Raloo Presbyterian Church records

[TF13]

hi lindajayne,

welcome to rootschat!

i hope it turns out you and kiwirose are related 
cant wait for her reply

tony

[KiwiRose]

Hello Lyndajayne,

I am delighted to find another relation. James and Sarah are also my Great, great grandparents so we are some sort of cousin.

I still have family living in the Carrickfergus/Larne area but they are unable to answer my many questions.

There are two branches of the family in NZ and I know of the Rose you refer to.

I will send you a private message (pm) tomorrow when I have more time. This will  avoid any confidentiality problems with living people as I suspect that I have met your family. 

Kind regards,

KiwiRose.

[KiwiRose]

Hello

How do the commercial genealogy sites get hold of the records held in Proni and make them available on their sites? I am asking as I have yet to find the Raloo church records on a site. Could the church elders have placed some sort of embargo on anyone other than Proni having their records?

Regards

KiwiRose.

[aghadowey]

I'm not sure about organisations but I know several people over the years that have purchased microfilms of church records from PRONI and they first had to get written permission from the particular church before PRONI would let them purchase the microfilms.

[KiwiRose]

Thank you aghadowey for your reply.

 Most of the on line genealogical sites with Irish records are not very specific about exactly which parish/church records they actually hold. The sites where I have been able to search indexes  for family names  do not seem to have Raloo records or I would have been more successful.

Do you think that  if I contacted Proni they would be able to and/or willing to let me know if the Raloo records have been purchased or not by an on line genealogical company? Maybe this information is commercially sensitive.

Regards
KiwiRose.

[aghadowey]

Not sure if PRONI would answer your question but it certainly couldn't hurt to ask. You could also ask what Raloo Presbyterian Church records they do hold on microfilm and about purchasing a copy of the film.

[KiwiRose]

Thank you for your suggestions aghadowey.

I had never thought of inquiring about the possibility of purchasing a copy of the Raloo records. If they are about the price of a good reference book then they would be affordable, especially if they are not available on an on-line genealogical site.

Your advice has been followed and an inquiry has been sent off to PRONI just minutes ago.

Regards
KiwiRose.

[KiwiRose]

Hello

Proni has responded very quickly to my latest email. For those of you who are interested here are the records held at Proni for Raloo. I quote:

“We hold the following records for Raloo:
RALOO,  CO.  ANTRIM
 
  C.I. Raloo (Connor diocese)  [Earliest registers destroyed in Dublin]
  Printed list of seatholders, with names of committee members, and income/expenditure for the year ending January 1872. D/1788/4
 
  N.S.P. Raloo
   Baptisms, 1859-; marriages, 1846-; congregation minute book, 1839-. In local custody
 
  P. Raloo Baptisms, 
1842-1927; mar-riages, 1841-1900; lists of new communicants, 1859-82; pew register, c.1860;
Sustentation Fund accounts recording names and payments, 1875. MIC/1P/354
 
  R.C. Ballyclare  (Down and Connor diocese)
   [Raloo parish was formerly in the Roman Catholic parish of Larne and Carrickfergus - see also under LARNE,and then became part of the Roman Catholic parish of Ballyclare]
 Baptisms, 1869-81; marriages, 1870-82. MIC/1D/63

Church records are bound by strict rule regarding copying.”


Proni were not aware of anyone purchasing the Raloo records. They also attached an information sheet for me titled,
“Can I get copies of church records?”
Part of the information from this sheet relating to the Presbyterian Church follows:

“Permission must be sought from the individual congregation (by writing to the Minister) for copies of:
•   entire reels of Presbyterian Church records;
•   entries/pages from records (other than registers of baptisms, marriages and burials) which are less than fifty years old.
PRONI cannot provide copies of entire reels of post-1845 marriage registers.”


Regards
KiwiRose.

[judy333]

I just found this wonderful website and immediately joined after reading this string of messages.  I have long been curious about records held in this church.  My great-great grandparents, John and Martha (Agnew) Girvan were married on 22 Dec 1846 at Raloo Presbyterian Meeting House, Raloo Parish, Antrim County, Ireland.  I have a photocopy from an uncle of their marriage record.

Family tradition has confused us all when we look at their marriage record.  We were told that Martha (sometimes called "Mary") was too young to marry; therefore, she ran off from Scotland to Ireland (accompanied by two brothers) to elope.  However, the church records state that she was residing in Gleno at the time of her marriage (and John was residing in Ruloo (probably Raloo?).  In addition, the 1860 U.S. Federal Census lists her place of birth as Ireland.  Both fathers' names on the marriage record are "John."  With so many John Girvans and John Agnews living in both Ireland and Scotland, it's all very confusing!!!  Our family tree dead-ends with these two fathers' names.

Do any of you have any advice on how to learn more about John and Martha???  Unfortunately, the couple moved to the United States and eventually died in Florida between 1860 and 1870; Florida kept no death records during that time period.  AUGH!!!

Again, I'm happy to have found this group whose members have actually heard of Raloo Presbyterian!

Judy in Massachusetts, USA