William SELF / Nancy SCOTT

   Husband: William SELF           (Descendant Chart)
      Born: 2 JUN 1809             in: 
   Married:                        in: 
      Died: 14 JUN 1878            in: Cleveland County, NC
    Buried: Clover Hill Methodist Church, Cleveland County, NC
    Father:
    Mother:
      Wife: Nancy SCOTT            (Descendant Chart)
      Born: 24 AUG 1802            in: 
      Died: 16 FEB 1882            in: Cleveland County, NC
    Buried: Clover Hill Methodist Church, Cleveland County, NC
    Father:
    Mother:
  Children:
1     Name: Hannah SELF
F     Born: ABT 1832               in: Rutherford County, NC
      Died: ABT 1870               in: Cleveland County, NC
   Married: 10 APR 1856            in: Cleveland County, NC
    Spouse: David LOGAN

William Self and Nancy Scott

Will of William Self

I William Self of Cleveland Co. N.C. being of sound mind and memory do make this my last will and testament.
I direct that my body be decently buried according to the wishes of my friends.
First - I direct that all my debts and funeral expenses be paid out of the first moneys that may come into the hands of my executors from any portion of my estate real or personal.
Second: I also divise to my beloved wife Nancy all the houshold and kitchen furniture, and all the beds and clothing together with all the cooking utensils that she thinks necessary for her to keep.
And also her choice of my horse stock or mules, also two milk cows, all my stock of hogs. I also divise to her my two horse waggon with all my farming utensils that she desire to keep.
I also divise to my wife Nancy all my house tract of land during her life. About 140 acres. I also divise to her all the provision on hand and also all growing crops after she shall have paid all my cropers their share of said crop.
3rd I divise to my seven daughters, Rosanah, Hannah, Mary Ann, Elisabeth, Milinda, Nancy, and Luda, each forty dollars apiece, after which if any remains I divise it to be equally divided all of my children.
I devise that my son Joseph and son-in-law Wm McFarland be guardian for my wife Nancy, and see to her domestic affairs that she never suffers.
And lastly, I nominate and constitute my son Joseph and my son in law Wm McFarland my executors to execute this my last will and testament, and hereby revoking all other wills before made by me declaring this and no other to be my last will and testament.
In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and afixed my seal this May 21st day A.D. 1878 in presence these witnesses.
William Self {Seal}

Witnesses
F. L. Deveny
J. O. Whisnant

[Recorded July 13, 1878]

Land Records

Rutherford County, NC, Land Entries: No. 987: William Floyd enters six hundred and forty acres of land situate on Nob Creek joining Nathaniel White and William Self. 31st October 1831. (Davis, Land entries, 1826-1834, Rutherford County, NC, p.105)²   (Pruitt, Abstracts of Land Entries, Rutherford County, NC, May 1826-June 1834, p.248)⁴ 

Notes

• William and/or Nancy Self appear as follows in the censuses of 1850 through 1880:
  • The 1850 census of Cleveland County, NC lists William Self (age 40, farmer) as head of household #1400 which includes Nancy (48), Sally (25), Rosannah (20), Hannah (18), Mary A. (17), Elizabeth (12), Melinda (10), William (9), Nancy (7), Eliza J. (5), Huldah (3), Joseph (2), and John F. (3 months).
  • The 1860 census of Cleveland County, NC lists William Self (age 51, farmer) as head of household #168 which includes Nancy (58), Mary A. (26), Eilzabeth (24), Lemuel (22), William (20), Nancy J. (18), Elizabeth (17), Mahulda (15), Joseph (13), and John F. (12).
  • The 1870 census of Township No. 11, Cleveland County, NC lists William Self (age 63, farmer) as head of household #125 including Nancy (68), Andrew (13), Mary (13), and William (8). [Note: Andrew, Mary, and William are the grandchildren of William and Nancy Self, and the children of David Logan and Hannah Self who had both died by 1870. Although they are listed under the surname "Self" in the 1870 census, they are listed under the surname of Logan in subsequent censuses.]
  • William Self died in 1878, but the 1880 census of Township No. 11, Cleveland County, NC lists Nancy Self (age 77, widow, keeping house) as head of household #86 which includes Andrew F. Logan (23, grand-son), Mary E. Logan (20, grand-daughter), and William F. Logan (18, grand-son).
• William and Nancy Self are both listed as born in North Carolina in the censuses of 1850, 1860, and 1870 (and also in 1880 for Nancy).
• I have not seen any original record that confirms the identify of William Self's parents. Some family histories, such as the book by Annie Self Arnold (2004)¹, list William as the son of John Self (1777-1857) and Sarah Saunders Self (1770-1841) who are buried at Kadesh United Methodist Church in Cleveland County, NC.
• I am not certain exactly how many children William and Nancy Self had. William Self's will of 1878 confirms 8 children as follows: Rosanah, Hannah, Mary Ann, Elisabeth, Milinda, Nancy, Luda, and Joseph. But it seems there probably other children that weren't named in his will. The censuses of 1850 and 1860 list what would appear to be 12 and 9 children respectively.
• Nancy Self's maiden name was probably "Scott". The Cleveland County, NC death certificates for Joseph W. Self (b.3 Feb 1847, d.12 Nov 1930) and John Self (d.10 Jun 1922 at age 72 years, 3 months, and 4 days) both list their parents as William Self and Nancy Scott. The birth dates of this Joseph and John Self are consistent with the Joseph and John Self listed in the household of William and Nancy Self in the 1850 and 1860 censuses.
• William and Nancy Self are buried at the Cloverhill United Methodist Church near Casar in Cleveland County, NC. The following photos of William Self's grave were shared with me by a Self family member in about 2006 when his broken tombstone was repaired by attaching it to the back of a new tombstone. photo #1,  photo #2,  & photo #3. The following photos were taken on July 3, 2010 and include a photo of Nancy Self's tombstone which was lying flat on the ground: photo #4,  photo #5,  & photo #6.
• William Self has a rather long estate file (about 37 pages). His estate was complex because it was divided among his many children. And since some of his children had died before him, a number of his grandchildren were also named in the settlement of his estate. The original documents are on file as part of the Cleveland County estate records in the North Carolina State Archives (reference C.R. 026.508.50 - Self, Wm 1878). Although these estate papers are very difficult to read due to the hand writing of the person who prepared them, the following individuals appear to be named in the settlement of the estate:
  • A. F. Logan & wife
  • Knox Hunt & wife Mary E. Hunt
  • J. G. Willis, guardian of Wm F. Logan
  • Wm Walker & wife Mary A. Walker
  • W. J. McFarland & wife Elizabeth McFarland
  • Julius Kennedy & wife Linney Kennedy
  • J. W. Gidney, guardian ad litem of Francis Self, infant
  • John Self & wife Rachel Self
  • J. W. Self & wife Malinda
  • J. F. Black guardian of minors John Black, Mary Black, [B???] Black, & Julius Black
• See the February 2010 issue of the Bulletin of the Genealogical Society of Old Tryon County for abstracts of Rutherford County, N.C. Road Docket, 1840 which lists (p.24) a "Wm. Selfe" as one of the hands responsible for maintaining the road from Micajah Hill's house to the three forks below John Parkers.
• In 2006, a Self family descendant shared the following with me: "The old house that William and Nancy lived in and raised the at least 13 children still exists and is located [on private property] just off Meadowcreek Road not far from Ward's Creek. I doubt the house will stand over 10 to 15 more years."
• Check the books from the Broad River Genealogical Society that abstract Cleveland County, NC Tax Lists (1841-1857) for references to William Self.
• Also check the books from the Broad River Genealogical Society that abstract Cleveland County, NC Court Records (1841-1867?) for references to William Self.
• Check Rutherford County, NC land records before 1841 and Cleveland County, NC land records after 1841 for references to William Self. Some of the Rutherford County land records for this period have been abstracted in the Bulletin of the Genealogical Society of Old Tryon County. Cleveland County land records haven't been astracted as far as I know.
• A William Self is listed as a bondsman in an 1831 Rutherford County, NC marriage bond: Young, Henry & Lavina Nanny Martin, 29 Dec 1831; William Self, bm.
• William and Nancy Self appear to have had a son named William based on a 9 year old William listed in their household in the 1850 census, and a 20 year old William listed in their household in the 1860 census. He may have been one of the following two William Self's from Cleveland County, NC who served and died in the Civil War:
  • Private William J. Self, farmer, of Cleveland County, NC enlisted at the age of 22 on April 24, 1862 in Company F of the 55th NC Troops. He was killed on July 1, 1863 at Gettysburg, PA according to his compiled service record (PDF File - 2.1 Mbytes). He left a will (PDF File - 2.7 Mbytes) and estate papers (PDF File - 9.0 Mbytes) in Cleveland County, NC. In his will he references his wife Lucinda and his infant son, although he didn't indicate his son's name. He also references his father-in-law Whitson Digh (the 1860 Census for Cleveland County, NC lists a 16 year old Lucinda Die in the household of Whitson and Jane Die). The estate papers identify the son as J. F. Self (perhaps the infant Francis Self named in William and Nancy Self's estate papers?). They also indicate that Lucinda remarried to William Ledford in about 1866, and died about 1877. There are a couple of clues that William J. Self may have been the son of William and Nancy Self. His estate papers indicate he owned a tract of land (61 acres) on Ward's Creek in Cleveland County which is the same area where William and Nancy Self lived. And his will was witnessed by Julius A. Kennedy, while Julius Kennedy and his wife Linney Kennedy are named in the settlement of William and Nancy Self's estate. Another note is that the names of both William Ledford and Julius A. Kennedy are listed among the rosters for Company F of the 55th NC Troops, so they likely served with William J. Self.
  • Private William Self, farmer, of Cleveland County, NC enlisted at the age of 20 on September 17, 1861 in Company F of the 34th NC Troops. He died of disease on March 4, 1862 at Williamston, NC according to his compiled service record (PDF File - 3.1 Mbytes). I have no further information on this William Self.
  There was also a Corporal William R. Self who served in Company E, 57th NC Troops who was also originally from Cleveland County, NC, but lived in Catawba County at the time of the Civil War. This William Self appears to have survived the war and was likely the son of Lemuel Saunders Self and Rebecca Rooker of Cleveland County, NC based on the fact that a Wm. R. Self of Catawba County was listed as administrator of their estate (PDF File - 44.6 Mbytes).
• The Summer 2016 issue of the Bulletin of the Genealogical Society of Old Tryon County (p.84) lists the following Cleveland County, NC marriage record: 10 March 1870. John Self, son of William Self, to Rachel Black, dau. of James Black.

Sources:

1. Arnold, Annie Self. Some Descendants of Old Robert Selfe (circa 1640-1717). Higginson Book Company, Salam MA, 2004. ISBN 0-7404-4013-6. [ p.19-20: Lists the family of William Self (b.02 Jun 1809-d.13 Jul 1878) of Cleveland County, NC who married Nancy Scott (William Self is listed in this book as Joseph William Self). ]
2. Davis, Mrs. William L. Land Entries, 1826-1834, Rutherford County, North Carolina. Griffith Rutherford Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, Rutherfordton, NC, March 17, 1970. [ p. 105: Reference to William Self. ]
3. [Estate Papers of William Self (1878)]. Cleveland County loose estate papers, file C.R.026.508.50, North Carolina Department of Archives and History, Raleigh, 37p. (Photographs of originals made 12 Nov 2010 (27.4 Mbytes)).
4. Pruitt, Dr. A. B. Abstracts of Land Entries, Rutherford County, NC, May 1826-June 1834. [North Carolina], 1994. ISBN 0-944992-51-X. [ p.248: Reference to William Self. ]
5. [Will of William Self (1878)]. Cleveland County loose wills, file C.R.026.801.10, North Carolina Department of Archives and History, Raleigh, NC, 4 p. (Photographs of original made 12 Nov 2010 (4.1 Mbytes)).