I thought the article below might be of interest to some on this list -- note the York County connection. Linda Merle granted me permission to copy her message from the Scotch-Irish list to this one. The DNA study is being done at: http://www.ulsterheritage.com Joan Hi folks, this information is from an article published by June Grossman Welch in "The Quill" Newletter, a publication of the AD White Research Society, Feb. 2001: The little town of Avella is not old. It is on the south side of Cross Creek in Washington Co, PA, and was laid out in 1903 by Samuel Stewart Campbell whose father Samuel B. Campbell was b. in Ohio in 1811. His parents, David and Ann Rea Campbell wer also locals, David being the son of Hammon Campbell. They came from York Co, PA. David was a ruling elder of the Lower Buffalo Presbyterian Church from 1848 to 1858. Many details omitted. The same newsletter mentions John Wilson and his wife Joanna Patterson who lived in Donegal Ireland in the early 1800s. They had Catherine, Robert, and James. Shortly after James' birth in 1826, the father died and Joanna took her children to America -- Independence Township, Washington Co, PA. James . Margaret Stewart and they had several children. Their son William Patterson WIlson was b. in 1878. He was circulation manager for the Washington Observer Newspaper and self-appointed records keeper of the area. His scrapbooks are in the AD WHite Society. There is also an article reprinted from Oct 1915 (probably the Observer) of The Rev. W. H. McCracken who sent to Ireland to wed a girl he'd never met. He was of course minister of the Avella Presbyterian church. The girl he married was Catherin McElroy. Aparently he met her on a trip there and married. The Rev. McCracken was born in County Down, but left when young. Apparently he completed his ministerial studies at the Western Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh. Meanwhile his mother in Ireland was busy locating a suitable wife. The Rev. then went to Ireland to retreive her despite the World War and the risk of the Germans torpedoing passenger ships. Photos of the couple are reprinted. May 2000, Issue 2 recounts the story of William McElroy and his family. He was born in Ireland about 1754 and arrived with his father at aged 6. Apparently the mother had died before. They settled in Pennsylvania. He married and had a child James, b. 1774. He came after the War to Brooke County, West Virginia, leaving in 1787 for Ohio, where he settled in Cross Creek Twp, Jefferson Co, Ohio. William's son James m. Mary Mitchell, dau of arevolutionary soldier Nathaniel Mitchell, in Ohio in 1808 and had a large family. His son William, b. 1815, inherited the homestead and m. Christiana Patterson, dau of two Irish immigrants. On and on.... Robert Murchland was b. about 1735 and came to America from Belfast, Ireland on the ship Peggy. He landed in Philadelphia in June of 1773 and settled in what would be Brooke County, West Virginia. He never married. He sent in 1790 for his entire family including his mother Elizabeth Crawford Murchland. They arrived in Baltimore, Maryland on the brig "Brothers". After three months Robert hired a pack of horses and brought them over the Alleghenies to Virginia. Apparently the brothers included William, mentioned in Robert's will whose sons inherited his estate. There were two other brothers and three sisters. The will includes others including Easter and William Muckleroy. Possibly Esther was a sibling of Robert Murchland or some other relationship back in Ireland. Does anyone know? The author speculates that William didn't just happen to move to the area but joined an extended family group. The collection includes copies of the baptisms performed at the Cross Creek Presbyterian church which exist from 1800 to 1892. I'm not researching these people and have no further information though there might be more in the archives of the Scotch Irish list as I often post information regarding migrations from Ireland to this list (and then promptly forget). Wilsons and Pattersons (above) remind me of County Down. I wonder if these folk lived there before Donegal. The DNA of the York County Campbells is among a group of Scots Galloglass, also in Donegal. APparently many settled there long before the Plantation. Their DNA is the same as that of many Campbells in Virginia suggesting that either the VA Campbells descend from the York family or they all emigrated from Donegal and Scotland independently. This I AM interested in. Lastly is anyone aware of a link with the name Avella and Ireland? Linda Merle