Because Harpers are a cadet branch of the Buchanan clan,
the Buchanan tartan (on the left) and badge (on the right) are worn by Harpers in Scotland.

Most of the Harpers who settled in Pennsylvania and the Carolinas in the 18th century were "Scots-Irish" immigrants  from Northern Ireland and Scotland. The next largest group were Germans. For genealogical purposes it is useful to know that many German immigrants anglicized their names and the German equivalent of "Harper" is "Hammer." G2 Harpers appear to have originated in Northern Ireland, which is where Ted Harper's family last lived in the eastern side of the Atlantic.

The articles linked below provide some interesting history about Scots-Irish and German immigrants to the American colonies and the acquisition and settlement of the territories west of the Allegheny Mountains. They were written in the first part of the 20th century and some of the attitudes and opinions may strike readers in the 21st century as insensitive with respect to current issues of "political correctness." But that too is useful history.

THE CONQUEST OF THE OLD SOUTHWEST: THE ROMANTIC STORY OF THE EARLY PIONEERS INTO VIRGINIA, THE CAROLINAS, TENNESSEE, AND KENTUCKY (1740-1790) BY ARCHIBALD HENDERSON, PH.D., D.C.L.

INRIGUES AND LAND SPECULATIONS: THE TREATIES OF JAY AND PINCKNEY (1793-1797)

THE MEN OF THE WESTERN WATERS, 1798-1802