Storytelling for Busy Researchers

Transcript:

Host (Heather Haunert):
Hi everyone, and welcome to The Family Treehouse, a podcast series brought to you by Storied, where I chat with people that have a passion for genealogy, storytelling, or both. I’m your host, Heather Haunert, and today I am excited to get to chat with our guest, Taneya Koonce.

While genealogy isn’t her day job, she keeps amazingly active—like I have—that’s my main question for her: How does she get all of this in with her day job?

She is in publications and presentations. Last year alone, she had almost 20 presentations that she did in 2023. So Taneya, welcome, and I cannot wait to chat with you today.

Guest (Taneya Koonce):
Well, thank you for having me on, Heather. I’m excited to chat with you as well and get to talk about storytelling. This is going to be fun—it’s one of my favorite things to chat about.

Host:
All right, so why don’t you start by just telling us a little bit about your background and then how you got started in family history and storytelling?

Guest:
Yes, I’d be glad to. Oh boy—the infamous question: “A little bit about myself.” Well, I am a mom to five. I have four stepsons and a daughter and live in Tampa, Florida now. I’ve been here for about three years but lived in Nashville, Tennessee for more than 20 years. I’m originally from North Carolina, and I started doing family history around 2005.

I was interested in getting started because I was going through a process of cleaning out some old notes from stories my grandmothers had told me, and I thought, “Hm, what information can I find to document what they were telling me?” They both had Alzheimer’s by this time, so I knew I couldn’t go back to them.

Then I started researching and became obsessed—very quickly became obsessed.

And I’ll tell you, one of the most interesting things about having this passion for family history research is that it overlaps with what I do in my day job. In my day job, I have a background in library science; I am a knowledge management information scientist. In our positions, we are spending all day long investigating, researching, finding, synthesizing, sharing, publishing information—and isn’t that what we do with family history?

So it’s been a nice synergy to combine my professional skill sets with a hobby and passion I really enjoy.

Host:
I agree. I’m kind of that same way—it’s like my work job leads into my hobbies at home. Such a fun thing. And with this kind of research, I don’t know about you, but you just get so wrapped up in it. Hours go by so quickly, and it’s just a fun thing.

Guest:
That’s exactly the case.

Host:
Tell me why you think storytelling—and I want to hear more about your grandmothers’ stories—why do you think storytelling is such an important part of family history? Of course, records are important, and newspapers and things like that, but why is storytelling such an important piece?

Guest:
Oh boy. You mentioned all the presentations I’ve been doing. I just recently gave one the day before we were recording this, and I talked about the progress and evolution of information—from data to information to knowledge.

When it comes to telling stories, I see that as the culmination of that evolutionary process with what we do as researchers. We seek out data from sources like newspapers, for example. We get multiple data points, which become information because we start to understand more of the picture.

By the time we finish researching an ancestor, we’re familiar with their whole lived experience. We’ve learned so much about them, and through stories, we can transfer what we’ve learned—what we’ve kept in our heads—and make it explicit so it’s easier for those coming behind us to really get to know the people we’re researching.

Storytelling is so important because it makes it relatable as we’re learning about our ancestors. It makes it poignant—many of our ancestors went through so much adversity, but they also had moments of joy. We get to relive that joy every time we hear a story about something positive that happened.

It gives us insight into our relatives’ and ancestors’ personalities. And it’s really interesting to see how characteristics pass on through our genetics. I’ve seen examples of that in my own family history. I’m sure you have—commonalities between who you are as a person and your ancestors. Stories are such an engaging way to communicate that.

Host:
I think you said it before—it’s relatable, and it just makes them real as a person, as opposed to just data points. Tell me about your grandmothers. You said you had some stories—were these audio recordings or handwritten things?

Guest:
Initially, just oral stories. They would tell me stories growing up. At one point, when I was in college, I decided one summer to talk to them more and get more detail. I sat down with both of my grandmothers and said, “Tell me more about your life.”

We had a few hours of conversation. They gave me all this information and told me all these additional stories. I’ve always been—and still am—a copious note-taker, so I handwrote my notes from those conversations. I still have those notes from those days.

Later, when I came across them again, they were crumpled from poor storage. I thought, “Wait a minute, let me do their stories justice.” I started rereading them, talking to my parents, calling relatives—sometimes third cousins my dad didn’t even know he had! It was so much fun connecting with family members around the information I was discovering.

Host (Heather Haunert):
I love that you had the foresight to do that at that age. I think that’s what so many people don’t do—they wait until the end of someone’s life or when it’s too late, and they don’t get that opportunity. Kudos to you for having that foresight.

Guest (Taneya Koonce):
Yeah, I feel fortunate in some ways that I had that curiosity at a younger age. Even though I didn’t start researching in college, I started before I was 30—and that’s not an age group we often see in the family history community.

My mother still says she wishes she’d been interested at that age because now she has questions, but no one from the generations before her is still around.

Host:
And the older we get, we remember bits and pieces, but not everything. That’s why it’s important, like you said, to write things down. Great thinking on your part.

So tell me—when you go to write a story, is there a certain length you go for? Short, long? Does it matter? What’s your process?

Guest:
Good question! Anytime I remember a story, I put it in a database so I won’t forget. I have a whole tracking system. Once I have time to sit down, I review whatever information I have and start writing—more often than not, I dictate into a note-taking app, then correct the text.

I don’t think I’m an engaging writer—maybe that’s just self-criticism—but I can get the facts down. I like to keep my stories about a page long, especially since I compile them into books. That way, I can add one or two compelling pictures.

And here’s a plug for Storied.com—your interface facilitates that for me! I can add pictures, see my text length, and keep it within my target size. Keeping stories short also keeps them more engaging.

Host:
Yes! And that tip about jotting ideas down immediately—I’m so bad at that, but it’s so important. I also think people are too worried about being perfect or long and detailed, when really it’s about getting the story down.

Guest:
Exactly. Perfect is the enemy of done. Get it out of your head first.

Host:
And I like keeping the writer’s voice authentic—even with mistakes—because it makes them more relatable.

Can you recommend any resources or tools for someone starting to research and write their family stories?

Guest:
Sure. I’m an Android user, so I often use Google Keep to dictate quickly, then move it into Notion to organize. Typing can be slow for me, so speaking my story is easier.

For research, I’m a big advocate for FamilySearch.org—so much is free and available. I also volunteer with the USGenWeb Project, which has helped me find valuable information and inspired me to give back.

For storytelling, I’ve experimented with ChatGPT—writing a first draft, then asking it to shorten or make suggestions (while giving clear instructions). And I’ve learned a lot from my friend Dr. Flora Brown, who teaches different storytelling techniques—like starting with the ending as a hook.

Host:
That’s great advice. People are sometimes afraid to try something different.

How do you use historical records—like a census record—to help tell a story?

Guest:
When I look at a record, I ask myself: What’s compelling or interesting here? I don’t want to just hand someone a census and say, “Here it is.” I hone in on what’s unique.

Sometimes you find truly special records. For example, I have a court transcript describing the exact moment my paternal grandfather died in a car accident—word-for-word from a taxi driver’s testimony. That’s incredibly unique.

Finding those kinds of “gems” makes for powerful storytelling.

Host:
Yes, and it’s important to branch out beyond the easy, common records like census reports.

Guest:
Exactly. You start with the basics, but the joy of the hobby is discovering all the other record types out there.

Host:
This is my favorite part—can you share a memorable story you’ve found?

Guest:
Yes! This one happened because I shared a story.

I had a relative named Wright Lawhorn, a minister in eastern North Carolina. My great-uncle once told me Wright had saved a train from crashing and was given a lifetime pass to ride for free. I never researched it, but I did write a blog post about Wright’s wife.

In 2018, a county historian emailed me—he had been researching a train-saving story for decades but couldn’t connect it to the right person because the newspapers misspelled Wright’s last name. He found my blog, made the connection, and sent me the articles.

It turns out Wright and his wife stopped a passenger train before it crossed a bridge with a missing section—saving 400 people. The train company first gave them $25, but after public criticism, awarded them lifetime passes.

Host:
That… made me tear up. What an incredible story—and a perfect example of why sharing stories is so important.

Guest:
Exactly. You never know what will come from it.

Host:
Is there one family member you wish you could talk to?

Guest:
My maternal grandmother, Alice. I knew her, but by the time I started my research, she had Alzheimer’s. She knew everyone and had so much family history in her head. I wish I could have those conversations now.

Host:
As we wrap up, do you have any last tips or advice?

Guest:
Yes—understand what works for you. If you can’t write long stories, don’t. Three sentences is still worth writing down. Keep talking with family members, compare memories, and engage with communities for inspiration.

Also, Storied makes storytelling social—it’s not just writing about someone, it’s connecting with others who may share those experiences.

Host:
Perfect way to end. Taneya, thank you for your expertise and passion.

Guest:
Thank you for having me. Conversations like this are how we keep the inspiration going.

Host:
Absolutely. Well, until next time, friends—embrace the power of your family’s untold tales and start writing your stories today.