I am ecstatic and over the moon today! For, last night, I received a wonderful gift from a cousin. That was the gift of family pictures! This is a picture of my paternal grandfather William Koonce Sr. (in black), his brother Harvey (in white), and Harvey’s wife, Mary. This fabulous picture was sent to me […]
What an Incredible Birthday Gift! Read More »
Two years ago, almost exactly, I joined the Guild of One-Name Studies as I have two surname projects on which I work – my Koonce Surname Project and my Vanderbilt Surname Project. As I renewed my membership this week, a reflected on a question my father asked me that relates perfectly to both my membership
Some "Same Name" Fun in my Koonce Surname Project Read More »
Today, December 11th is the death anniversary of my paternal aunt Ella Levon Koonce. She passed away on this day in 1984 at the young age of 27. I was 9 years old but remember the day well. My middle name, Yvette, was inspired by her middle name — hers was supposed to be Yvonne
15 Minutes for Ella Read More »
A couple of weeks ago I shared that I’d joined the Guild of One-Name Studies. This is Week 6 of Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks series and how apropos that this week’s prompt is “Favorite Name.” Guess what name I choose? KOONCE! A perfectly timed prompt for launching my new site dedicated
My New Koonce Surname Study Site Read More »
Yesterday, I was delighted to present a session on Researching African American Family History & Genealogy on behalf of the Nashville Chapter of the Afro-American Historical & Genealogical Society. This is our fourth year partnering with Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage to conduct part of their Black History Month programming and it went well! We had a
In the Census: I’m Ready for 1950 Read More »
This weekend I joined the Guild of One-Name Studies and I am ecstatic! I’ve had my eye on the Guild for a few years because I do research on families with my Koonce surname – whether related to me or not. I have a research database full of Koonce families and I actively use FamilySearch
I’ve Joined the Guild of One-Name Studies Read More »
Today I give a hat tip to my cousin Marissa who followed up on a blog post of mine from last year. Back in November 2015 I blogged about a petition from Jones County, NC in 1847 that may have included slaves associated with my own family ancestry. In the petition, six white slaveholders, John S.
And Yes, They Were Sold Read More »
Thanks to my cousin Marissa, I have my first pictures of my father’s paternal grandmother, Josephine Holloway Koonce. We believe the pictures to be from around 1940s. Here is one of them: Josephine passed away before I was born but I know that she had many of her grandchildren living her, including my aunts, as
Last week, as a way to help a non-profit in which my sister is involved, I offered to do genealogy reports for two people if they donated $50 or more. A deal I know! We created this wonderful ad to showcase the offer: It then turned out that the 1st winner of one of my
My Friend is Also A Koonce Descendant Read More »
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to be interviewed by Lisa Louise Cooke for the Family Tree Magazine monthly podcast! The theme of November’s episode is about busting through brick walls and Lisa interviewed me for a segment covering resources from the magazine’s 101 Best Websites list. Listen to Lisa, myself, and her other
A Possible Brick Wall Buster via the Digital Library on American Slavery? Read More »