January 2006 Self Seekers Newsletter

SELF SEEKERS:

THE SELF FAMILY ASSOCIATION QUARTERLY ONLINE NEWSLETTER SUPPLEMENT

Co-Hosts
Tim W. Seawolf Self
Barbara Ann Peck
seawolf@selfroots.com
Volume 9, no. 1 January, 2006
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WELCOME

Welcome to volume 9, 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 NEW YEAR BEGINS

Not so very long ago, we were all worried about Y2K. Now we begin the sixth year of the 21st century. You may be reading this among the remains of a holiday dinner--relaxing in front of your computer and forgetting momentarily that tomorrow will start the new year's "rat-race" all over again. Let's hope for good health, for you and all your family members--for sunny days ahead--for an end to war and a new feeling of peace here at home, in the Middle East, and throughout the world. This is the time to live up to the promise our ancestors worked for.
Happy New Year!!

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 2006 contributions soon...
We are going through our membership list and hope to find your name on it!!

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IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE: CLUES FROM THE PAST
by Barbara Peck
Edited by Tim Seawolf-Self

Nature vs. Nurture: a simple enough concept, but one that has plagued psychologists for generations. Are we who we are because we're the children of certain parents and the descendants of a certain group of people? Or are we the product of our times, our circumstances, our locations, and our unique experiences? Or have all those things made equal contributions to our personalities, our physical traits, our Selfs? And conversely, what can we tell about our past and our ancestors from the way we look, act, and think?

NATURE

As genealogists, we're already proponents of the Nature argument. I can't tell you the number of times cousins have mentioned the "Self blue eyes" (sometimes called "Viking blue eyes") that have been handed down in numerous Self families from all branches. Many claim heart problems and high blood pressure among their grand- and great grandparents. And from what I'm told, there was an inordinate amount of carpenters and skilled artists and craftsmen of all kind who bore the Self surname. A geneticist would probably tell us--given the proper background information--that these traits are compounded and become the dominant ones as the family grows. Yet I, for one, am still amazed at these and other similarities among even very distant cousins.

One of the most wonderful things about genetics is that you can make certain assumptions about your ancestors from observing people living today, or at least in fairly recent times. If you can gather information on appearance, temperament, talents, skills, etc. directly from looking at these people, sorting through photographs, or talking with others who know or knew your relatives and decide which traits are dominant among the majority, you can get a pretty good idea of what your ancestors may have been like. For example, we all know from high school science class that brown eyes are dominant in the general world population. Since "new blood" is infused in each successive generation, we can expect that most offspring will have brown eyes. However, we also know that there are many Selfs whose most distinctive facial feature are their beautiful blue eyes, even if they have dark hair and/or complexion. So we can safely assume that blue eyes are a probable contribution from the Self side of their heritage. The next logical step is toward another assumption: that Self ancestors in that person's direct line also had blue eyes. Now, this may or may not be true--and it certainly is not scientific by any means (that was not one of my better subjects in school)--but by some coincidence, it has proven to be so in the few cases I've followed.

NURTURE

The word "nurture" suggests the way a child is brought up by his or her parents or guardians. Many of the psychological studies done deal with factors such as parental attention, family income, number of siblings, neighborhood, school, and special events relating directly to the child. Will twins--separated at birth--grow up to have the same interests and personalities even if one had professional parents and the other was the product of a blue-collar home? Would private vs. public school make any difference? Almost all of these comparisons deal with the personal life of the individual.

From a genealogical point of view, the individual is you, and your interest lies in finding out about those who were responsible for your creation. So "nurture" expands into "environment." You're not just curious about how your great grandfather was raised by his parents but how his interaction with his entire world helped to shape your unique personality. If Grandma lived through the Great Depression, did her experiences--passed to your Dad--make you a careful saver or a spendthrift? Do you still fight the Civil War in your mind, proudly taking the side that your ancestor fought for? And do you think that your passion for family history will "rub off" on your grandchildren?

We've written previously about genealogy and its role as a gateway to history. Now we consider the reverse: history as a tool to understanding genealogy. Genealogy is more than just a collection of names and dates. It's a historical record of the various eras in time. Are you satisfied with knowing your ggrandfather's name and where he's buried, or would you like to be able to "feel" his apprehensive excitement when he cranked up the Model T on a winter's morning? My own grandmother placed most of her children in an orphanage, something we would find distasteful and even disgusting today. But I've thought about her world--the first decade of the 20th century--and realized that when she became very ill, she didn't have access to our highly-trained doctors, our new medicines, or the money to pay someone to babysit for an extended time. As bad as it sounds, we have to "make do" with the circumstances that surround us. And yet those same days have produced happy times as well. My mother talks a lot about her childhood in the Depression. It affected everyone from those formerly-wealthy businessmen who jumped out of windows in 1929 to the rural families in the coal mining hills. Sometimes Granny says, "We were very poor." But surprisingly, many of her recollections were of helping those less fortunate, of working together with friends and neighbors to accomplish neighborhood goals, and of merchants who valued the patronage of their customers, extending credit in the days before plastic. I'm often embarrassed that the small pleasures that "spiced up" her life--a ride in an automobile, a movie, a piece of candy, a new dress--are things I take for granted. Yet, in the face of today's worsening economy, I know something about the sacrifices that will eventually have to be made and the hardships that may increase with the price of gasoline and other petroleum products. Genealogy has taught me that. And I'm not only closer to Granny because of genealogy, but I feel more in tune with my grandparents and all the "greats" even though they are no longer part of this world.

A PRACTICAL APPLICATION

Speaking of names and dates, what is your name? And when were you born? Chances are that your name has something to do with the times you were born in. The same goes for your ancestors. Their names may be clues to the past as well.

Biblical names were "in" during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Once in awhile there were more exotic names that stood out from the others, but that didn't happen very often. This is a clue to the past: it tells you that people in those days had a strong religious faith and had read or listened to others read the Bible. Just by examining the given names in a large family, you can tell that religion permeated every area of their lives. This was the "nurturing" environment that enveloped children in those long-ago times.

In the nineteenth century, given names become more secular and fanciful. We know for certain that some individuals born earlier had middle names, but those names and initials came into common use during the 1800s. In fact, many families called every member by their middle name rather than their given name--we're not sure why, but it all may have had to do with the times in which they lived. Spiritual values were still strong then, but not everything had religious overtones. Children were given more unique names more frequently. And I suspect that middle names may have been used to give the child his identity. Tradition may dictate that he be named John, the fourth or fifth in a line of Johns--but calling him by his middle name might have given him a sense of individuality.

By the end of the nineteenth century there were given names of all kinds. Some children were named after states, such as Missouri or Tennessee. Some were named after famous people such as Emerson, George Washington, or the ever-present Francis Marion. May and June were considered very feminine, suggestive of the months when flowers bloomed and days were warm and sunny. Some names were obviously meant to evoke culture and learning: Virgil, Cicero, and Horace come to mind. And some were just plain ridiculous such as Philadelphia or Cinderella or--my personal favorite--Encyclopedia Britannica.

The turn of the century finds practical names such as Ethel, Gertrude, Herbert, and Malcolm. You don't hear these names very much any more--except maybe in nursing homes--but they're suggestive of solid, dependable people we've known in the past. They correspond to their times--settled, contented, and based on common sense. But as the years went on, parents exhausted by two world wars and a crippling Depression, gave children names that were "perky," "modern," and full of optimism. My name, Barbara Ann, was popular before and after the Second World War. For girls, many such cute, short, snappy middle names were "all the rage." Mary Lou and Peggy Sue were songs, but they could easily have been real young ladies of their day. Boys kept the tried and true monikers of ages past: John, Richard, Charles...and many other common names.

As time progresses, we're following some other notable naming trends. Names have been getting "cuter." While we can picture those Ethels and Herberts as senior citizens, just try it with someone named Tammy or Cody. Ethnic names have crossed over to be considered by all groups: Sean (variations Shaun, Shawn, Shawna) and Heidi. And hybrid or newly coined names are given to help make the child stand out from the crowd: examples might be TyJamal or Shaunice. Finally, there has been a retrogression to the old Biblical names preferred before the nineteenth century. Since the 1960s, such names as Joshua, Nathaniel, Hannah, and Rebecca/Rebekah have become popular once again. These trends of the twentieth century illustrate the feeling of their times. Newer, "prettier" names show a hope for the future--a desire to make children distinctive in an overcrowded world and to carry at least a really nice name even if they remain just average citizens. Looking backward to ethnic beginnings and Biblical roots mirrors our society's passion for clothing styles of the 60s and 70s and musical "oldies but goodies."

How many Joshuas and TyJamals might have been Johns and Williams in another more stable time? And yet, how many children of all generations have been named something very unfashionable to please or remember a beloved parent or great aunt? That's one naming convention that will last as long as children do!

SUMMARY

We are a product of both nurture and nature. Once the genes have been passed onto us by our parents, we can do little to change them permanently. We can dye our hair, we can use colored contact lenses, we can dress with clothes that flatter (or hide) our figures--but underneath it all, we are just what nature intended us to be. We can suppress our unique skills and talents and choose to develop things that we aren't inherently good at, but no amount of neglect will make them go away and no amount of hard work will make you a star if you aren't star material. But nurture, the circumstances of our environment, plays a large part in our lives. Our ancestors reacted to personal situations and world events, and those in turn shaped their thinking and thus what values they passed on to the next generation. So, in effect, we have been influenced by our own times and surroundings--but also those of everyone who came before us. Genealogy is a study of the names and dates of all who contributed to our creation. We can't talk to them, but we can study history and get a pretty good idea of how they thought and lived their lives.

(NEXT: "Lost and Missing Cousins")

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Obituaries

contributed by Cousin Barry

REV. DOUGLAS E. SELF

Self, Rev. Douglas E. age 98 of Maryville passed away Sunday, October 23, 2005 at Colonial Hills Healthcare Center. He was a member of New Providence Primitive Baptist Church where he was the former pastor. He also served as pastor of Meadow Branch Primitive Baptist Church in Tapoca, NC. He retired from ALCOA and was a member of their 25-Year Club. Preceded in death by: Parents, John “Simp” and Julia “Annie” Self; Wife, Mina L. Self; Brothers, Austin, Bluford, and Sanford Self; Sisters, Angie Self, Ella McLemore, and Bertha White. Survivors include: Sons and Daughters-in-law, Charles D. & Ruth Self of Elizabethton, TN and Eugene & Maysel Self of Maryville; Daughters and Sons-in-law, Mildred Y. & Kenneth Potter of Maryville and Katherine & Robert Hubbard of Morgan County; Six Grandchildren; Eight Great-Grandchildren; Brothers, Charlie Self and Jay S. Self both of Maryville; Sisters, Bonnie Rogers and Ruth Bryant both of Maryville; several nieces and nephews. Funeral service will be at 3:00 PM, Wednesday, October 26, 2005 at New Providence Primitive Baptist Church with Rev. Ronnie Crisp and Rev. Ronnie Blair officiating. Interment will follow at New Providence Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery. Friends may call at their convenience after 12:00 PM, Tuesday, October 25, 2005 at Smith Mortuary. Family will receive friends from 2:00 until 3:00 PM, Wednesday, October 26, 2005 at New Providence Primitive Baptist Church. Smith Mortuary, Maryville, 865-983-1000, in charge of arrangements.

NANCY ANN SELF SHEPHERD

NANCY ANN SELF SHEPHERD, age 70, widow of Joshua Shepherd of 117 Van Street, Madisonville, Tennessee passed away 10:30 p.m. Saturday, December 3, 2005 at Ft. Sanders Regional Medical Center in Knoxville, TN. She was the daughter of the late Lewis Monroe and Cora Jackson Self. Survivors: daughters and son-in-law- Ruby and Tim Barnes- Tellico Plains, TN; Mary Ann Armstrong- Englewood, TN; son and daughter-in-law- Denny Ray Shepherd and Bobbi Darr- Madisonville, TN; 11 grandchildren; 16 great grandchildren; best friends- Ruby Roderick-Reba Icenhower- both of Madisonville, TN. Funeral 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, December 6,2005, Biereley-Hale Chapel, Rev. Tony Curtis officiating. Interment in Tellico Plains City Cemetery. Family will receive friends 6-8 p.m. Monday at Biereley-Hale Funeral Home, Madisonville, TN.

TERRY MARK JONES

JONES, TERRY MARK, age 45, of Sweetwater, Tennessee, formerly of Loudon, passed away 8:55 p.m. Sunday October 9, 2005 at his home. He was employed by Apex Canvas, Loudon. Survivors: fiancée- Tina Lawrence- Sweetwater, TN, son- Joey Jones- Ringgold, GA, grandchildren- Destiny Love Jones, Ashley Lynn Jones, Aden Jones- all of Ringgold, GA, sisters- Donita Harmon- Sweetwater, TN, Joyce Bidwell- Rockford, IL, Barbara Gossage Teague, Debbie Overton- both of Loudon, TN, Gail Webster, Teresa Jenkins, brother- Bobby Jones- all of Sweetwater, TN, several nieces and nephews, Tina’s children- Brian Joseph Brooks, Stephanie Nichole Brooks- both of Troy, MO, Jennifer R’Nea Brooks, Ashley Marie Lawrence, Corey Lee Lawrence- all of Sweetwater, TN, Tina’s grandson- Ethan Daniel Stone- Troy, MO. Preceded in death by parents James Edward and Thelma Louise Self Jones, sister Linda Duncan, brother Billy Jones. Funeral 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, October 12, Biereley-Hale Chapel, Rev. Allen Webster officiating. Interment will be in Tellico Plains City Cemetery. Family will receive friends 6-8 p.m. Tuesday at Biereley-Hale Funeral Home, Madisonville, TN.

REV. VERLIN SELF

REV. VERLIN SELF, age 52, of Madisonville, Tennessee went to be with his Lord 8:00 a.m. Wednesday, October 26, 2005 at U.T. Medical Center. He had been preaching and pastoring for 35 years, having pastored at Shelton’s Grove, South Madisonville and Citico Baptist Churches. He was currently serving as pastor of Community Baptist Church in Madisonville. He was a devoted husband, father and grandpa. Survivors: wife of 32 years Donna Ingram Self, daughter and son-in-law Christy and Rob Lucas, Maryville, TN; son and daughter-in-law Travis and Anita Self, Madisonville, TN; grandchildren Megan Lucas, Chandler Turner; brother and sister-in-law J.L. and Edna Self, Maryville, TN; sisters and brothers-in-law Lovenia and Gale Carroll, Old Fort, TN, Reba Nell and Carl Scoggins, Cleveland, TN, Mildred and Steve Pannell, Pontotoc, MS; several nieces and nephews; father-in-law and mother-in-law J.R. and Maudean Ingram, Sweetwater, TN; preceded in death by parents Bill and Olive Self. Funeral service will be 8:00 P.M. Friday, October 28, 2005 at Biereley-Hale Funeral Home Chapel. Interment 11:00 a.m. Saturday, Mt. Zion Cemetery, Vonore, TN. The family will receive friends 5-8 p.m. Friday at Biereley-Hale Funeral Home, Madisonville, TN.

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PLEASE CONTRIBUTE BIOGRAPHIES AND PHOTOS TO US

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MINOR SELF LINES
part 9
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 Maryland, Massachusetts, and Michigan. We hope to feature more small family lines in the following newsletters.

MARYLAND

WILLIAM SELF: William Self was born about 1770 and was in Maryland after 1807. He m. Dorcas Vaughn. His children were Obediah, Nancy, William, and John; they all moved to Ohio as adults.

JAMES SELF: Born 1834 in Washington, D.C., James Self m. wife, Margaret, and went to Allegany County, MD by 1869. His son, Samuel, was born in VA and his daughter, Margaret, was born in MD.

CORDELIA ANN SELF: Richmond County, VA was the 1843 birthplace of Cordelia Ann Self. She married a much older man, John Mason Shelton in 1880. The wedding took place in Baltimore, MD. Their children were Joseph H., Louis Washington, Mary Frances, Bessie Pearl, John Thomas, and Jesse Tapley.

FRANCIS WILLIAM SELF: His parents were also from Maryland where he was born (St. Mary's County) in 1837. His wife's name was Mary A. His children: Mary P., Mary Theresa, Benjamin F., William Jeff, and Etta R. One William F. Self married Alice Lumpkin in the same county. Since Alice was born in 1880, it seems likely that William F. could be William Jeff--or it could have been Francis William Self marrying a second wife. A possible set of parents for Francis William Self might be Joseph and Sally Self, Joseph born about 1815.

MASSACHUSETTS

JOHN SELF: The 1880 Census shows the family of John Self, b. 1838 in Nova Scotia (of Nova Scotia parents) and his wife, Elizabeth, along with their four children and his mother, all living in Essex County, MA. The children are Laura E., Warren W., Lizzie A., and Emma F., and the mother's name is Mary E. Self, b. 1819. We would guess that John's grandparents may have come directly from England. Who were they?

GEORGE J. SELF: Selfs who came from England in the 19th century favored the Northeastern section of our country. George J. Self was born in 1845 in England. His wife, Charlotte, was born there in 1849. Their first child, Charlotte E., was also born in England; but George R., Emma L., and Walter J. were born in Middlesex Countiy, MA.

MICHIGAN

THOMAS SELF: Born 1821 in England, his wife's name was Ann. Their children were Jerry and Jane, and they lived in Shiawassee County, MI.

CHARLES SELF: His father came from Massachusetts and his mother from Vermont. Charles Self was born 1848 in Michigan and married Alice Rowe in 1872. Their daughter, Inez, was born in 1873. The family lived in St. Joseph County, MI.

JOSEPH SELF: Another St. Joseph County resident was Joseph Self, born 1851 in Michigan, had a father and mother from Michigan and New York, respectively. Wife Amelia was born in Indiana. They also had one daughter, Edith, born in 1879.

SINGLETON SELF: Singleton was probably his middle name. He was born in Maryland before 1792 and was married there in 1812 to Catherine Kindle. Later, he went to South Carolina. His son, Reason Elbert Self, was born in Maryland in 1814 and went to Michigan where he lived in Calhoun and St. Joseph Counties. He had a large family consisting of James Harvey, Mary Catherine, John Edgar, Susan Malvina, Charles Elbert, Joseph Nelson, Addie Lillian, and George Wilbur.

W. B. SELF: Who was W. B. Self, born 1844 in Michigan of an English father and a New Jersey mother? He and his wife, Catherine, and son Freddy (b. 1872) were in Dakota Territory by 1880..

SUMMARY

If you know about any of these Selfs from Maryland, Massachusetts, or Michigan, 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 10)

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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