Hi, my name is Taneya Koonce and I collect Koonces.
This is esentially what this site is about. I have always had a certain reverence for my last name and its uniqueness. As I began to work on my own family history I’ve become engrossed and decided to start this site dedicated to Koonce history and genealogy information. I am interested in all Koonces and will be growing this resource over time. There have been many Koonce researchers before me and I hope this information helps Koonce researchers that will come after me. 
The impetus for the site began once I found out about the Koonce to Koonce newsletters published from 1994-1997 by the Koonce Genealogical Society. After contacting the publisher, John P. Koonce, he gave me permission to post them online. With that permission, I started devising a plan to get the newsletters online and they now are featured on this site.
I myself am descended from a black Koonce family out of Jones/Craven and Lenoir counties of North Carolina. My earliest ancestor in my Koonce line that I can trace to is Hannah Koonce (born about 1800) who would have been a former slave. I believe my 3rd great-grandfather, James Koonce, to be her son. My current working theory is that they were slaves of either John Council Bryan Koonce (1817 – 1870s?) or his cousin, Calvin Koonce (1805-1878) – both of Jones County, North Carolina. To learn even more about me, please visit my genealogy blog and my main family website.
