Self, J. A.

J. A. Self was born in Pope County, Missouri, near Springfield, on October 25, 1881, as the oldest of eight children born to W. H. and Elizabeth Olinger Self. Although he received a grammar school education, he worked on his father’s farm as a young lad by following the plow and learning early agricultural work. At twenty-one years of age, he moved to California after marrying Miss Ida M. Walker in Polk County, Missouri, on January 1, 1903. The couple arrived in Sacramento on March 7, 1903, and he spent three years working for A. C. Morris at Knight’s Landing. He later moved to Humboldt County, where he and his wife sought employment in a lumber camp before he worked in ranching, learned blacksmithing, and served as head fireman at the Minor Brothers sawmill in Glendale.

In Fresno County, Mr. Self became known as one of the greatest workers to settle in the region due to his untiring energy. He acquired a thirty-acre farm located one and a quarter miles west of Del Rey near the prairie schoolhouse, while also renting a fifty-acre farm from Mary B. Williams. His self-made success was achieved without financial help from his father, who was a well-to-do farmer in Missouri. He gave much credit for his success to his wife, Ida, who was a devoted mother, supportive partner, and recognized factor in the general welfare of the community. Together, they cultivated strong social ties alongside their agricultural efforts, earning the respect of their associates and neighbors.