WELCOME

Welcome to the eleventh 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.

Despite the abominable gas prices, many of our cousins will be taking genealogy trips this summer. We hope that you'll take plenty of photos, copy lots of records, and be sure to share your discoveries with everyone in the upcoming issues of this newsletter. We'd especially love "diaries" of your trip--photos can accompany any writings, or just articles and pictures by themSelfs will do.

In the meantime, we are proud to be a very large repository of Self information. With three domains, a second Webpage at RootsWeb, a GenConnect Board 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," SelfSite at RootsWeb, Family Record Online, a Web page for older newsletters, well over 5,000 pages of connected and unconnected Self lines, and over 990 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.

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, and Edens 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.

Visit our supplemental Self site at your earliest convenience. This site is for Self Seekers only. Feel free to change or update your own profile to enable services that will be of most use to you. For example, you cannot send e-mail unless you provide your e-mail address in the profile. We would especially like you to upload photographs and articles to this site.

Membership fees remain the same in 2000: 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.

Last July's newsletter is now available to all cousins at our RootsWeb FreePages site. We had some great photos and articles in that issue. We'd like to present more of the same, but we can't do it without your help. PLEASE contribute something. Photographs, articles, family trees, and reunion recaps will be gratefully received and enjoyed by everyone.

Genealogy is one of the most popular pastimes in the world today. In years gone by, before the advent of technology, it was almost exclusively the province of very old folks who had taken an interest in those forbears whom they were preparing to join soon in the hereafter. Genealogy was about the dead.

Now, all that has changed. Both young and middle-aged adults are fervently compiling gedcoms and trees alongside their older relatives. But ask anyone why they're digging their roots in the dim past and they'll almost always reply: "For my kids."

Kids haven't changed much over the centuries. Many children have no interest whatsoever in anything their parents like to do, especially if it appears dull and sedentary. And the future is way too exciting for many of them to care about what happened yesterday. Kids are about tomorrow.

So how do we introduce our children and grandchildren to family history research and make their experience so pleasant and rewarding that they embrace genealogy as a lifetime pursuit?

SOME SUGGESTIONS

LIBRARIES

Most children love libraries because of the books available for their age level and the activities planned just for them. But when the library is part of an LDS Family History Center or a National Archives, youngsters can get bored very easily. If possible, plan short trips to these research libraries and gradually increase the time you spend there as your child or grandchild becomes familiar with the surroundings. Try to involve the child in your quest. For instance, if you need to copy names and dates from the Census, an older child can write them down or enter them in your laptop for you while you read from the microfilm. Or vice versa: Tim's grandson loved to crank the film machine, and he often commented on the ornate handwriting as the pages passed by. If the child is willing and able to try to read the entries, you might allow him to conduct searches for you and share the excitement while you verify his find.

Children are sometimes fascinated with the Biblical names given to their counterparts one or two centuries ago; and they are often interested in the information found in Census records or genealogy books--the occupations of their ancestors, the size of their families, and most especially maps or photographs of the areas in which they lived and the wars in which they fought. If your ancestors were prominent in a given city or state, there may even be pictures of them in the library's book collection. These stories and photographs will help make the past come alive to a child, especially when he begins to relate to other children in earlier times.

PAPERWORK

Encourage your child to become involved in family history projects outside the library. We often read about school assignments where children are asked to trace their family tree for four or five generations. You, too, can suggest this activity to your child and collaborate with her when she needs help. Allow her to buy, download, or make a pedigree or fan chart and ask often if she's found any new information to add to it. You might want to frame the chart and hang it in the child's room or even in a family room or other prominent place that shows your pride in her work.

Children also love to compile scrapbooks. They might contain ancestral photographs, news clippings, and other family memorabilia; but kids should also understand that future generations will greatly appreciate information on their lives, too. A series of school photos showing your child's growth from kindergarten through college will be treasured by her descendants. A diary that describes daily activities and special events--even the weather conditions--may provide a legacy to children of tomorrow. It's never too early to instill in her the relevance of the passage of time and the rise and fall of the generations as they live out their time on the earth.

COMPUTERS

Today, most children grow up with at least one computer in the home. Kids often have their own personal computer for their homework, "surfing," and games. Introduce your child to the abudance of genealogy sites on the Internet and help him formulate his searches. Buy him a copy of a genealogy program and illustrate its use with some of your own data. Not only will he have fun compiling a family tree, but he will learn how to use the World Wide Web and off-the-shelf software, skills which will help him in his schoolwork as well.

INTEGRATION

That schoolwork can be a lot of fun if you can relate what you've learned through family history research to the assignments you receive in the classroom. We've learned most of what we know about United States History from doing genealogy research. And if some of your ancestors came from foreign countries or sections of the United States with special customs, you can teach your child about comparative cultures through stories or knowledge handed down from your ancestors. Writing a term paper or even a short story can also be a successful venture thanks to family history--and your talented child might even write a play or music based on her heritage. You can introduce your child to extracurricular activities, too--not just genealogy itSelf but pastimes such as quilting or woodworking or other skills that have been handed down from parent to child over several generations. Sharing such hobbies can be productive and create many memories during those precious years when your child is growing up.

TRIPS

Involving your child in a genealogy trip is a great way to have a family vacation and learn something, too. There are so many things to do! Visiting grandparents or distant cousins can form rewarding releationships that can last for years. If you live far away from your ancestral home, you'll get to see a new location, visit its landmarks, and learn its history. Perhaps the actual houses of your ancestors are still standing and their owners will allow you and your child to take a tour. Cemeteries are especially interesting. If you know where your forbears are buried, you and your child can share that awesome feeling of standing at their gravestones and knowing that you're both part of a human chain that spans the centuries. If you don't know their resting place, finding it can be a fascinating hunt for everyone in the family. Allow your child to take pictures and encourage him write letters home to his friends about his excursions into the past.

PERSONAL CONTACTS

Even if you can't afford to take your child on a trip, you can still introduce her to the contacts you've made in your research. If a cousin has children near her own age, she can write letters or e-mail to them, join them in private chat rooms, or talk with them on the phone. A digital video camera can also provide hours of free fun for everyone--the children can see and talk with each other over the Internet for just a small investment in equipment and software (many programs come with the cameras or can be downloaded at no cost). Your child may build a rapport with elderly relatives as well, and their exchanges can bridge the "generation gap" on both sides.

WHAT NEXT?

Sometimes I feel sorry for our children and grandchildren. Because genealogy is such a popular pastime, many of us have done so much research that we've stolen all the fun and deprived them of the same thrill that we had in our moments of discovery. But there is always something new, some place that you haven't looked, or some technology that hasn't even been developed yet--all of which will make it possible for these young people to reach farther back into the past than we could or prove their descent in ways we can only imagine. Instilling enthusiasm for family history research in your child at an early age will ensure that we ourSelfs are not forgotten.

Before the days of personal computers--when genealogical data was recorded on paper charts and group sheets--sharing that information was a painstaking process. If you had a few contacts, you sent letters back and forth, stating what you knew and discussing theories or rejoicing when proof was actually found. If you met a new cousin, it would take weeks, even months, for that person to become familiar with your other contacts and with the information gleaned to date--not to mention adding his or her data to the rest of the knowledge base.

In today's world, the dissemination of family information through Websites, gedcoms, and e-mail is almost instantaneous. Instead of waiting to discover each new contact, you can now place your family tree on the Web and know for sure that people will see it and respond. That's where the fun begins--and it's also where the trouble starts.

PUBLISH YOUR SELF

There are any number of Self gedcoms and trees on the Web including our own "Family Record." And there is a lot of conflicting information contained in all of them. Most of us are able to do only a limited amount of research on our own--and even then, there are discrepancies to contend with. Primary sources, such as Census records, wills, and deeds are rarely available in their original forms today; and microfilm, for instance, isn't always of the best quality, leaving the door open to a multitude of errors in transcription. So we rely heavily on research conducted by others, much of which has been subjected to interpretation. We are then left to choose which scenario seems most probable to us, incorporating it into our own gedcoms, and eventually publishing it on the Web.

NEGATIVE EFFECTS

The problems arise when people accept everything in your gedcom as "gospel" when, in fact, most of the early relationships are largely unproven. The Self families of the 17th and 18th centuries, for example, have very little hard evidence to back up the links between the generations. Some very dedicated Self researchers have made some pretty good guesses based on what proof is available; but it's almost a reality now that most paper documentation has already been uncovered and there will have to be other means of obtaining that proof developed before we can state anything else with absolute certainty. So when we extract information from a gedcom, we need to realize that the lineage presented is just one person's interpretation of what really happened unless they've found hard evidence to back up their data.

POSITIVE FEEDBACK

One of the good things about the relationships found in gedcoms and family trees online is that--as long as they are not taken literally--they can provide a basis for discussion and act as stepping stones to the truth. Conflicting information offers one or more potential scenarios, and you can evaluate each one in terms of your own research. While you should use absolute caution in your acceptance of any undocumented statements, there is much to be said for being able to view several theories online simultaneously at your convenience.

CONFLICT RESOLUTION

If you plan to publish a gedcom or family tree online, do make sure that you indicate which information is unproven. A disclaimer will save you embarrassment later on and, more important, spare other researchers from copying and perpetuating false data. If someone does attribute unproven information to you, you will be able to point to your disclaimer and assure others that you never meant for your theories to be taken verbatim. There's nothing wrong with publishing your theories as long as you let the world know that they are just that--assumptions based on "best evidence."

As an aside, many gedcoms are distributed complete with sources which may include names of individuals rather than documents. Sometimes the sources may have addresses or telephone numbers attached. No matter what your stand on the privacy issue, it's usually better not to put living people on the Web in any context unless you have written permission. Because we're a large repository, our means of divulging sources is to introduce close cousins so that they can collaborate further on their respective lines. For those working with just one or a few selected lines, a message to this effect on a gedcom header or home page will suffice.

OOPS, I GOOFED!

No matter how careful you may be, chances are that you will always end up publishing some facts that can and will be disputed. There will come a time when you discover that your neat little gedcom contains some information that's dead wrong--or you'll reluctantly be forced to put an old theory to rest when someone else presents a new one that appears to have much more merit.

Don't worry! This happens to all of us. A case in point--we found a source in the LDS records that gave Job Self Jr (son of the original Job and grandson of Olde Robert Selfe) as the father of our Job Self who settled in Habersham and then Union County, GA. We had never had a link between the first Job (and even he is shaky at best) and the Job mentioned in the record seemed a likely candidate. However, two cousins--both excellent researchers--have proposed Francis Self (possibly of Montgomery County, NC., but then again, maybe not) as a much better father for Job. The skeleton Census records of the time seem to bear this out, but we really don't know for sure. But right now, Francis seems the better bet. So, with disclaimer in position, we have changed our "Family Record" in midstream, now listing Francis where Job Jr. was. In fact, we're not even sure that Job Sr. (the first Job) is really the link back to Olde Robert. We left him there as "best evidence," but if someone comes up with better evidence or (don't we wish!) concrete proof that he does not belong in our line, we'll admit we "goofed" and make the correction.

SUMMARY

Years ago serious researchers were just as eager to fill in the branches of their family trees as we are today. Sometimes their work contained unproven or erroneous material. The difference is that very few people saw those trees; and when they did, they were quick to offer alternate theories if they felt something in the presentation was not quite right. Almost all speculation was treated as a basis for further discussion.

Today's genealogist faces a dilemma: should one hold back unproven information because it might be accepted at face value and perpetuated as "gospel"; or should one put it out in Cyberspace in the hopes that someone will evaluate and correct the faulty data? This is for you to decide, just as it's up to you to use information from any source with caution. But if you do share your theories with others, remember that it's okay to "goof" once in awhile. It's fine to admit you don't know or that you've changed your mind. Our process of proof is largely one of trial and error when no concrete evidence exists. The real gains are made in locating long-lost relatives and sharing as one does in any family group. After all, genealogy is a hobby, and while it will bring you a large amount of knowledge, the pleasure of the hunt should be just as great.

During the past year, we've been subjected to the work of many brilliant computer hackers. We've been attacked by Melissa and read love letters before we found out that our secret admirer was a black widow in disguise. Hoaxes are so rampant that we hardly know a deadly computer virus from a joke. But while the "Happy 99" virus was a silent and harmless one, attaching itSelf invisibly to e-mail messages and providing the unwary recipient with a fireworks show that was easy to remove from your system, today's infections are more sophisticated. It's bad enough that they rely on more intricate technology to propagate. But worse than that, they rely on the fact that you love and trust your friends and family and believe that they would never harm you. When I asked some victims why they opened the "love letter" attachment to their e-mail messages, they all replied that the sender was a friend or colleague--never mind questioning why the guy down the hall would send a love letter to his co-worker. These viruses also put common terms in the subject line of the message, such as "fwd: joke" and "resume."

You can defeat the spread of these computer viruses!

First, DON'T open any attachment regardless of who sent it to you unless you know beforehand that an attachment is arriving from someone and what it contains.

Second, DO include the following in your e-mail messages whenever you send an attachment: (1) the name of the attached file; and (2) a description of the contents of the file. If possible don't mix file types--someone who has already opened a graphic file might just assume that a text file is perfectly safe when, in reality, it is a virus attached to your message.

Third, DON'T send multi-level forwards. We all get lazy, but in truth, it's time-consuming and boring to open a message within a message within a message. If you actually do bother to open these things and get to the real message underneath, be kind to the next recipient and copy/paste the text into a new message. If I open a forwarded message and see that it's blank with another forward in the subject line, I usually delete the whole thing without reading it.

Fourth, BEWARE of chain messages. Some of them are worthwhile, some are cute, some are worthless--but they are perfect places for viruses to hide.

Finally, SCAN your hard disk for viruses periodically. You don't need to run out and buy an expensive piece of software with costly and continual updates. There are some good FREE online virus checkers/cleaners. Our favorite one--recommended to us by Cousin Janet is located at
http://housecall.antivirus.com/housecall/start_corp.asp

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. Please contact us.

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