Re: Benjamin Ravan of Greenville, SC
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In reply to:
Benjamin Ravan of Greenville, SC
10/08/01
Dear Chris Ravan Fletcher,
Allow me to introduce myself to you; I am Melanie Dawn Ravan, and was raised
in Atlanta Georgia. I am a historian and a lawyer by education and training.
I am more than likely related to you as I am a Southerner, with parents from
the Greenville environs. My father is Jack Edward Ravan, born in Easley,
S.C., in 1937.My father's father, William Ravan, was originally a farmer,
attendant at a mill, and later employed by the textile industry in the 1940s
and 1950s. He had about 12 children, the brother to my father is Bill Ravan
who still lives in Easley SC as do many of my aunts and uncles. My Grandfather William Ravan was from (or his antecedants come from) Tryon, NC. Family lore recounts that he was one of 3 brothers, a John, a William and another.
To answer your question, the name Ravan is a derivative of an ancient Irish
surname, O'Radhain, pronounced O-Rad-vain. Upon reaching the shores of
America, Irish names were Anglicized, and varied depending upon the clerk
who was recording the immigrant's arrival. Derivatives of the ancient Irish
name include: Ravan, Raden, Radan, Reden, and Radden.
We can be certain that we are of Irish extraction. The puzzling aspect is
why were are not, as a clan if you will, Catholic, as that is the national
faith in our homeland. I can answer this as well. Those who came over wished
desperately to have a better life. Catholicism in Ireland was associated as
a less worthy religion when compared to the Anglican, or English national
belief. As the English had basically taken over a neighboring kingdom,
Ireland, by the time of this significant wave of immigration, 1750-1830, it
became a cultural identifier. Catholics were seen as "Irish Bogtrotters" and
compared to simians as an underclass. Just looking at the Irish Famines that
England never helped heal, it is due to this pervasive belief at the time
that Irish, predominately Catholics,were inferior and therefore to be
exploited and abused. We see remnants of this conflict in Northern Ireland
today.
In any event, upon arrival to the United States, many Irish tried to raise
their social status by Anglicizing their names to amore English sounding
name (note that my Scottish ancestors were McNabb, and changed their name to
Smith for the same purpose). Additionally, there was a great wave of revival
and evangelizing in the South in the early 1800s which also persuaded the
rest of the "holdouts" to become Baptist or Methodist, or even deeper types
of Evangelical beliefs.
I know that I see many Irish traits in my family, including black hair and
blue eyes, a type of genetic inheritance called "Black Irish". Like our Irish cousins to day, we are also
prone to depressions, sadness layers, alcoholism and fatalism,on the down side, but also
great gifts of communication and intensity, as well as melodious gifts of
poetry and high level capabilities in the use of language on the up side.
We also are a handsome people as well and highly intelligent and thoughtful.
Our name, Ravan, also has a mid eastern meaning, although not associated
with our antecedents. In Farsi, which is the national language of Iran,
sometimes called "Persian", the word ravan means "flowing".
There is a town in Ireland named Navan. It is where our clan more than
likely originated.
I hope this may help you, Melanie
Melanie D. Ravan
More Replies:
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Re: Benjamin Ravan of Greenville, SC
12/02/01
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Re: Benjamin Ravan of Greenville, SC
Patricia Tinney 11/04/12
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Re: Benjamin Ravan of Greenville, SC
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Re: Benjamin Ravan of Greenville, SC
10/12/01