Welcome to the Homepage for CONCHS

The term Conchs refers to people whose ancestors settled in the Bahama Islands close to the time period that New England was being settled.  These early families were originally from the British Isles and often left their native land to settle in North America and the West Indies seeking both religious freedom and a more prosperous way of life.  During the American Revolution a number of Loyalists fled to the Bahamas since they were loyal to England.  Many of these Loyalist families inter-married into the early Conch families since both were descended from English ancestors and shared the same culture and religion.  Not long after the American Revolution many of these same families left the Bahamas and re-settled in Florida, particularly in the Florida Keys.  Today the term Conch has been expanded to encompass anyone born in Key West, though strictly speaking the correct definition really refers to those families who can trace their ancestors to the English who settled the Bahamas.

The Bahamian Group is a site that is devoted to helping Conchs research their ancestral origins.  The Group has approximately 450 members and is made up of people who live in the United States and in the Bahamas.  The site resides on Yahoo and interested individuals can join simply by applying for membership.  This is a free site and no membership fees are involved.  A simple web search can locate the site. 

As a Group member and researcher I am willing to help anyone who wants to locate resources that furnishes information about their Conch ancestors.   I also personally do genealogy research on Conch families for others who want extensive detailed research but would charge for that type of service.    

I can be contacted at my email address posted on this site.  I will be glad to answer questions and offer help to anyone interested in contacting me concerning research on their Conch ancestors.   I am a retired university professor and I have been researching Conch families since the mid-1970s.  What was once a search for my own Conch ancestors has grown into a passion and pursuit of other Conch families and their relationships to one another.  I welcome inquiries about my research and the services that I offer.

      EMAIL ADDRESS: conchgenie@cableone.net