Updated Blog Theme

Finally, a blog theme that I like! Since I moved over to WordPress, I have not been all that happy with many of the themes they provide for you to select from for a blog, but I finally took some time this morning to figure out how to customize elements. So, I chose one of my favorite layouts and made some modifications.

I also replaced the image in the banner with some images from the NC PostCard Collection. Given that my roots are in NC, I thought the images appropriate In the banner image from L to R are images of Queen Street in Kinston, Lenoir County, NC; of A&T School in Greensboro; and of the Plymouth, Washington County, NC courthouse.

A Graphical Representation

I just spent some time researching some of the white Koonce lineages I’m tracking for possible slaveholder relationships. Tonight, I found maps in Wikipedia of Lenoir, Craven and Jones counties of North Carolina and merged the three together. This helps me have a better visual for determining locations. Locations are important to me as I try and narrow down a possible Koonce slaveowner.

My Koonce ancestors are from the Dover area (Township 3) and Township 9 area of Craven County. In the 1860 slave census, there are only a handful of white Koonce slaveowners and the closest ones are JCB Koonce, Amos Koonce, Calvin Koonce and John S. Koonce — they owned plenty of slaves and were from the Beaver Creek area of Jones County. As you can see on the map, the areas are quite close. So, this was the impetus for me following these particular Koonce’s more closely.

This map will also help me in my indexing project of an area newspaper, the Kinston Free Press. I’m going to love this!

New for 2008 - My Genealogy Activities Synopsis

In the spirit of The Geneaholic, I’ve decided to keep a short list of my genealogy activities. Sometimes, the fruits of my work end up posted to the blog, but more often than not, I’ll find that I spend time working on something and not post about it. Also, I think it would be helpful for me to have a month-by-month breakdown of what I’ve worked on genealogically, in addition to my more in-depth blog posts. So, in that vein, I’m starting a series of posts title Genealogy Activities Synopsis.

NYPL Digital Images

In my blog reading this evening, I re-read a post describing the New York Public Library’s Digital Images database. Wonderful site! I just did a few random searches and located some cool pictures.This is a picture of Dr. Robert F. Boyd. In a visit to a cemetery in the area a few months ago, I’d taken a picture of his tombstone and recognized the name from some of my Nashville Globe newspaper reading. In finding this photo however, I am just now realizing that he was a professor at Meharry Medical College. This is a very nice picture of him and was published in the book

Gibson, J. W., and W. H. Crogman. Progress of a Race; Or, The Remarkable Advancement of the American Negro; from the Bondage of Slavery, Ignorance, and Poverty, to the Freedom of Citizenship, Intelligence, Affluence, Honor, and Trust. Miami, Fla: Mnemosyne Pub. Inc, 1969.

Even cooler however, is that I found this photo of Mrs. Rev. Nelson G. Merry, the first black preacher in the state of Tennessee. I was ecstatic to find this!! I have been researching the Merry family for a friend who is a descendant of Nelson’s brother, Liverpool Napoleon Merry. And, the above-mentioned visit to the cemetery was because I wanted to search for her husband’s grave! My other blog posts about the Merrys can be found here.

From my own personal research, I know that she was born Mary Ann Jones and she was born abt. 12 Jan 1828 to Edmond Jones in Kentucky. She and her husband likely married around 1850 when they first appear in census records together as a 25 year old and 23 year old couple. Though I have not found her in all census’ that she would have lived through, I do know that she and her husband had at least 7 children. Her 77th birthday notice was published in the Nashville Globe 18 Jan 1907.

Her picture was published in the book — Buck, D. D. The Progression of the Race in the United States and Canada Treating of the Great Advancement of the Colored Race. Chicago: Atwell Printing and Binding Co, 1907.

Amazing. I can’t wait to see what else I uncover!

I’ve been tagged!

Lori, at Smoky Mountain Family Historian tagged me, however, I’m not currently reading anything! too busy steeped in my genealogy research

So, I’ll graciously pass on this one. Thanks Lori though, maybe next time!

I’ve Been Referenced!

After my previous post on the maps from HistoricMapWorks, Mr. Hillenbrand of the Upstate NY Genealogy Blog, he wrote me and said he’d blogged about me! How cool. Thanks much!

Actually, using the blog as my research log was the primary reason that I started it. I do enjoy the advantage of having everything online and searcheable, and some of what I’ve posted has led distant relatives to find me. I also make use of the blog for writing brief sketches, stories, etc. from time to time about family members and find it a much more digestable way of publishing than thinking about the seemingly insurmountable task of writing a formal book. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Albert Neely - 1867-1919

For my project on Mt. Ararat Cemetery, I’ve now added two more people in addition to Nelson G. Merry. I found his wife’s death certificate, Mary Jones Merry and though I saw no headstone for her, it does indicate that she is buried in the cemetery as well.

I have also just added Albert Neely 1867-1919. I located his death certificate listed in the TN Death Index for that year, so will likely pull his death certificate during my next trip to the State Archives.

I notice that his tombstone has “K of P” on it - I wonder if this stands for Knights of Pythias?