Racavan Civil Parish, County Antrim, Northern Ireland Genealogy

Guide to Racavan Civil Parish, County Antrim, Northern Ireland ancestry, family history, and genealogy. Parish registers, transcripts, baptism records, marriage records, and burial records.

The following information is a starting point for records about the civil parish of Racavan. The information is based on locations and records before 1922.

History
Racavan or Rathcavan and also called Rathcoon is a parish in the poor-law-union of Ballymena, barony of Lower Antrim, county of Antrim and province of Ulster.

The living is a rectory in the diocese of Connor, forming part of the union of Skerry, or the Braid. There is a place of worship for Presbyterians, also for Covenantors at Craigamoy. There is a small, ancient churchyard used exclusively as a burial place for Presbyterians.

Localities
List the names of town-lands in this civil parish. List the names of the surrounding parishes. List the names and give a description of a district, poor law union, etc.

Maps and gazetteers
Read more about maps and gazetteers.

Cemeteries
Add references to indexes to gravestones or monumental inscriptions.

Census
The purpose of a census was to gather information about people who lived in an area. While the government began census taking in 1821, only fragments exist before 1901. Censuses for 1901 and 1911 are available. Read more about the records in the Ireland Census article.

Church records
Read general information about church records.

Catholic
Name(s) of ecclesiastical parish, records, availability, archive, online indexes, notes.

Church of Ireland
Name(s) of ecclesiastical parish, records, availability, archive, online indexes, notes.

Presbyterian
Name(s) of ecclesiastical parish, records, availability, archive, online indexes, notes.

Methodist
Name(s) of ecclesiastical parish, records, availability, archive, online indexes, notes.

Society of Friends
To discover what is available on the Quaker population in county Antrim contact:


 * The Religious Society of Friends, 4 Magheralave Road, Lisburn BT28 3BD


 * County Antrim Internet site: Quakers.


 * E-mail: qhist@eircom.net

Others
Name(s) of ecclesiastical parish, records, availability, archive, online indexes, notes.

Civil Registration
Government registration of births and deaths began in 1864. Registration of Protestant marriages began in 1845, with all marriages being registered by 1864. Go to the Ireland Civil Registration article to read more about these records.

Land records
The Registry of Deeds started in 1708. Land transactions were recorded, including immovable property passed on in a will and property given to a daughter at her marriage. Read more about these records in the Ireland Land and Property article.

Probate records
Probate dealt with the property of a deceased person. Read more about these records in the Ireland Probate Records article.

School records
Read more about these records in the Ireland Schools article.

Tax record
The valuation of property for tax purposes was started in the 1840s by Richard Griffith. A tax paid to the church, call Tithe Applotments, began in the 1820s. Read about these records in the Ireland Taxation and Ireland Land and Property articles.