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This page was written by our cousins. The articles appearing here provide glimpses into our lives, memories, and interests, brief biographies of our ancestors, and our experiences in Self Family research. All cousins are encouraged to contribute to this collection by sending material to Webmaster.

East Woodhay lies on a plateau above Newbury and the river that flows eventually through London. The area is characterized by fields bordered by giant trees. Single lane asphalt roads with high banks on either side lead from village to village. The roads in places are completely covered with the over hanging branches of trees on either side of the road. Every field had several ring necked pheasants in it. The were sheep in some of the fields and we were passed by a small truck with sheep dogs in the back. We noticed that next to the church a practice steeplechase course had been set up. The church had been damaged at some point and a plaque on the west side announced the reconstruction had been completed in 1823 with Sam Self and William Note(sp?) serving as church wardens. When looking for church records, therefore, one should look in nearby villages such as Woodhulme or West Woodhay for the period that the East Woodhay church was out of service. The church at East Woodhay has a nativity scene in the east window; the bell ringers are noted for their participation in a marathon ring. The church rectory is located across the street--no one answered the door and it may be that the rectory was not being lived in. Visited by E.J. Peck October 1997

Samuel Houston and James Henry LOVED to get drunk. That ruined both their marriages and lives. Samuel H. Self would get drunk on a Saturday and the law would put him into jail to sleep it off. For a good time before he shot himself he was getting drunk on Saturday and come home Sunday. The Saturday before Uncle Sam killed himself the family was arguing all day so he went to the bar and drank till the law put him in jail again. The next morning, Sunday, 10 Nov 1954, he was let out and went home. Whe he got to the house they started arguing again so Uncle Sam said, "Well, I'll just go out here on the back porch and blow my brains out, No one gives a damn about me anyway." And that is just what he did. They didn't take him seriously. His brain was all over the porch. He was pronounced dead 2 hours later. We went to his funeral. I thought it was in 1955 but mother said, "No, we didn't have the 1955 Pontiac when we went to his funeral. We had the 1953 because we traded cars every 2 years. I remembered it was cool out. The gound was hard and wet. We can't remember if it was rain or melted snow. I remember the trees were bare, and I remembered what the homes looked like. I felt so sorry for some of the families that didn't have much but they had hearts of gold. We all were spread out among different homes because they couldn't sleep a whole family. I don't remember who I stayed with. My parents stayed with Uncle Sam's oldest son, Russell and wife. The funeral was all in Creek language. We couldn't understand a word except when they said Samuel Houston Self. The church was very small and very plain. Mostly if not all Creek Indians. The cemetery was under the big bare trees. Very bare but in the spring, summer, fall I'm sure it was beautiful. I know the funeral was in Fame, Oklahoma.

Loyd Self, pastor emeritus of Augusta Heights Church in Greenville, died April 27 at the age of 79. Self had been pastor in his native Missouri and in Kansas before accepting the call to Augusta Heights, which he served for 26 years. He had been a member of the state convention's Executive Board, and a trustee and adjunct professor at Furman University. Survivors include his wife, Lucille Vermillion Self, and three children. Memorials may be made to Augusta Heights Church.

[Note: if anyone knows which branch Loyd Self belongs to, please write to us]

Hartselle's Rev. Finis J. Self was honored as the Alabama Veteran of the Year by Governor Don Siegelman during observances held at Birmingham over the Veteran's Day weekend.

Festivities included a parade in downtown Birmingham and a program held at the Boutwell Municipal Auditorium.

Self was selected for his military service, and his work with various veterans' organizations, most specifically the Military Order of the Purple Heart. Membership in the order is reserved for veterans who were wounded in action.

Rev. Self enlisted in the Army in July of 1942, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the U.S. entry into the war. He was discharged from service in October, 1945, having served with the 2nd Engineering Special Birgade, an amphibious group charged with landing U.S. and Australian troops throughout the Pacific area.

Rev. Self was involved in many major battles and was wounded during action in the Battle of Leyte Gulf in the Philippines, for which he was awarded the Purple Heart, the Meritorious Service Medal and two Bronze Stars.

Self is currently serving as Chaplain of the Alabama department of the Military Order of the Purple Heart. He is currently working to organize a local chapter for Decatur and Hartselle.

[My grandfather, Elbert Self, told me this story many times. I try to repeat it here just like he told it to me except I use the third person]

Elbert Self was excited when he woke up on the morning of January 4, 1913. He was twelve years old today and his dad had promised him a snow sled for his birthday. And there it was! Not a brand new store-bought sled but one made by his father, Elijah Self. But Elbert didn’t mind. He had his sled at last. Elbert hurried through breakfast, put on his coat, and out the door to try out the new sled, his mother’s words ringing in his ears, "Boy, be careful with that thing." There was no snow on the ground but Elbert knew just where he wanted to go. This area wasn’t called Pine Mountain for nothing. About two miles from his home was a steep wooded slope that should be just right for the sled. The thick leaves, he thought, would be a good substitute for snow. The mountain was sparsely settled and Elbert didn’t meet anyone on the road. Finally, at the top of the hill, Elbert let fly his sled. The first run was a disaster. He was always a cocky boy and thought he could get around the trees with no trouble. But the sled went faster than he thought it would and he couldn’t control it. He ran smack into a large pine tree and was knocked out cold. When he came to he found his sled busted and his leg throbbing something awful. Elbert couldn’t stand and realized his leg was broken. He knew that if he stayed where he was he would die from the cold. Slowly, painfully, with sled in hand, he crawled up the mountain toward the road. He thought it took him several hours to reach the road and he passed out from the pain several times, but Elbert finally made it to the road. Still it was a long time before a neighbor came by in his wagon and took him home.

Recording studio guru Dave McNally is best described by the words of the old Hank Williams song—"he ain’t no rookie."

McNally has been around music, musicians and recording studios for a long time. When he says someone is talented, he knows by which he speaks.

"These Self kids are the most talented people to have ever entered this studio," McNally said of the Madison County family.

Introducing the Self children—Carrie, 22; Kristie, 20; Emily, 17; Wesley, 15 and the nine-year-old baby, Hilary.

And the Self parents—Donald and Barbara.

The Selfs are presently spending their evenings in McNally’s Rock Room studio recording their first, and possibly last, Gospel-Bluegrass album.

"The kids wanted to do this album for several reasons," Mother Barbara said.

To make money is not one of the reasons, according to Mom. To record their musical talents together is one and to record songs requested by members of their church is another.

"But the main thing is, with Kristie getting married next June," Barbara said. "She and her husband are going to Japan as missionaries."

"This may be the last time they are ever together as a group to do anything like this," the Spotsylvania County native added.

The Selfs have been members of Oak Park Road Baptist Church in Madison for more than 20 years, since Carrie was a baby. They have been singing in church since each was very young.

As the children grew older, they not only sang, but each learned to plan an instrument.

Carrie plays guitar. Kristie taught herself to play the harmonica. Emily plays both piano and mandolin and Wesley plays electric bass guitar.

The family gives a lot of credit to Orange County High School music teacher Patricia Johnson for helping them with their music.

"Patricia is the only training help they have ever had," Barbara said.

Their music is the first noticeable uniqueness about the Self family, but it is far from the only thing that keeps this family humming and happy.

"We live in a log cabin that we all built together," Barbara said.

Donald Self is a West Virginia native who operates the family business, Quality Carpet Cleaners and Chimney Sweeps.

According to Barbara, he knows a lot about building. It took more than two years, but everybody in the family helped build the cabin.

"Carrie roughed in the electrical service," Mom proudly added.

Kristie found driving nails to her liking and Emily "really" enjoyed roofing.

Which shows even more of Carrie’s versatility as she home schooled Wesley and Hilary until recently.

According to Barbara, none of the Self children ever attended public schools.

Kristie attends Crown College in Knoxville, Tenn., where she met her fiance. Emily will join her sister at Crown in January.

Emily does not intend to be a missionary as Kristie will, but wants to work in a vocation helping deaf children when she finishes school.

Carrie’s ambition is to be a stay at home mother, an ambition Barbara admires a lot.

All the girls are working this summer. Carrie is a waitress at Beulah’s Madison Cafeteria. Kristie works at Autumn Care Elderly Home and Emily works at Yoder’s Country Market, all in Madison County.

The Selfs have few hobbies that take them far from their music. The girls do some cross stitching and they are all veracious readers.

The only boy in the bunch has a big hobby. Wesley is just waiting for the hunting season.

"I just finished my deer stand," Wesley said. "I used treated lumber, wait until Dad finds out."

Being the only male child doesn’t bother Wesley a bit. But Moms aid Wesley actually spent more time working on the house than the girls did.

"I liked working on the house," Wesley added. "I liked taking breaks."

The collective great sense of humor in the Self children gets ones attention early on. They smile most of the time and laugh a lot—especially Kristie, who has a deep, hardy laugh that would do Lauren Bacall proud.

Monday night they were in the process of putting down the last track on tape. With a guarantee from McNally that they "would have a finished product by the end of the night," the girls sang their hearts out.

The track was being put down a cappella, which is a very hard thing to do.

"Dave has a lot of patience," Barbara said. "The girls really like working with him.

To Emily it is fun to record the song and then come into the control room with McNally and hear the product.

This night McNally was doing the final mixes, putting instruments with words and making a master tape from which the compact discs would be cut by laser.

"They have been great," McNally said. "Even little Hilary came in and laid down her track easily."

But the family did find the going to be somewhat frustrating at times. They always wanted to get it right.

The very first song they ever performed together with instruments was Love Covers All Sins, and that was the first song picked for the album.

"Wesley wants to name the album for that song," Barbara said. "We might just do that."

Orin Kenneth Self, 66, Ada, MN died on Tuesday, November 7, 2000, at the Veteran’s Administration Hospital, Fargo, ND., of congestive heart failure. He was born on October 3, 1934, to Orval and Edith (Johnson) Self of rural Ada. Orin was baptized and confirmed at Grace Lutheran Church, Ada. He attended the Ada Public School and graduated in 1952. On July 22, 1952, Orin enlisted into the United States Air Force, where he served as an Air Traffic Controller. Orin was a Viet Nam Veteran. He was a VFW Post Commander in the past. He was also a Shriner. He belonged to the Air Force Alumni Assoc. On December 14, 1955, Orin was united in marriage to Shirley Klevgaard at Borup, MN. He retired from the Air Force in 1972, and moved to Moorhead, MN, where he worked as a pilot/instructor with Flight Development. He then moved to Grand Forks where he worked with Air Movement Air Mail. Also, Orin worked with Honeywell in Texas, California, and Wisconsin. Orin returned to Ada in 1983, and began working as a Norman County Sheriff"s Dispatcher. On February 14, 1985, Orin was again united in marriage to Janice Roesch at Mahnomen, MN. Orin retired from the Sheriff’s office in the early 1990’s due to his health. He entered the Lutheran Memorial Home in Twin Valley, MN, on March 1, 2000. Aviation was Orin’s life. He loved to fly airplanes before his health failed. Reading, watching movies, and observing airplanes kept him busy. Orin had an excellent memory. He loved to socialize with people and entertain them with his jokes. He also enjoyed fishing. Orin is survived by his wife, Janice, Ada; one son, Brian (Jean), Moorhead, MN; two daughters, Brenda (Joe) Andrews, Fargo, ND; and Kim (Mike) Moravec, Littleton, CO; one step daughter, Debra Roesch, Ada, MN; six grandchildren and one step granddaughter; and one sister, Kay (Ed) Stevens, Waubun, MN. His parents and an infant sister, Beth, precede him in death.

Funeral services will be on Monday, November 13, 2000, at 2:30 P.M. in the Grace Lutheran Church, Ada, MN. Visitation will be one hour before the service in the church. Burial will be in the Ada Municipal Cemetery, Ada, MN

Note: Orin Kenneth Self's line was: Frank Orval Self, Claude Orval Self, George Preston Self, James Harvey Self, Presley Self, Charnock Self, Thomas Self, Henry Self, Francis Self, Olde Robert Selfe)

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