Welcome to my genealogy blog.

 I am a medical librarian with more than 12 years in information management & organization.  I apply my professional experience in the identification, selection, evaluation, & critical analysis of information resources to my genealogy hobby pursuits.  My own quest in family history research started in 2006 after rediscovering family tree notes taken during interviews with my grandmothers approximately 10 years earlier.  I’m an active volunteer with the national USGenWeb Project and am dedicated to helping others locate additional information to enrich their own family history knowledge.  An active blogger and participant in the internet genealogy community,  my particular interests lie heavily in technology and historical newspaper research.

EDUCATION

• B.S. in Biology, B.A.in Religion – Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, 1997
• Masters of Science in Library Science – University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC – 1999
• Masters of Public Health – Vanderbilt University School of Medicine – 2010

MEMBERSHIPS

• Federation of Genealogical Societies: Education Committee – member since Fall 2011
• North Carolina Genealogical Society – 2010
• Washington County (NC) Genealogical Society – 2008-2009
• Middle Tennessee Genealogical Society – 2008-2009

USGenWeb VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES

• Tennessee
  • State Coordinator for the TNGenWeb since July 2011
  • Coordinated 1940 Census Indexing Group for TNGenWeb – 2012
  • Blount County – county coordinator since October 2007.
  • Madison County – coordinator since July 2011
• North Carolina
  • Assistant State Coordinator #2, NCGenWeb Project – since July 2010
  • Webmaster, NCGenWeb Project – since July 2009
  • Martin County - county coordinator since 2008.
  • Onslow County – county coordinator since August 2009.
  • Jones County – county coordinator since September 2009.
  • Wake County – county coordinator since January 2010.
  • Washington County – county coordinator since August 2009.
• Florida
  • Assistant State Coordinator, FLGenWeb Project – since October 2010
  • Hillsborough County – county coordinator since July 2010

INDEXING PROJECTS

I have created and maintained the following indexes:

• NCGenWeb Yearbook Index – database of (mostly) senior classes found in yearbooks from many NC colleges and universities.  More than 20,000 names so far. Created in 2010.
• NC People in the News – database of names mentioned in various newspaper articles. Most entries are deaths reported in Raleigh newspapers, but entries also come from a few other North Carolina newspapers.
• Roanoke Beacon Index – database of articles appearing in this Plymouth (Washington County), NC newspaper from late 1800s to early 1900s.  These entries will eventually be moved to the above-mentioned NC People in the Papers database.
• Kinston Free Press Index – database of articles appearing in this Kinston (Lenoir County), NC newspaper from late 1800s to early 1900s. These entries will eventually be moved to the above-mentioned NC People in the Papers database.
• Black Nashville – blog dedicated to the African-American history & genealogy of Nashville, Tennessee. 

SURNAME STUDIES

• Koonce Genealogy – blog dedicated to Koonce Family research
• Vanderbilt Family Genealogy – blog dedicated to the family tree of Cornelius “Commodore” Vanderbilt

WEBSITES

• Family Tree Website – site uses a MySQL/PHP-based program, TNG: The Next Generation of Genealogy Sitebuilding
• Genealogy Digital Bookshelf - my site for categorizing books found at the Internet Archive.  Launched April 2011.
• Ancestry.com Profile
• Facebook Profile

PRESENTATIONS

• 1940 Census Indexing Update Webinar: Panel Member.  Hosted by DearMyrtle. 2 May 2012.  TNGenWeb 1940 Census Indexing. <http://blog.dearmyrtle.com/2012/05/1940-census-indexing-webinar-panelists.html>
• My Society Radio: WordPress for Your Society Website. Hosted by Federation of Genealogical Societies. Podcast. 21 Apr 2012. <http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mysociety/2012/04/21/wordpress-for-your-society-website>
• 1940 Census Indexing & Images Update Webinar: Panel Member. Hosted by DearMyrtle & RootsMagic.  4 Apr 2012. <http://blog.dearmyrtle.com/2012/04/1940census-and-our-guests-tonight-are.html>
• MySociety Radio: Crafting an Effective Member Survey. Hosted by Federation of Genealogical Societies. Podcast. 21 Jan 2012. <http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mysociety/2012/01/21/crafting-an-effective-member-survey>

PUBLICATIONS

• Koonce, Taneya Y.  ”Florida Students Attending North Carolina Colleges.”  Florida Genealogist. Volume 45, Number 2, August 2011: 43-45.
• Koonce, Taneya Y. “NC Yearbook Index.” NCGS Newsletter: the Newsletter of the North Carolina Genealogical Society 34, No. 4 (Fall 2010): 8. North Carolina Genealogical Society. <http://www.ncgenealogy.org>.
• Koonce, Taneya Y., Tom McKnight, and Anna Williams. “Investigating Napier Connections in Alabama and Tennessee.” Old Lawrence Reminiscences : a Bulletin of the Lawrence County Alabama Historical Commission. (2008). Print.  (still working to verify complete citation)

ME MENTIONED AROUND THE WEB

• Green, Tavia D. “Technology Opens New Doors for African American Genealogists.” Leaf Chronicle [Clarksville, TN] 26 Feb. 2012: A5. LeafChronicle.com.<http://www.theleafchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012302260025>.
• “Next Generation Genealogy and One Woman’s Quest to Share the Wealth of WorldCat.org.”