a perfectly straight line. There are scanning "boards" and "patterns" sold in most computer and office supply stores to help you perform a straight scan.

RECOGNITION

After the Scanner captures the image(s) that make up your document, they will be visible on your monitor. Some programs display the image after each physical scan while some wait until all columns or pages have been completed. All of them have a software button which will then activate the OCR function. During this portion of the process, the software does its best to "read" the scanned image and output it into a text document. The smaller, simpler, less expensive programs yield an ASCII-type text file that may be read in any word processor or text editor, and they often have rudimentary text editors attached for quick editing. The more costly programs will output to a file in a popular word-processing format such as .doc (Microsoft Word) or .wpd (Word Perfect). Some of them give you a choice of format--including ASCII text--while some do not. Some programs also report the success of the OCR process in terms of a percentage of characters recognized, a feature which can help the beginner monitor his progress, especially in learning to use a hand Scanner.

EDITING

The editing portion of the scan is the longest and most arduous of the three tasks. Depending on the success of the OCR process, you may need to do little or no work or a relatively large amount of editing. Most OCR programs have a certain character (usually one of the "capital numbers" on the top row of the keyboard) that acts as a placeholder for an unrecognized letter in your document--and in some cases, you can specify which placeholder you want. One of my programs uses the "@" while a second one uses the "%" to indicate problems. These are easy to spot and easy to edit. If your Scanner consistently has trouble with one particular letter, almost all of the placeholders may translate to that one character. Then there are the letters that the program "thinks" it recognizes, but which turn out to be a wrong "guess." Some examples are "11" for "n" and "1n" for "m." After you get to know the patterns that your program finds to be difficult, you can locate and fix them easily with the FIND AND REPLACE function of your word processor or text editor. Finally, even if optical character recognition is nearly perfect, even a document saved into a word processor format may lack special effects such as boldface, underlining, or fancy fonts which you will have to add by hand.

There are a few final things you may want to do before undertaking a document-scanning project. First, have a clear and realistic purpose in mind. Some people like to keep digital copies of everything to use as a backup for paper that will eventually fade and crumble; others are looking for an easy way to disseminate information electronically--on a diskette or a Web page or as an e-mail attachment. If you are scanning a typewritten document, a magazine article, or a few pages of a book, you will probably get a very clear scan. But if there are lots of interspersed graphics, many short columns, extremely light type, or a variety of fonts--and you are using a hand Scanner--it may be easier just to retype than to spend hours making corrections. If you are scanning a handwritten document, especially one penned many years ago, don't expect your Scanner to perform miracles. If you can't read the ornate handwriting of the last century, your Scanner probably won't be able to read it either. And if you really want a copy of an old will or marriage certificate, scan it first as an image so that you can save it exactly as it appears--then scan it as a text document so that you and others can read it.

Now, get those Scanners out and send us some good material for October! Have fun!

Next Month--Microsoft Access and Genealogy. What other computer topics interest you?

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SELF SHELF

"Family Tree Maker," by Barry Self

Family Tree Maker is the number 1 selling family tree program. This software coaches you through the basics of a genealogical search and then helps you organize facts and anecdotes about your ancestors. The Family Finder feature allows you to search quickly through millions of names referencing census, marriage, death and social security records. Its index lists more than 115 million people who appear in centuries of historical records. Family Finder tells you exactly where to find more information about each person listed--you can view these historical sources at a library or save even more time and hassle by ordering Family Archives CDs.

Family Tree Maker's multimedia "scrapbook" helps you preserve your family's true character by storing photos, sound clips, home videos, scanned documents, even family stories. It also delivers the most attractive and versatile printouts you will find.

Also available, Family Archive CDs help you trace your family by offering U.S. Census Indexes and other historical records on over 45 CDs. A major new resource is the groundbreaking World Family Tree--a gigantic archive of family trees contributed by thousands of people. Available through Broderbund Software in Novato, California at 1-800-474-8696.

I do not have this software, but a few of my friends use it and they highly recommend using it. I have seen some of the printouts. They are very professional looking. It comes with a 90 day money back guarantee. What do you have to lose??

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HAYDEN MARION SELF

by Robert Henry Self
Contributed by Barry Self

This sketch of history is written by Robert Henry Self in the month of January, 1983. [All spelling and grammar is unchanged. Paragraph breaks have been added for easy reading. Stuff in brackets is added--Eds.]

The most important human beings in each of our lives is very often our mother, so let's start with Mother. My mother, Fannie May Stiner (or) Stainer was born Sept. 15, 1860 some place near or around the city of Benton, in Benton Co. Arkansas. Her father was a doctor. She had 1 sister. She married Haden Marion Self (no marriage date), who was 6 years older then she was. This coud very well be the cause of the decension and a complete break in family relations as I was never informed by mother or father of any family relatives. On Christmas Day my father passed away in 1898, in Greyson County Texas and was buried in the Wasnborn Graveyard (6) or (7) miles from Sherman Texas. Mother was left alone with us (3) children: Marion Joseph Self, born Oct. 4, 1889; Robert Henry Self, born Feb. 22, 1892 and Eva May Self, born Feb. 21, 1898. Father came home from a deer hunt in Arkansas with a case of phneumonia from which he never recovered.

Four years later Mother married a man by the name of Allen Justin Stanley whose wife passed away soon after my father. The marriage turned out to the good from every angle. He had (1) son who had passed away and (3) girls, (3) boy's. Everyone of them a perfect wall picture for looks and to top that, all six were natural born musicians. The best I have ever heard and I am now 90 years old.

We moved around quiet a bit, which will be touched up on later. In Colin County Texas was our Post Office. Cecil Justin Stanley was born April 4th, 1901. Vera Ester Stanley was born Feb. 10th 1904 and passed away in April or May, 1932. In 1904 we moved to Greer Co. OK. Sorrow visited our home during the 2 years we lived there. First little Flora Stanley, born May 15th, 1907 passed away Sept. 5th, 1907. My oldest step sister [Ivy] who had married a man by the name to George Truesdell. They had (2) beautiful children (aboy and a girl). The boy passed away at the age of 14 [months]. His father passed away about a year later; then in 1907 our mother passed away. A total of (4) deaths in (2) years. All four were buried in the Granite Graveyard at the foot of Strawsta Mountain at Granite Oklahoma.

The difference in our home then I must state, instead of the family being gathered around Satan and his powerful teachings to the children; they were gathered around Mother and most times Father, and were taught to live a Christian life. You can say what you want, but the first 10 years of a great majority of children makes of them what they are through life, (take Moses for example). My mothers prayers have been my leaning post when the darkest clouds hang so heavy over my head.

Part (2) Our father, Headen Marion Self

There is no authentic record of him and his family, either before or after his marriage so far as his family goes. Hear say states all of his family was killed by the Indians, except (2) brothers. (Let me state here that our mother was 1/8th Indian.) Where this took pace, the brothers names etc. I have never learned a thing about.

(Let me add a bit of ability Mother and Father both had. They both could shoot a gun with Annie Okley any day in the week. I was with Father hunting. He used only a rifle. I never saw hi miss a shot even at quail flying. I have watch Mother many many times when she wanted to kill a chicken, throw a little corn for them, and while they were running around eating she would pick out the one she wanted. I never saw her miss shooting their eyes out. One night while Father was gone from home some one thought it would be a good time to steal some corn as the barn was about 200 yards from the house. Our dog sounded the alarm. The man had a large sack of corn behind his saddle and was leaving. There was enough moon light for Mother to shoot the horse out from under him. He ran but the horse died. He never came back after his horse. I do not know how good Father was with other guns other then a rifle, but Mother was tops with any of them.)

Now getting back to Father: as stated I do not know where he was born and raised. When I was old enough to remember we were living in a log cabin real close to a river. The water was real clear. You could see the fish on the bottom. Him and I would walk to the river, sometimes fishing, other times he would use a gig. He very seldom missed the fish when he threw the gig. We moved in with a family by the name of Raper. I do not know if it was real or not, but I was taught to call them Grandpa, and Grandma. They had (2) sons, the oldest one, Covington, he at one time owned and operated a furniture store in Little Rock; the younger one, Henry Raper, I have no record of.

Father had a man hired to helphim build us a log house (had it about half done). They were cutting a tree using a cross cut saw. The tree started to fall, and they dropped the saw. Father hollered for his helper to run. He ran under the falling tree, stopped and said let her go Galiger. I was standing a short distance away behind a tree where Father told me to stay there out of danger. The tree killed the man. There wa no way father could lift that three so he grabbed his ax and cut the tree into where he could get the tree off of him, but he was already dead.

Early the next morning a man rode up and told Father the Sheriff was planning on coming out after him. He had a good team of mules, a mare and 3 month old colt. They all went to work, put the sheet on bows, covered the wagon, loaded it up and left in a dead run. Got to the river by noon. Had trouble getting the colt on the ferry boat, it got in the river, but they got it. Do not know what river it was, but Father said when we got across; now we can take our time. We are safe.

Our first stop was with an uncle (Andy Veal) in Greyson Co Texas. His wifes name was Olly Veal. They had (4) children. Two boys, Silas and Johnnie, and (2) girls, Media and Fannie. He owned quite a bit of property. We had the first log house Father built burn down. We lived in a tent with dirt floor, then in a two room building, with logs half way up then timber from there. From there we moved into a two bedroom house four miles from Sherman, Texas, county seat of Greyson Co. and there we lost our father. I could write you a book of the great times I had with him, even though I was only six years old.

[Mother, 2 sisters, one Olie Veal, the other one Ruth--can not remember Her othe rname but Her and Husband owned and opperated a large general store Hard ware and Furnitur in Shreve Port, LA. I think they Had no children. Olie married a man by name of Andy Veal. The last report I had they had sold out in Fanan Co. Tx. and went in to the cattle business in Pand Hanell Tex. The 4 children Silas--Media--Johnnie--Fannie (in age rotation), I lost track of them all--correction Mother Fannie Stainer had one Brother. This is a small handwritten part added to the original typewritten manuscript.--Eds.]

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WILLIAM ISAAC SELF DOCUMENT

Transcribed by Cousin Opal
Contributed by Cousin Elaine

[This document is agreement of Vaughn to give his daughter Dice in marriage to William Self on date of Jan. 21, 1796. Document next page to show these two were married in 1796 owned land in VA.--Cousin Opal]

Know all men by these presents that we William Self & Joseph Barrington are held and firmly bound unto Robert Brooks Esquire Governor or Chief Magistrate of the State of Virginia--in the sum of One hundred & fifty Dollars $150. To which fragment will and truly to be made to the said Robert Brooks or to his Successors we bind ourselves & each of us over & each of our Joint & Several Heirs Eposs & [faded] firmly by these presents--Sealed vested this 21st day of January 1796.

The condition of the above Obligation is such that whereas there is a marriage shortly intended [to be had for coming] between the above friend William Self & Dicey Vaughan--Now if there shall be no lawful cause to obstruct the said marriage then the above obligation to be void else to remain in full force and justice.

Signed Sealed & in presence of

William Self X His Mark Joseph Barrington

THE WILL OF WILLIAM [ISAAC] SELF
(Oct. 1, 1796 to March 31, 1846)
son of William Isaac and Dicey (Vaughn) Self

Contributed by Cousin Elaine
Handwritten will in the possession of Cousin Winnie

I, William Self, considering the uncertainty of this mortal life, and, though low and enfeebled in body, being of sound mind and memory, do make and publish this my last will and testament, in manner and form following (that is to say)

First--I give and bequeath to my wife Elizabeth Ann Self in lieu of her dower, one negro woman of light complexion named Charlotte, about twenty four years old--one hundred dollars in Cash, in consideration of certain cattle which she owned at the time of our marriage--one grey mare, and one sorrel horse with a ball face, in the place of a mare and colt which she owned at the time of our marriage--also, two beds and bedding, being the same which she owned at the time of our marriage--

Secondly--I give and bequeath to my youngest child Thomas Jefferson Self (being the only child of my said wife Elizabeth Ann Self) one negro girl of light complexion named Mary, about seven years old--

Thirdly--I give and bequeath to my six older sons, to wit: Elijah Self--Eli Self--Elias Self--William Jackson Self--David Washington Self and Franklin Dawson Self--[and their heirs for ever], all the rest, residue and remainder of my real and personal Estate, effects, money, goods and chattels of what kind and nature soever, to be equally divided between and among them.

Lastly--I hereby constitute and appoint my oldest son Elijah Self my Sole Executor of this my last will and testament hereby revoking all former wills by me made--

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this seventh day of May Eighteen hundred and forty-four [the words "and their heirs forever" interlined before signing] William Self SEAL

Signed, sealed, published and declared by this above named William Self to be his last will and testament, in the presence of us who have hereunto subscribed our names as witness in the presence of the testator...[names illegible]

Editors' Note: William Isaac Self was born Oct. 1, 1796 and died Mar. 31, 1846 in St. Helena Parish, LA. Here is an excerpt from a short document submitted by Cousin Elaine entitled "Death of William Self":
          "It is the long standing tradition that William Self was shot to death as he put
          his baby son to bed. A window was open and the murderer shot through the
          window and disappeared. The story handed down is that he had beaten a
          negro slave girl during the day and the boyfriend, who also was one of his
          slaves, became very angry and did the deed. I personally believe that it must
          have been a grandson since his age is on up there and his sons are grown. I
          have no proof.
          "Russ Williams claims that the slaves did not have access to guns and he was
          pretty sure that the story is not true. He alluded (but did not come out and say
          it) that a relative did the deed and he was immediately dealth [sic] with and
          they never found this person again.
          "...It is a fact that he was murdered since the La. legislature called for and
          [sic] act to set up a bounty for the killer."
The bounty mentioned above was in the sum of $500 for "arresting and conveying to the hands of justice the murderers of William Self..." and approved on 18th March, 1850, signed by Joseph Walker, Governor of the State of Louisiana.

William Self m. (1) 1818, Virginia Jane Walker, b. 1802 in MS and died about 1836 in Pike County, MS; (2) Frances Bankston; (3) Elizabeth Ann Sandifer. Children by first wife were:

Elijah (May 9, 1819 to Dec. 26, 1902); Eli (1823 to Dec. 31, 1852); Elias (Feb. 17, 1825 to Mar. 7, 1878); William Jackson (1828-     ); David Washington (Dec. 21, 1833 to Aug. 6, 1895); and Franklin Dawson (Oct. 28, 1838 to Aug. 23, 1887)

Thought I would pass along the following information for those seeking relatives who might have been on the Orphan Trains. The following information was taken from "The Family Tree", Section B, June 1998 issue & thought this a good place to inform everyone.

"The Oklahoma Orphan Trail Riders Reunion will be held at the Quality Inn in Tulsa, OK on Aug 7-8, 1998.  Several actual "orphans train riders" & their descendants are expected to attend.

The group is attempting to locate the remaining riders & their descendants to collect biographical information.  It is known that several riders lived in OK & surrounding states. The Orphan Trains are part of America's history that took place between 1854 & 1929 when an estimated 150,000 orphaned, abandoned & homeless children were relocated from the east to the Midwest & south.

Today, a conservative figure of 2 million descendants exist in the US.  Many are not aware of their "Free-home" placing out of their ancestors until beginning to reseach their roots. A child born in NY around the turn of the century, but lived to adulthood in a Midwestern or southern state under a different name is possibly an Orphan Train Rider.

To submit biographical & descendant information or to request registration information for the reunion, contact ida Mae Wilhoit, 3523 S. New Haven Ave, Tulsa, OK 74135."

Another article about the Orphan Train is as follows:

"The home that sent children to the Orphan Train in the late 1850's has opened its record to the adult adoptees.  Contact The New York Foundling Hospital Records Office, 1173 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10021.  You may also contact The Orphan Train Society of America, Rt. 4, Box 565, Springdale, AR 72764."

Hope this helps someone with their research.

Editors' Note: Originally submitted by CJS and SJS (real names unknown) to the LMNC RootsWeb List.

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HOW I FOUND MY ROOTS

by Edward M. Self

My story may not be terribly exciting, but it has a couple of interesting twists. As background, let me say that my parents separated in 1931 when I was 4,  and I've not seen nor heard from my father's side since. In 1992, I sent about a dozen letters to any Selfs named Edward, or Henry and to any Selfs in or around Tampa, FL. I knew my father's name was Henry Edward Self and that I was born in Tampa. The addresses were at least 12 years old, so most came back unopened. BUT, one was sent to a Betsy Self in Dade City, FL. When it hit the postmaster's desk he remembered that "Betsy Self was one of the O'Neal girls!" He sent the letter on to her father, and shortly I had a message on the phone: "Hello, Edward, this is Betsy Self. Henry Self was my father-in law!" I've since met Betsy and the daughter of Betsy & Dale (my half-brother), as well as Betsy's dad & my father's sister. (Dale has no interest at all in a meeting.)   

I also had a chance bridging of the gap between 1880 and 1900. My grandfather, Edward Thomas Self, was born 1881 so mised the 1880 census. By 1900 his dad was dead and he'd left home. I found him in the 1900 census living with an aunt named Sarah Little. I scoured the 1850 census and found a 4 yr old Sarah and an 8 yr old Elizabeth to make the Whitney connection.   

I've had a lot of help from Librarians. I'm almost on a first name basis with a couple of them. I really feel I've come a long way in just 4 yrs, but it's tough going back past 1850. I've got a HUGE list of Self marriages, but I know it's incomplete, and I don't feel comfortable with William and Rebecca's marriage (from the 1850 census). William Joseph (my great grandpa) was 14, and they were mid-40's. The only William and Rebecca I could find that seemed possible were in Jefferson Co., Al in 1821, which isn't a real good fit. I've now made contact with Cousin Betty in Texas who was looking for information on Joseph William Self. He had a brother named ZENO. I'd like to pursue more of that type of thing.

NOTE: If anyone knows about Zeno Self and his family, please contact Ed.

GEORGIA SOUNDEX--1900

IRWIN COUNTY

SELF, Carlton C., b. June 1879
Molly, b. May 1881

SELF, David, b. Feb. 1854
Ellen, b. Oct. 1868
Sarah, b. Oct. 1882
Elizabeth, b. Oct. 1884
Annie, b. Oct. 1894
Thomas, b. Mar. 1896
William, b. Feb. 1897
Ernest, b. Oct. 1899

SELF, Franklin, b. Nov. 1877 (servant to Russell J. Alexander)

SELF, J. W., b. Aug. 1850
Elizabeth, b. Mar. 1854
Jackson A., b. June 1874
Frank J., b. Nov. 1877
Edward J., b. Aug. 1879

LUMPKIN COUNTY

SELF, Benjamin, b. Nov. 1874 (living alone)

SELF, John, b. Apr. 1847
Stacy, b. Jan. 1852
George W., b. July 1887
Martha A., b. Jan. 1888
Thomas D., b. Nov. 1892
Susan M. L., b. Dec. 1894
Lelia Jane, b. Mar. 1898

SELF, John C., b. Apr. 1853
Emily, b. Jan. 1867
Dovey C., b. July 1884
Sarah, b. 1886
Martha M., b. July 1888
Marion, b. May 1891
Benson, b. Apr. 1893
John L., b. Apr. 1897
Ellen K., Mar. 1900

MADISON COUNTY

SELF, Francis, b. 1818 in NC
Cansadie, b. July 1857
Mary E., b. Apr. 1894
William F., b. Oct. 1883 (grandson)
John M., b. Apr. 1886 (grandson)
Sarah J., b. Apr. 1860

MASON COUNTY

SELF, Joseph, b. Sep. 1877
Frances C., b. Jan. 1874
William G., b. Nov. 1893
Richard C., b. July 1896
Rufus M., b. Aug. 1899

MERIWETHER COUNTY

SELF, Felix C., b. Jan. 1846
Mary S., b. Feb. 1842
Mary L., b. Apr. 1878
Willis C., b. Aug. 1879
Albert D., b. May 1887

SELF, James W., b. Nov. 1856
Mattie K., b. Aug. 1866
Anna E., b. Mar. 1882
Oscar J., b. Nov. 1886
Sallie F., b. Nov. 1887
Warren H., b. Oct. 1888
Solon S., b. Nov. 1889
Mattie L., b. Feb. 1891
William Paul, b. June 1892
Susie L., b. July 1893
Mabel, b. Sep. 1894
Cora H., b. Feb. 1896
Mary K., b. Mar. 1898
Nora Lee, b. Nov. 1899
Etta Maud, b. Feb. 1900
Mary Jane, b. July 1860 (sister)

SELF, Jean G., b. Feb. 1860
Victoria, b. May 1855 in AL
Jefferson, b. Jan. 1883
Leslie, b. Apr. 1889
Benjamin, b. May 1891
Birl F., b. Mar. 1892
Lovell, b. July 1894
Minnie, b. July 1898

SELF, John H., b. May 1876
Calista, b. Dec. 1877 (maiden name may be Milk)
Annie G., b. Oct. 1897

MONTGOMERY COUNTY

SELPH, John E., b. Dec. 1859
Mary E., b. Feb. 1868
Mary L., b. Feb. 1885
Susan J., b. Feb. 1888
Martha C., b. Sep. 1889
John H., b. June 1891
William E., b. Sep. 1893
Samuel C., b. Mar. 1897
Ida E., b. May 1899

OCOHEE COUNTY

SELF, John, b. Sep. 1866
Nancy, b. Oct. 1872
Will Henry, b. Oct. 1889
Fanny, b. Feb. 1891
Gertrude, b. July 1892
Guy, b. Feb. 1894
Sadie, b. June 1890
Bridie, b. July 1896
Bernard, b. Mar. 1900

POLK COUNTY

SELF, Edgar H., b. Oct. 1872 in AL
Carrie E., b. Nov. 1876 in AL
William D., b. dec. 1897 in AL

SELF, Robert F., b. Apr. 1846
Nola M., b. Sep. 1885
Oronsy R., b. Oct. 1890

NOT ALL SELFS IN THE ABOVE COUNTIES HAVE BEEN LISTED YET
TO BE CONTINUED...

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First Part of Several
Contributed by Tim Seawolf-Self

State of Georgia County of Towns S.S.

In the matter of the claim for widow’s Pension of Mrs. Avoline Self Widow of William Self late private [in] Captain Van Stewarts Company [C] [5th] Regiment [xxx] Vols: ---

Personally came before me, a Clerk of Ordinary of Court in and for aforesaid County and State, Tilman H. Bryson and John G. Emberson citizens of the County of Towns, State of Georgia, reputable and entitled to credit, and who, being duly sworn, declare in relation to aforesaid claim, that the[y] date of birth of the child............of said soldier is as follows: were personally well acquainted with said William Self above named, and knew that he was a Servant in Regiment [5th] [xxx] on 5th day of August 1864 and that while serving [xxx] was a private in Co. “C’5” Regiment above, wounded in [xxx] as a Soldier he was attacked with Scurvy while in Camp while assigned at Nashville, Tennessee on or about the 9th or 10th day of July 1865. He had come home to Nashville about 1st of Aug. to be mustered out of service. We were in camp there several days exposed to much extreme Hot Weather. The water was bad. Our diet was strong oat meal and strong Coffee three times a day--and while living in Camp during Hot Weather and under these Circumstances a great many of the Soldiers were attacked with Scurvy that [?] William W. Self. I saw one of the [...] his attack. I was still in [Lampriett??] Barracks and some of this was before he was discharged which was about 12th day of July 1865. He was very sick with Scurvy when discharged [xxx] recollect whether he [xxx] was still in Hospital or not. We knew that he kept getting worse [xxx] had [xxx]. Brought home on hoss. William Washington [xxx] getting worse until it turned into what was called gangreene which we [xxx] was a [xxx] advanced stage which same [xxx] Continued until he died of the same when the [xxx] was left. [xxx] a good reason to believe that was [xxx] personal. Wm. Self [xxx] case but the disease was contracted from the exposure above named and other exposure Common to the camp life. He had Scurvy of the teeth. Complained and suffered much from the time he was attacked & forward.

That we were present at the birth of the same time in the capacity of Soldiers in the same company and has personal knowledge of the date as aforesaid and the details of this case that came under our personal knowledge. We further declare that we have no interest in said claim, and are not concerned in its prosecution. [xxx]

Attest--when any affiant signs by mark, (2 persons.)

____________________________ Signature __Tilman H. Bryson____________ of ____________________________ Affiants __John Emberson______________

SWORN TO AND SUBSCRIBED BEFORE ME this day by the above named affiants; and I certify that I read said affidavit to said affiants, and acquainted them with its contents before they executed the same. I further certify that I am in nowise interested in said claim, nor am I concerned in its prosecution....

Jany 11th 1878 M. W. Holman Ordinary Towns County, GA.

Key: [xxx] means that the portion is unreadable, possibly in the original, definitely in the copy.

Note: William Washington Self was born in Union County, GA, son of Thomas R. and Nancy (Cook) and lived in Shooting Creek, NC. He married Elizabeth Avoline Loyd, daughter of William and Elizabeth Loyd of Shooting Creek. This was Tim Seawolf-Self's 2nd great grandfather.
TO BE CONTINUED...

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SELFS IN SPACE

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