Terms of Use

Effective as of April 3, 2018
Last modified December 30, 2025

I. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using The Welsh of Harpers Ferry website (https://welshofharpersferry.com), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use, the accompanying Privacy Policy, all applicable laws and regulations, and acknowledge that you are responsible for compliance with any applicable local laws. 

These Terms of Use, together with the Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between users and The Welsh of Harpers Ferry regarding use of the website and supersede any prior understandings or communications.

If you do not agree with these terms, please do not use this website.

All materials on this site are protected by applicable copyright and trademark laws. Section headings are provided for convenience only and do not affect interpretation of these Terms.

II. Purpose & Nature of the Website

The Welsh of Harpers Ferry is a personal, research-driven historical and genealogical project created and maintained by Kaila A. Welsh-Lamp. The website exists to document, interpret, and share historical records and research related to Harpers Ferry, Bakerton, eastern Jefferson County, West Virginia, and the Irish and laboring-class communities connected to those places.

This website is intended solely for educational, research, and personal historical inquiry. It is not a commercial genealogy service, legal service, or professional research provider.

Use of this website, submission of inquiries, or correspondence with The Welsh of Harpers Ferry does not create a professional, client, fiduciary, or advisory relationship of any kind. No obligation is created to conduct research, provide individualized analysis, or respond within a specific timeframe.

III. Acceptable Use & Access

You agree to use this website only for lawful purposes and in a manner consistent with its educational and research intent. You agree not to:

  • Use the website in any way that violates applicable laws or regulations

  • Attempt to gain unauthorized access to the website, server, or related systems

  • Interfere with or disrupt the operation or security of the website

  • Submit false, misleading, or bad-faith inquiries or materials

  • Use the website to harass, intimidate, or target individuals or families

The Welsh of Harpers Ferry reserves the right to restrict, suspend, or block access to the website for users who violate these Terms or misuse site content.

IV. Intellectual Property & Use License (Personal & Non-Commercial)

Permission is granted to temporarily view or download one copy of materials on this website for personal, non-commercial, and transitory use only. This is a license to use materials and is not a transfer of ownership. 

While many historical records reproduced on this site originate from public-domain sources, the selection, transcription, indexing, annotations, and original written content represent original scholarly work and are protected by copyright.

 
Under this license, you may:

  • Retrace research steps using cited or referenced sources

  • Download or save materials explicitly made available for that purpose

  • Build upon this research for your own non-commercial work with proper attribution and prior notification, though independent verification is strongly encouraged

  • Print copies of articles or records for personal use

  • Use historical photographs or images in:

    • A personal family tree

    • A personal family history website

    • Non-commercial research or educational work

Proper credit is required, including:

 
Under this license, you may not:

  • Modify, copy, or redistribute materials for commercial purposes

  • Publicly display or republish materials without permission

  • Remove copyright or attribution notices

  • Mirror, archive, or host materials on another server

  • Use automated scraping, harvesting, or bulk downloading tools
  • Use site content for machine learning, AI training datasets, or automated outputs
  • Attempt to reverse-engineer or interfere with website functionality

These prohibitions apply regardless of whether such use is commercial, academic, nonprofit, or experimental in nature.

Users assume full responsibility for how materials are reused, cited, or interpreted. Improper attribution, unauthorized use, or misuse of materials may constitute a violation of these terms.

This license automatically terminates if these restrictions are violated. Upon termination, all downloaded materials must be destroyed.

For uses not outlined here, please contact us. For additional context, see “No, We Do Not Own Our Ancestors.”

V. Historical & Genealogical Research Disclaimer

The Welsh of Harpers Ferry provides historical and genealogical information for educational and research purposes only. Nothing on this website constitutes professional genealogical, legal, historical, or archival advice.

Historical records are often incomplete, contradictory, biased, or ambiguous. While every effort is made to present evidence-based interpretations, no guarantee is made that conclusions represent definitive historical fact.

Genealogical conclusions presented on this website represent research-based interpretations of available historical evidence. Alternative interpretations may exist. Some content reflects interpretation, synthesis, or informed scholarly opinion. Reasonable researchers may disagree.

Users are encouraged to:

  • Consult original records whenever possible

  • Verify sources independently

  • Seek additional documentation

  • Draw their own conclusions

Content on this website should not be relied upon as the sole basis for legal, financial, citizenship, inheritance, or personal decision-making. Users are responsible for consulting appropriate professionals where necessary. The Welsh of Harpers Ferry does not adjudicate family disputes, inheritance claims, or questions of personal identity. Users agree that disagreement with historical interpretation does not constitute defamation, misrepresentation, or harm.

Historical references to ethnicity, religion, occupation, or social status reflect the language and classifications of the historical record and should not be interpreted as assertions of modern identity, affiliation, or personal belief.

VI. Accuracy, Revisions, & User-Submitted Material

Materials are provided “as is” without warranties of any kind, including fitness for a particular purpose. Materials on this website may include historical, transcriptional, typographical, interpretive, or photographic errors. The Welsh of Harpers Ferry does not warrant that any content is complete, accurate, or current. Updates, corrections, and revisions may occur at any time without notice, though there is no obligation to update content on a regular schedule.

From time to time, The Welsh of Harpers Ferry may receive information, documents, corrections, or family histories from visitors. While such contributions are welcomed, they are not guaranteed to be accurate, complete, or verifiable. The Welsh of Harpers Ferry reserves the right to evaluate, edit, contextualize, or decline to publish any user-submitted material. Responsibility for the accuracy of submitted information remains with the contributor.

The Welsh of Harpers Ferry reserves the right to decline correspondence, collaboration, or engagement at its discretion. Submission does not create an obligation to publish, respond, or collaborate. Correspondence may be declined at the site’s discretion.

VII. Living Persons & Ethical Use

Determinations regarding whether an individual is presumed deceased are made in good faith using available records, but errors are possible.

The Welsh of Harpers Ferry does not knowingly publish private or sensitive information about living individuals. Any references to living persons are incidental, derived from publicly available records, or shared with consent.

If you believe content on this site may improperly reference a living individual, please contact us so the matter can be reviewed. Requests for corrections or removal of content will be reviewed in good faith. Submission of a request does not guarantee removal. Decisions are made based on historical evidence, ethical considerations, and the purpose of the project.

Users agree not to use site materials to:

  • Harass, defame, stalk, dox, or otherwise harm individuals or families
  • Misrepresent historical content or engage in bad-faith historical claims
  • Use materials to invade privacy, publicly shame, or cause harm to individuals, families, or communities

VIII. Submissions, Communications, & Data Alignment

Use of this website, including submissions and correspondence, is subject to the data practices outlined in the Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference.

Submission of materials does not transfer ownership of historical fact or records, but grants permission to review, contextualize, and publish consistent with the project's purpose.

By submitting materials, you grant The Welsh of Harpers Ferry a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to review, reproduce, edit, contextualize, and publish the submitted materials for educational, research, and historical purposes consistent with the mission of the website. You retain ownership of your original materials unless otherwise agreed in writing.

While inquiries and contributions are welcome, The Welsh of Harpers Ferry makes no guarantee of response time or response at all. Correspondence may go unanswered due to research demands, time constraints, or editorial discretion.

Correspondence does not create:

  • A confidential relationship
  • A research obligation
  • A professional or client relationship

Communications submitted through this website should not be considered confidential unless explicitly agreed upon in writing, and may be retained, referenced, or summarized consistent with the Privacy Policy.

The Welsh of Harpers Ferry does not undertake an obligation to monitor user submissions or third-party content and shall not be responsible for content submitted by users prior to review or moderation.

IX. Editorial Discretion & Content Removal

The Welsh of Harpers Ferry retains sole editorial discretion over all content published on the website. This includes the right to:

  • Edit, revise, contextualize, or remove content at any time

  • Decline to publish submitted materials

  • Update interpretations as new evidence emerges

Requests for corrections, clarifications, or removal will be reviewed in good faith, but publication or removal is not guaranteed. Historical disagreement alone does not constitute grounds for removal.

Users should not assume that submissions, correspondence, or published content will be retained indefinitely, and are encouraged to preserve copies for their own records.

X. No Endorsement or Affiliation

The Welsh of Harpers Ferry is an independent research project and is not affiliated with the National Park Service, state or local governments, historic organization, or any academic institution unless explicitly stated. References to individuals, families, organizations, institutions, or locations do not imply endorsement, affiliation, or approval unless explicitly stated.

XI. External Links & Third-Party Providers

This website may contain links to third-party sites. The Welsh of Harpers Ferry has not reviewed all such sites and is not responsible for their content, availability, or practices. Inclusion of a link does not imply an endorsement.

Use of third-party websites is at the user’s own risk. Data practices on third-party websites are governed by the respective website's Privacy Policy.

Content on this website may be indexed, cached, or displayed by third-party services beyond the control of The Welsh of Harpers Ferry.

XII. Limitation of Liability

In no event shall The Welsh of Harpers Ferry or its publisher be liable for any damages—including loss of data, loss of profits, or business interruption—arising from the use or inability to use materials on this website.

The Welsh of Harpers Ferry shall not be held responsible for failure or delay in performance resulting from events beyond reasonable control, including natural disasters, acts of God, technical failures, or other unforeseen circumstances.

The Welsh of Harpers Ferry does not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free access to the website or its content. The site may be unavailable temporarily due to maintenance, technical issues, or circumstances beyond our control. The Welsh of Harpers Ferry does not guarantee long-term preservation, permanence, archival stability, or continued availability of any specific content or record. Users are encouraged to download or independently preserve materials needed for their own research.

Users agree to indemnify and hold harmless The Welsh of Harpers Ferry and its publisher from any claims arising from misuse of site materials or violation of these terms.

Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations; therefore, some provisions may not apply to you.

XIII. Modification of Terms

The Welsh of Harpers Ferry may revise these Terms of Use at any time without notice. Continued use of the website constitutes acceptance of the current version of these terms. These terms apply to all future versions or continuations of this project, regardless of hosting or format changes.

XIV. Governing Law

These terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of West Virginia, United States of America, without regard to conflict of law principles.

You irrevocably submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located in Jefferson County, West Virginia. If any provision of these terms is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall remain in effect. Failure to enforce any provision of these Terms does not constitute a waiver of that provision or any other provision.

XV. Contact Information

The Welsh of Harpers Ferry is published and maintained by Kaila A. Welsh-Lamp. Kaila can be contacted at kaila@welshofharpersferry.com or by using our contact form here.

These Terms exist to protect both this work and the people who engage with it. They are not meant to discourage inquiry, collaboration, or curiosity, but to ensure that historical research is shared ethically, responsibly, and with respect for the individuals and communities represented.