My family on both sides come from West Virginia, and interestingly, all of Appalachia was settled by people fleeing the various religious wars in Europe in that time. Specifically, Appalachia was settled mostly by refugees from Ulster (primarily the Scots-Irish Presbyterians and other non-Anglican protestants who found themselves isolated in northern Ireland) and a smaller percentage of the settlers were Protestants fleeing the aftermath of the 30 years war in Germany. My family's ancestry reflects this.
The echoes of those wars still carry on in the culture there. What was then known as Presbyterian (virtually zero relation to the current Presbyterian faith, and far more in line with evangelical Christians today) at the time shaped the culture to be hugely antagonistic to all forms of central authority. The Scots-Irish were particularly antagonistic to the British monarchy due to them being used to secure northern Ireland, and then in decades following being isolated from society due to laws treating non-Anglicans as second class citizens. The part of history I want to learn far more about is the 30 years war in Germany. My lack of knowledge on this subject was particularly embarrassing when I last went to Prague and was looking at the former seat of power for the Holy Roman Empire (one of many, since the capital shifted over the years to various cities). I had very little historical context for that part of Europe, which was frustrating.
I am curious as to what percentage were out of Ulster vs. from the borderlands.