Notes on Self Family: rewritten by JoLynn R.M.Self
April 24, 1996

     George Washington Self, was born August 4, 1838 in Jackson County,Alabama,the son of Abraham Pinckney Self.  He was 11 years old when the family came to Texas.  The settled in Fannin County which was virtually awilderness at the time and neighbors were far apart.
     In 1859 George married Josephine Williams, a native of Virginia. She was born August 12, 1838, the daughter of Philip and Nancy Williams. This couple had three children: Dick, Charlie, and Tom before George began serving his beloved Southland in the Civil War.  1.The first child, Dick (Richard Frances Self) (1860-1937), married Samuella Brown in 1881.She was the daughter of John Brown and Amanda Clark.  They had a son Jeff and a daughter, Frone.  After Sammie's death, Dick married Mary Newberry (1873-1964) in 1892 and they had sons:Elmer, Liberty Burton, Homer, Edgar and Earland one daughter,Lora.
2. George and Josphine's second child was Charlie who was born in 1861 and was killed in 1901.  He was the victim of foul play on a train trip from West Texas back home to Honey Grove.  Charlie never married.
3. The third child was George Thomas. (See George Thomas Self History.)After the war ended George Washington Self returned to his wife and three small sons, opened a grocery store and bought a cotton gin about ten miles north of Honey Grove.  There was a post office in the store and the community has been called Selfs ever since even though the post office has been discontinued. In addition to operating the  store and gin, George was a farmer and landowner.  Seven more children were born after George's return from service.
4.Clint (1866-1940) married Epsie Elam (1874-1965) in 1892. She was the daughter of John Elam and Jennie Denison.  Their ten children were: Dutch, Kittie, Fay, George, Guy, Dink, Hubert, Cless, Jack and Amy. 
5. Mary was born in 1868 and died two months old. 
6. John (1869-1959) in1894. John married "Dick". She was the daughter of Turner and Lou Ella Jones.  John and "Dick" had children : Britt, James Roy, Myrtle and Bill.
7. The seventh child born to George Washington and Josephine was Alfred a farmer and cattleman. He was born 1872 and married Rosalie Newhouse who was born in 1879 the daughter of Buci Newhouse and Loisa Smith.  Rosalie died in1940 and Alf died in 1955.
The children born to this union were: Newt, Dick, Selden, Willie, Deskin, Annie, Stella, Elizabeth, Romie, Graceand Emma Lou.  
8. Walter was born in 1876 and died in 1918 during the flu epidemic. He was retarded.
9.The ninth child was Lula.  She was born in 1878 and died in 1894,unmarried.  


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The youngest child, Stella 1880-1958, married Oscar Bell (1878-1961) in 1898. Oscar was the son of Billy Bell and Midge Adkins. It has been a traditional belief of the descendants of the early Bell family settlers that Bells was named after Oscar's great-grandfather, John William Bell.Oscar and Stella's children were: Hugh, Winnie, Josephine, Lois, Buck,Cliff, Merle,Bessie, Bill and Dean.
At the turn of the century George Washington Self was in Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory, Oklahoma with wife Josephine and son Walt.  About 1903 the family moved to the south edge of Boswell next to the railroad. 
On Christmas Day 1908, Josephine was crossing the railroad to visit her son George Thomas Family on the opposite side of the track.  She had a scarf tied around head partially blocking vision and sound and was struck and killed by a train.  Josephine was buried in the Restland Cemetery atBoswell.
George never remarried.
He came back to Texas with Tom's family and shared their home for several years.  The last year of his life George lived with son Clint and family where he died in early 1923 at the age of 84.  He had long been a devout member of the Christian Church.
The burial was at Boswell Beside the remains of his wife who died 14 years prior. By Daphna Lochridge-found book in Bonham Public Library
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GEORGE THOMAS SELF-
George Thomas Self, was born in the Selfs community October 24, 1863, the son of Civil War veteran George Washington Self and Josephine Williams.  In 1888 he married Martha Virginia "Jennie" Broadfoot, born February 2, 1870 the daughter of James Andrew Broadfoot and Martha Reynolds.  This couple had three children.
Henry was born April 10, 1889 and married Hattie Holmes (1894-1976) in 1913.  Hattie was the daughter of Louis Patrick Holmes and Indiana Gertrude Burks.
They had one son Robert of Groves. For most of his adult like Henry was associated with Blocker and Boswell Grocery in Boswell and Benington, Oklahoma.  He died of Pneumonia in 1915 just one week before his 26th Birthday. Dudley, a World War I veteran, was born May 4, 1891 and married Eleanor Orme (1896-1958) in 1920.  They have three children living in and around San Antonio: John, Mary and Dick and two sons died at early ages.
Dud was a farmer, deputy sheriff and game warden living in Texas and Oklahoma.  He .died September 19, 1965.Nettie was born January 19,1893 at Selfs and married Dave Williams(1893-1966)in 1914.  Dave was the son of James Arthur Williams and Lula Higgs.  the children born to this couple were David "Rack" (deceased), Mildred of Honey Grove,Thommy of Paicines, California and Katherine of Houston. 
Jennie died to Tuberculosis November 1, 1894 at the early age of 24 years. Tom then married her older sister Catherine Jane "Katie" who was born February 24, 1868.  They married on November 28,1896 in Fannin County and the following day loaded their belongings onto three horse-drawnwagons headed for Indian Territory, Oklahoma.  They traveled over plain dirt roads until arriving at the Lake West crossing.  There their wagons were Red River one by one.  Although space for carrying the household and personal items was extremely limited, Katie chose to take with them an old worn out pump organ which was later traded to an Indian woman for five cows and five calves.
In the Crowder Prairie community of Oklahoma, Tom was first a farmer and a cattleman.  Later the family moved to Boswell where he owned a meat marketand still farmed some.  Tomand Katie had five children born in Oklahoma.
Wiley was born September 17, 1897 and died May 27, 1899.  Roy "Boots" was born August 17, 1899 and died July 1, 1928.  Bernice was born June 27, 1901.In 1925 she married Marvin Blake, the son of Tom Blake and LulaMoser.  This couple had one daughter, Mary.  Bernice died August 24,1951. 
Josie was born July 30, 1903.  In 1919 she married Alva Lochridge,the son of CampbellBascomp Lochkridge and Eliza Ann Whitlock.  they had children Wesley in Dallas, Lula Mae "Jake" was born December 31, 1905.  In 1929 she was married to Pete Gauldin (1905-1959),the son of Rob Gauldin and Minnie Harper; they had one son Bobby of Rochester, New
York. George Thomas Self brought his family back to Texas around 1912, firstsettling on a farm in the Shiloh community where he again farmed.  A few years later they moved to Honey Grove.  In 1922 Tom entered politics andran against Nathanial Barnett for county road commissioner, precinct three and won.  He took office in 1923 and served four years before his retirement.
Katie died of pneumonia April 10, 1915, exactly one week after the death of her stepson and nephew Henry.  Tom them lived a widower until October 22, 1924 when he married Mrs. Nute Dobbs Newberry.  At her request all the children and grandchildren called her "Aunt Nute."  Tom Self died on NewYear's Day 1929 and is  buried in the New Salem Cemetery beside his second wife, Katie.
By Daphna Lochridge-found book in Bonham Public Library
rewritten by JoLynn R.M. Self  April 24, 1996