Welcome to the 8th Annual Gathering of Self Family researchers / descendants.  This yearly event is open to all Self family descendants who are interested in researching, sharing, and the preservation of Self / Selph family history and records. Chattanooga was selected at the family meeting of April 2003 in North Carolina, and was re-confirmed by the family in April 2004 in Virginia.

This year’s Gathering will honor the memory of Dan McCarthy, the Founding Editor of The Self Family Newsletter, who passed away recently.  All Self family researchers will warmly remember Dan’s legacy.

REGISTRATION

Thursday will be an independent research day.  Events will be held Friday and Saturday.  The “main event” is Saturday, beginning at 10AM (in case that is the only day you can attend).  You must register to attend the Saturday events from 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM.  Registration is $17.75 per person, which includes the cost of the Saturday lunch meal.  To register, mail your check payable to D. Richard Self, 1712 Sandalwood Drive, Sarasota, Florida 34231.  If you have questions, please feel free to contact him at (941) 921-2080, or e-mail him at rself@comcast.net.  Please mail your registration check to Richard ASAP (as soon as possible) so that we know how many are attending and can plan accordingly. 

Motels and Restaurants

Call The Comfort Inn Chattanooga today at (423) 893-7979 to make your reservation.   

For those coming in from out of town and needing a place to stay a night or the week - The Comfort Inn Chattanooga, 6710 Ringgold Road, Chattanooga, 37412 has made a generous offer to our group. These are top-notch rooms, as of inspection May 2004, with all the amenities. The Studios, with one King bed, two people, at $69.99 per night, The Suites, 2 double beds, two rooms, sofa, at $79.99 per night. We have a block of rooms being held for the Self reunion at The Comfort Inn Chattanooga, 6710 Ringgold Road, 37412.  Please make your reservation as soon as possible (but no later than April 4, 2005, because they can't guarantee the price nor that a room will be available after that date).  When making your reservation, be sure to tell the clerk that you are with the SELF FAMILY reunion group to receive the above special rates.

More expensive rooms are available. The special rates extend two days before and two days after the reunion for those who wish to stay in the area for further genealogical research or just for good old family fun.

Beyond the usual 50 channel 25" TV, speaker telephone, etc., the rooms have ironing board / iron, coffee maker, ceiling fans, hair dryer, make-up mirrors, multiple phone lines, refrigerator, micro-wave, and voice mail. There is a fitness center, pool, copy machine, fax, sauna, full hot breakfast (scrambled eggs, etc), free newspapers, free TV movies, etc. The lobby area is large, having over 60 seats and 24-hour coffee. The conference / meeting rooms can hold up to 150 of us.

Conveniently located on I-75, Tennessee Exit 1-A, east onto Ringgold Road, 2/10 mile on the right. Minutes from Hamilton Place Mall, the largest mall in Tennessee, and only minutes from downtown Chattanooga.

You can also call for a Chattanooga, TN brochure at 1-800-322-3344.

Restaurants in the area:

Famous Dave's, Wallys, Golly Whoppers, Sticky Fingers, Country Place, Provino's Italian, The Epicurian, Smokey Bones, Logans Roadhouse, The Acropolis, etc., plus the usual chains - Cracker Barrel, Olive Garden, etc.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

THURSDAY, April 21, 2005 - Thursday will be an independent research day.  The Chattanooga - Hamilton County Library, located at 1001 Broad Street, is an excellent choice.  Thursday night at 6 PM, early birds will gather at The Comfort Inn Chattanooga in order to share an evening meal together.

FRIDAY, April 22, 2005 - All of Friday's happenings are optional as follows:

11:00 AM to 12:10 PM- We start the day with our own David E. Self, USMC retired, doing a program on the Self family in the Battle of Chickamauga through the eyes of his direct ancestor Self.  This event will be held at The Comfort Inn Chattanooga.

12:10 PM to 12:15 PM – Drive to Wally’s East Ridge Restaurant, 6521 Ringgold Road (a 3 minute drive) for a buffet lunch ($8.65 per person, including tip – this lunch is not included in your registration fee).

12:15 PM to 1:00 PM – buffet lunch (Southern cooking).

1:00 PM to 1:25 PM – Drive to The Battles for Chattanooga Map & Museum (approx 20 to 25 minute drive) – 1110 East Brow Road, Lookout Mountain, TN

1:25 PM to 2:00 PM - The Battles for Chattanooga Map & Museum – viewing of audiovisual presentation.

2:00 PM – 5:00 PM – Visit the Lookout Mountain Battlefield (and/or drive 20 minutes to the Chickamauga National Military Park, where you can view an audiovisual presentation of that battle, as well as tour in your car with audio).

6:30 PM – Attendees who made reservations will gather at Ross's Landing, Riverfront Parkway to embark on the Southern Belle for our Dixieland Dinner Cruise on the Tennessee River with the music of the Riverboat Ramblers, and a prime rib dinner. We'll return to the dock at 9:30 PM.   The cost is $41 for adults and $21 for children.  When making your reservation (423-266-4488), ask to be seated with the "Self Family Reunion" group. . 

SATURDAY, April 23, 2005 - The Gathering:

10:00 AM to 11:15 AM - Program at The Old Stone Church, Ringgold, Georgia (site of the skirmish that started Sherman’s March to Atlanta; located near the end of the Great Locomotive Chase; a Museum of Civil War artifacts; the Church attended by early Self settlers in the area, and an overall unique building) presented by Mr. Tracy Wright, Catoosa County, GA teacher and historian. We need to double up on our rides to the Church, as parking is limited. Additional parking is available to the right and back of building in addition to the parking lot along the highway.

11:15 AM to 12:00 PM – return to The Comfort Inn Chattanooga.
12:00 PM to 1:00 PM - Family meal at The Comfort Inn Chattanooga in our meeting room. 
1:00 PM to 2:15 PM - Dr. Robert S. Davis, renowned genealogist, professor, and author, will present a program on proving migration. Dr. Davis has numerous books on research and genealogy. He is a professor at Wallace State Community College in Hanceville, AL.
2:30 PM - Family photo session.
2:45 PM to 5: PM - Genealogy swap and share session. Experienced researchers - be sure that you help all the first time attendees find what we know of their specific family line. Post your family tree on the wall for all to see.
5:00 PM to 6:00 PM - Instructional seminar on DNA, and how it is a tool in your genealogical research, presented by Kathi Bobb, a Self descendant and an experienced DNA researcher. 
6:00 - 7:00 PM - Recovery time - you'll need it.
7:00 PM - Family meal-pizza-optional, at The Comfort Inn Chattanooga
8:00 PM to 10:00 PM. - Family meeting at The Comfort Inn Chattanooga - as a family, we will attempt to plot a future course of Self-Selph family research and the preservation of our records; where to hold the TX 2006 Gathering, and future Gatherings; what changes or improvements to the Self Family Newsletter; and etc. What is the next project for the family?  If possible, be sure that you attend this critical meeting.

SUNDAY Morning, April 24, 2005 - Farewells by the group will be held in the lobby of The Comfort Inn Chattanooga.

Paid Registrations Recieved to Date:

Name		Location
D. Richard Self		Sarasota, FL
Kathi Bobb		Gahanna, Ohio
Leroy Self		Fort Lauderdale, FL
Jane Self		Fort Lauderdale, FL
Barry Self		Madisonville, TN
Sue Ferguson		Coeur D Alene, ID
Steve Ferguson		Coeur D Alene, ID
Doris Howard		Columbus, GA
Pamela Self Reynolds		Simpsonville, SC
Corey Reynolds		Simpsonville, SC
Paul E. Ramsey		Athens, AL
Nancy E. Ramsey		Athens, AL
Tom Self		Daytona Beach, FL
Jane H. Self		Daytona Beach, FL
Jane L. Self		Gaylesville, AL
Richard G. Smith		Decatur, AL
Louise S. Smith		Decatur, AL
Lisa Kirby		Decatur, AL
Charles Robert "Bob" Self		Woodside, CA
Mike Self		Waycross, GA
Cathy Self		Waycross, GA
Wilson Self		Birmingham, AL
David E. Self		Dumfries, VA
Jeanie Self		Dumfries, VA
Gerald Self		Birmingham, AL
Richard L. Self		Charlottesville, VA
Bill Self		Rochester, NY
Robert L. "Bob" Self		Montague, TX
Emma Lou Self		Montague, TX
Lee Self		Lyons, GA
Hilda Self		Lyons, GA
Judy Self Price		Lyons, GA
Jim Price		Lyons, GA
Richard C. "Rick" Self		Hoover, AL
Kathy Self		Hoover, AL
Martha Self Carlin		Marietta, GA
Billy W. Selph		Lake Park, GA
Gereline Selph		Lake Park, GA
DeWitt Self		Leeds, AL
Pat Self		Leeds, AL
Marlene Shaffer		Wadsworth, OH
Glenn C. Shrader		San Francisco, CA
Brad Self		Lakeland, FL
Ray Self		Huntsville, AL

Some sites in the area:

**** Old Rock Church (a Self family site), Ringgold, GA. On May 1, 1863, a skirmish at the old Stone Church, east of Ringgold, Georgia is recognized in the Official records as the site of the beginning of the Sherman's Atlanta Campaign of the Civil War. This Church is also near the location of the ending of "The Great Locomotive Chase" of April 12, 1862. See SFN Volume 15 #3 for full details on this church.

*** Resaca Confederate Cemetery, Resaca, GA. On US highway 41 just south of the Whitfield/Gordon County line. Scene of the largest battle in Georgia during the Civil War with 105,000 Federal troops and 55,000 confederate troops, and 11,500 combined casualties. Re-enactment of May 2004 featured the largest collection of cannon since 1864.

*** New Echota, Calhoun, GA. On highway 225 just off Georgia exit # 345 of I-75. Restored capital of the Cherokee nation. Not an event in Self family history, but the site was preserved through the efforts of R. D. Self of Calhoun, GA. (see the Self Family Newsletter ) www.northga.net/gordon/echota.html

The Battle for Chattanooga Museum - TN. Click Here
Lookout Mountain Incline Railway, GA. Click Here
Ruby Falls, Click Here

Rock City, Click Here
Ocoee River Whitewater Rafting, TN. - Click Here
Southern Belle Riverboat, Chattanooga, TN. - Click Here

Tennessee Valley Railroad, Chattanooga, TN - Click Here
Chattanooga Downtown Free Shuttle Service - Click Here
Tennessee Aquarium, Chattanooga, TN. - Click Here

Chickamauga National Military Park, Fort Oglethorpe, GA. - Click Here

National Cemetery, Chattanooga (12,000+ union soldiers) Directions: To visit the cemetery take I-75 North to I-24 West to the Fourth Avenue exit. Turn right at the light, then turn left at the next light (23rd Street). Continue on 23rd Street to Holtzclaw Avenue (aproximately nine blocks). Turn right. Stay on Holtzclaw Avenue untill you come to the main entrance of the cemetery which will be on the left. When you enter the cemetery, turn right and you will come to the office.