Silence must not fall

It is my endeavor to write an updated version of my family history in 2012. To help get started,  I have decided to interview to my mom and her brothers as well as my aunt Hortense and get some of their experiences down in print.

So this morning I started with my mom. I think I may have to polish my interviewing skills some more. My mom was extremely defensive. I tried to explain that if she didn't know the answer it was okay but she seemed to feel I was judging her lack of knowledge. It made the interview very long on excuses and explanations and very short on interesting tidbits. Or is that a tidbit in itself?

My mother doesn't share my curiosity about our ancestors. It may be a generational thing. She was taught not to question her elders and that may also be why she is uncomfortable with me questioning her about our past. That is unfortunate, genealogically speaking. She knows very little about her father's people. She wasn't told much and she didn't ask. That definitely does not describe me. I will keep on digging and asking until I am satisfied no matter how long that takes.

Back to work

I was contacted by two people this week that has stirred me out of my hiatus. One was a relative of Isaac Koonce's ward. And another was one of my cousins with contradictory information on Mosella Koonce Dodson.

It will take a little while to get my research muscles going again but I have a break from real life coming up. I will use that time to give those muscles some exercise.

It was very interesting talking to the descendant of Isaac's ward. She told me that the original farm belonged to President Andrew Jackson. She told me of seeing two beautiful antique quilts made by one of the slaves. Unfortunately she didn't know which slave quilted the piece. I wonder if it was Amy.

Since I have done little research since August, the mystery remains. I did look over my blog where I detailed the different ages and gender of Isaac's slaves. I think in my zeal to find Amy, I committed a genealogy sin. I assumed. I haven't been able to gather any more oral stories but I know they're out there. I just have to look under every rock and tree until I find it.

And I think the info on Mosella is just a little confused. Once it is unraveled it will prove to be as we always believed. She is definitely Solomon's daughter.

And the digging goes on

I have been silent but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy. The family reunion is fast approaching and I have been working diligently with the committee to make sure the event is successful. I've also been on the phone talking with relatives, following up on the little bit of information I received on my road trip.

The more I look at the evidence, the more I am sure that Amy did not die right after the birth of her son Moses Koonce. According to Solomon's granddaughter Evelyn, she was told by Alfred Claybrook, a husband to one of Solomon's many granddaughters, that Amy had long, straight black hair. Claybrook could not have seen Amy unless she was alive in the 1900's. And if I believe the 1900 census, she was still alive.

I need to go back to Tennessee and search some more.

Things I learned on my road trip

I'm home. My trip was relaxing, fruitful, hot. I'm glad I went but I didn't accomplish as much as I hoped.

We stayed in a very nice hotel in the Brentwood neighborhood of Nashville. We got a very good deal. Tip #1- The research is the priority, even over good hotel deals. Everything else is secondary. Tip #2 - if you can, stay closer to the libraries even if it may cost more. Traffic takes away time you can use in the library. Also, if you're with someone, you don't have to depend on them for transportation. They can leave or you can leave on your own time schedule.

From Nashville we went to Jackson, TN. My ancestors come from this area. At the Crockett County library I found a will for Joshua Nunn for 1831. This Joshua was Francis' brother and David's father. David Nunn was the administrator of Francis estate and the executor of Joshua's. He was also the brother-in-law of Isaac Koonce, the last slave owner of Solomon.

On this will is listed many of the same names of slaves found on the inventory of Francis' estates. Joshua died in North Carolina. In 1830, Francis bought land (over 1000 acres) in a part of Dyer County that became Lauderdale County. I think Francis may have acquired some of Joshua's slaves from his nieces and nephews for his land. One of the slaves name was unique-Britton. That's what made me think this. One of the other slave is named Sall. I think this may be Solomon. It's a leap, I know, but it makes sense to me.

Tip #3 - It sucks when the persons you're looking at have no heirs. Heirs want to know their heritage. Without them the trail goes cold. Isaac Koonce had no heirs. This Francis Nunn had no heirs. It is more difficult to find background information concerning their lives but I trudge on. It also makes me work harder to leave information for future generations.

On the road, finding clues

I got out of my comfy chair and hit the road so I could find more answers to my ancestry. This year I'm concentrating on my maternal line so I headed toward Nashville. First stop, however was St. Louis. My cousin and genie buddy lives there and she is sharing the journey literally and figuratively.

We stopped at the archives bright and early Friday morning. For me, it was slow going but I kept going. The one thing I wanted to learn was what estate Solomon Koonce, my g-g-g grandfather came from before being sold to Isaac Koonce. The receipt said "from the Nunn's estate." I looked for data on the Haywood County book and figured out that the only Nunn it could be was Francis. However, I couldn't find the will.

A librarian showed me a book that had the index to all the wills in Tennessee. I looked for Francis Nunn and found three. One died after Solomon was sold. Two died around the right time but neither were in Haywood County. One was in Williamson county and the other in Lauderdale. I thought I had hit a dead end but I looked up the microfilm any way.

There was no mention of Solomon on the will in Williamson and I think I pulled the wrong microfilm for Lauderdale because I couldn't even find Francis Nunn on it! I was getting frustrated and discouraged but I went back to the Lauderdale microfilm again. This time I found Francis Nunn and, hallelujah, I found Solomon! He was listed among 27 slaves.

I am positive this is my Solomon. There was also the name Ned on the list. According to oral legend, Solomon had a brother named Ned who sold to a family out of the state. There was also a woman named Ann. On the 1870 census. an elderly woman named Ann Nunn is living with Solomon.

It is also possible that Amy, my great great great grandmother is among the 27 slaves but I'm not sure about that one. There were some discrepancies concerning the names. The names are listed in two places-one in the inventory and one in what happened to them during the interim before being sold. Amy is not listed in the inventory but she is listed at the end. I believe she is called Ann in the inventory but Amy in the last list. I also surmise that she is very young because they don't sent her out to hire like some of the others. Instead they use some of the money as expense to take care of her and several other slaves. Solomon was hired out but for a lower amount than some of the others. I think that is also because he is young, around 12 years old, or possibly of a small stature.

Regardless, this alone has made my trip worthwhile. Everything else is gravy.

Ready for a road trip

I haven't been to Nashville, TN since 2003. A random stranger told me yesterday that it has changed so much and for the better. Nashville is one of the cities I have thought of relocating to.

Most people think of music when they think of Nashville. I think of genealogy. I found the state archives there to be so fruitful. It spoiled me for Mississippi's archive. I found so much more information in the Tennessee archives than the Mississippi archives. I expect another Tennessee bounty now that I am more experienced in genealogy research. I'm getting excited.

Before I go, I will look up what records I will find at the archives that relates to my ancestors. I also plan to watch episodes of "Who Do You Think You Are?" again. The episodes with Lionel Ritchie made me aware that I should also go to Nashville's public library. I didn't watch all of the Tim McGraw episodes but I remember that his ancestors had a similar story to Solomon's slave owner Isaac Koonce. I will also check out Vanessa Williams just to get some helpful hints. Although that show gave me extreme genealogy envy, it also had lots of good information and tips.

The road trip begins after the Fourth. Look out Tennessee.

Time for a Road Trip

This summer I will be traveling to Tennessee to do a little research. A couple of years ago I went to Jackson and McComb, MS to work on my paternal ancestors. It was a big disappointment but I have learned a few things that I hope will make this upcoming trip more fruitful. First, I am going with my cousin Barbara and she has a car and connections in Crockett County. It will be so much more convenient than when I went to MS--no car, no connections that were available.And it will also be nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of.

Also, I plan to go to Nashville to do research at the archives there. I was advised by many wise fellow genealogists that this will save me time and trouble. I can get the information I need that is available there first and save the harder searches for the county courts and local libraries later. And I also hope to finally meet Taneya, my unofficial cousin. She is very learned and all her advice has been very helpful.