Occasionally we research unrelated lineages from the Harpers Ferry area for various reasons -- sometimes it is to help other families discover their own ancestors, and sometimes it is to prove a relationship, a family we found interesting, or a family that our own may have dealt with often. Regardless of the reason, you can find that research here.

Research Help

One of our favorite research tasks is helping others discover their own families.

If you are researching ancestors in the Harpers Ferry area, we would love to hear from you!

We are most interested in families who:
  • Resided in Eastern Jefferson County, West Virginia or Western Washington County, Maryland,
  • Lived in the area between the period of 1830 to 1900,
  • Were Irish immigrants or of Irish descent.
We are also interested in families who:
  • Attended St. Peters Catholic Church at Harpers Ferry
  • Had any type of relationship to the various transportation industries of the time period (canal, railroad, etc.)
  • Had any type of relationship with the quarrying, mining, or similar industries of the area.

However, even if your family isn't a family who we might typically research, we would be more than happy to help where we can.

Reach out to us.

Within our "Evidence" collection, we have cataloged and transcribed various sources for which subjects may not necessarily be directly related to our family lineage.

We do this for various reasons, including, but not limited to:

  • Gathering statistics or demographics of the areas in the time period in which our ancestors lived;
  • Gathering background information about the areas in which our ancestors lived;
  • Determining if a possible relationship or friendship may exist;
  • Using the records of others to solve research questions in our research;
  • Learning more about families with certain similarities to our own ancestors;
  • Allowing others an easy way discover hard to access sources;

In order to prevent confusion, we have marked these "unrelated" sources with a bright green box, containing an explanation, located beside the record abstract or transcription.

Unrelated reports, such as the ones listed above, may contain links to these sources. Please note that this box will still show even if you visit from one of these reports.

Please note that the box only denotes the absence of a relationship to the Welsh family of the Harpers Ferry District (Bakerton) and does not necessarily mean that the source is unrelated to the people discussed in our "unrelated" reports.