SOUTH AFRICAN GENEALOGY

The first permanent European settlement was established by the Dutch on 06 April 1652, when they established a garrisoned trading station at Table Bay. On that April day, Jan van Riebeeck arrived with 3 ships and a company of 90 men, women and children. In 1657 nine of these settlers established a settlement in the Liesbeeck Valley. They grew crops to supply the Cape and the many passing ships. As shipping traffic increased around the Cape, these farmers needed more labour to replenish the passing ships. Jan van Riebeeck brought in slaves from places such as Java, Madagascar and Angola to work on the farms. The Cape Coloured people started emerging due to mixed marriages between Europeans, Asians and the indigenous peoples.

The Dutch, through the Dutch East India Company, governed the expanding Cape Colony from 1652 to 1795. During this period many European settlers arrived, including the French Huguenot refugees (about 200, mostly young and married) in 1688.

The first British occupation of the Cape Colony was from 1795 to 1803. Between 1803 and 1806, the colony was ruled by the Batavian Republic. The British ruled the Cape again from  1806 to 1823. During this period, missionaries started arriving, at first only from the Morovian Brethren and the London Missionary Society, but later they were joined by German, Dutch, Danish and Flemish missionaries. From 1820 to 1824, about 4 500  immigrants arrived from Ireland, England and Scotland. These immigrants are referred to as  the 1820 British Settlers. In 1836, a group of earlier Dutch settler families started migrating into the interior of the country. This migration is referred to as the Great Trek and it led to the formation of the two Boer republics, the Orange Free State and the Transvaal. The diamond fields in Kimberley were discovered in 1869. The gold fields in the Transvaal were discovered in 1886. These discoveries brought an influx of fortune seekers.

Prior to the Union of South Africa in 1910, the country consisted of:
- the colony of the Cape of Good Hope
- the colony of Natal
- Zululand (which included Tongaland), administered as part of Natal
- the Transvaal (South African Republic)
- the Orange River Colony (Orange Free State)

The colony of the Cape of Good Hope, included the following areas:
- South or Little Namaqualand, now Namaqualand
- Bushmanland
- East Griqualand (Adam Kok's Country), ceded to the British by Faku in 1861, annexed to the Cape Colony in 1879
- Griqualand West, the territory of Chief Nicholas Waterboer and the Griquas, originally containing the districts of Klipdrift, Pniel and Griqua Town. Proclaimed British on 27 October 1871, a territory governed by Lt-Gov. Sir Henry Barkly until it was placed under the control of the Governor of the Cape Colony on 20 August 1872, and was annexed to the Cape in 1885 when it became a province of that Colony.
- Part of British Bechuanaland which was annexed in 1895 to the Cape Colony, as the Districts of Gordonia, Vryburg and    Mafeking.
- British Kaffraria (1847 - 1866) (from the Keiskamma River to the Kei River)
- The Transkei was incorporated into the Cape as a separate territory in 1879. It consisted of Fingoland and Idutywa reserve, which were annexed in 1879, and Galekaland, which was conquered in 1877-78.
- Pondoland, part of the later Republic of the Transkei but earlier referred to as a separate region
- Tembuland, a province under the jurisdiction of the Ministerial Division of the Secretary for Native Affairs, consisting of Tembuland Proper, Emigrant Tembuland and Bomvanaland. Tembuland Proper was ceded by Gangelizwe in 1875. Emigrant Tembuland was conquered in 1858. Bomvanaland was occupied in 1878.
- Walvis Bay, which was ceded to Namibia in 1993.
- Lesotho, called Basutoland or British Basutoland by the Cape authorities, until 1884 when it became the Basutoland Protectorate
- St. John's River Territory was purchased in 1878 from Nquiliso and annexed to the Cape Colony in 1884
- The Northern Border, proclaimed as part of the Colony in 1847.
- Walfish Bay (later Walvis Bay), annexed in 1884

After Union in 1910, the four colonies were called: the Transvaal, the Orange Free State, Natal, Cape Province

The Transkei, which included Tembuland and Pondoland, became known as The Republic of Transkei.
East Griqualand remained part of the Cape Province but was incorporated into Natal in 1983.
The Colony of Natal, subdivided into counties and districts, and Zululand, formed a political unit until Union, when Zululand, including Tongaland, became a part of Natal. Natal and Zululand were separated by the lower reaches of the Tugela River and the Buffalo River, until the Utrecht and Vryheid areas were annexed by the Transvaal (later South African) Republic. At a later stage these two districts became known as Northern Natal.

At the end of the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) the magisterial districts of the Transvaal were:
Waterberg, Zoutpansberg, Rustenburg, Marico, Lichtenburg, Potchefstroom, Pretoria, Krugersdorp, Middelburg, Lijdenburg (Lydenburg), Heidelburg, Standerton, Carolina, Ermelo, Wakkerstroom, Bloemhof, Wolmaransstad, Piet Retief, Utrecht, Vrijheid (Vryheid)

After 1902 the Districts of Utrecht and Vrijheid (The New Republic) were annexed to Natal, and became known as Northern Natal.
Sekukuniland is a territory in the eastern part of Northern Transvaal.

In 1994, South Africa was again re-defined (see map link at bottom of this page):
The Transvaal and Cape were divided into a number of smaller provinces. Part of the Piet Retief district of the former Transvaal province between the Pongola river and Swaziland was included in Natal, which was renamed KwaZulu-Natal. The 9 current provinces are:

Gauteng (mostly the Pretoria-Witwatersrand-Vereeniging area)
Northern Province (mostly the old Northern Transvaal)
Mpumalanga (mostly the old Eastern Transvaal)
Northwest Province
Northern Cape
Western Cape
Eastern Cape
Free State
KwaZulu-Natal

In 1961 South Africa left the Commonwealth  and became a republic. Today, South Africa is once again a member of the Commonwealth.

2) BEGINNING YOUR RESEARCH
Genealogy is the study of the descent of families and persons from an ancestor or ancestors. Genealogy creates a skeleton of the family and family history puts flesh onto the bones of the family. Genealogical research has to be conducted logically, step-by-step, gathering information so that the answer to one question provides a clue to the next question. ALWAYS start with yourself and work backwards. Genealogical research is time consuming and can cost money. The information gathered is kept on specific types of charts and forms on paper or on computer.

Before starting, decide on what it is that you want to achieve. Do you want to trace all your ancestors on your paternal (father's) side? Do you want to trace all your ancestors on your maternal (mother's) side? Do you want to trace all your ancestors on both your paternal and maternal lines? Do you want to trace all the descendants of a common progenitor, perhaps the first person to arrive in South Africa with your surname? Only once you have decided what you want to achieve can you decide what to look for. Always START WITH YOURSELF and work backwards to you parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc... working from the known into the unknown. This sequence of starting with yourself and working back in time should be followed even if you want to try and prove a link to a famous person or your descent from a common progenitor or from a particular group. Nothing could be worse than trying to trace all the descendants of a particular person and then finding out that you are not even related. Each generation doubles up - two parents, four grandparents, eight great-grandparents and so on.

Try to find out if anyone else has researched your family. Even if you don't find someone else who has researched your family, you should keep on checking, particularly as your research progresses. Make contact with others who are researching your or an allied family with a view to sharing information.

Always note the source of information that you record or copy, and date it. If the material is from a book, write the
name, author, publisher, year of publication, ISBN, and the library where you found it. Make photocopies or keep backups of all letters and e-mail messages you send. Don't procrastinate in responding to letters or messages you receive. Make frequent backups of your computer disks. Store your backups and photocopies of your irreplaceable documents somewhere other than your home.

To keep information you collect in a logical manner, you should record the data on a Pedigree chart and Family Group sheet.
You can also use Descendant and Ancestral charts. Genealogical software programmes make it easy to store and retrieve information and to print it out in the correct format. Three programmes that are very popular: PAF, Brother's Keeper, and Family Tree Maker.
Remember that the spelling of surnames may not have remained constant over time. When recording surnames always write them in CAPITAL LETTERS. Many surnames can be mistaken for first names. Record dates in dd.mmm.yyyy format (e.g. 25 Aug 2000). Place names should be recorded in full, including parish or township, county or district, state or province, and country. Use the place names as they were at the time of the event, and add a note if the place name has changed or no longer exists. Double-check all dates to make sure they are reasonable.

Look for information at home. This can include: personal knowledge; parents' knowledge; grandparents' knowledge; other relatives including brothers and sisters, cousins, nephews, nieces, uncles and aunts, etc...; others who may have associated with the person/s being researched; family bibles; certificates of birth, marriage or death; baptism or christening certificates; diaries; old letters; work records; school records; military service records; pension records; baby books; photo albums; newspaper clippings; obituaries; copies of wills, deeds and mortgages; citizenship or naturalization papers; passports; etc...
Talk to all your older relatives (before they're all gone). Once you've covered these bases, you are ready to move onto official and other records.

QUICK GUIDELINE ON HOW TO START YOUR FAMILY HISTORY SEARCH:

Family history research involves 6 basic steps.

Step 1. Remember Your Ancestors
Begin by remembering information about each member in your family that will identify that person. Each person can be identified by personal information, such as the following:
Name
Other members of the family
Dates and places of important events such as birth, marriage, and death
Ancestral village
Occupation

Get forms or computer programs you can use to record your family information. They make the task of recording and organizing easier.
If you prefer writing information on paper, you will need:
Pedigree Chart — A pedigree chart lets you list your pedigree (your parents, grandparents, great grandparents, and so on)
Family Group Record — A family group record lets you list an entire family and their information. You will need several copies.

If you prefer using a computer, download the free programme Personal Ancestral File, or try Brother's Keeper which is shareware and very easy to use for beginning searchers.
Record the information you remember about your family on the forms or in the family history programme.
First fill out a form for your own family, and then work back to your parents, grandparents, etc...
You can quickly see what you know and what information is missing or incomplete.

Step 2. Use Sources in Your Home
Look for sources in your home that might contain the missing or incomplete family information. Useful sources include:
birth, marriage and death certificates
family bibles
funeral programmes
obituaries
wedding announcements
family registers
ancestral tablets

Add this information to your pedigree charts and family group records.
Record the sources of the information. This helps you and others know where the information came from.

Step 3. Ask Relatives for Information
Make a list of other relatives and the family information they may have.
Contact the relatives — visit, call, write, or e-mail them.
Be sure to ask specifically for the information you would like. (For example, "Do you know when Aunt Jane was born?").
Add the information to your pedigree charts and family group records.
Record the names of the relatives who gave you the information.

Once you have filled out family group records and pedigree charts with the information your family has, you are ready to look for information in other records.

Step 4. Choose a Family or Ancestor You Want to Learn More About
Look for missing or incomplete information on your pedigree chart and family records.
Select a family or ancestor with missing or incomplete information.
Start with the generations closest to you, and work your way back. Usually, it is easier to find information for a family member or ancestor born in a recent period.

Step 5. See if Someone Else Has Already Found the Information
A common mistake is to gather every reference to the surname even if the person is not clearly a relative. Stick to your direct lines in the beginning. Search for other researchers into your family history - on the Internet and off-line.

Step 6. Search Records for Information about Your Ancestor
This can be original records, such as birth records, based on where the person lived and the time of his or her birth, marriage, or death.

Typical information that is required:
1. Full names and Surnames of principal family member.
2. Dates and Places of : birth, death and marriages for all.
3. Details of spouse
4. Details of children
5. Details of parents

For helpful e-books on South African roots, see Generations - the book , and Routes to Roots

3) SOURCES OF INFORMATION

DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS
This government department acts as Registrar of births, marriages and deaths. Approximate commencing dates for the official registration of births, marriages and deaths in the various provinces is as follows:
 

Province	Births	Marriages	Deaths
Cape	1895	1700	1895
Natal	1868	1845	1888
Transvaal	1901	1870	1901
Orange Free State	1903	1848	1903

The public has no direct access to the records held by the Department of Home Affairs in Pretoria. The facilities, files and records of the Department of Home Affairs are not open to the public or researchers. There is no index for perusal by the public. The public may submit applications for copies of birth, marriage and death certificates. Two types of certificates are available - an abridged certificate and a full certificate. For genealogical purposes, always request FULL certificates, as they contain more details. Within South Africa, application can be made at any Department of Home Affairs office. To apply for certificates from outside South Africa one must do so through the nearest South African Embassy, Consulate or High Commission.  There is a charge associated with obtaining copies of these certificates. The Department of Home Affairs should not be your first choice when researching South African births, marriages or deaths for family history purposes. The Department is not attaining an acceptable level of service to the public, and most importantly, South African certificates are not as useful to family history research as in other countries. Rather try other sources first. The South African National Archives has some marriage and death registers older than 20 years, for some areas of the country, although the issue of official certificates can only be done by the Department of Home Affairs. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) / Mormom Church, through its genealogical department, has microfilmed a number of South African civil registration records, which can be consulted at their Family History Centres. Not all Centres have the microfilms in stock - they may have to be ordered from the country's main Centre or from Salt Lake City, Utah.

MASTER OF THE SUPREME COURT
These offices hold Estate files, which contain a death notice, a last will and testament, and the liquidation and distribution account. The purpose of the Master's Office is to administer the liquidation and distribution of the estates of deceased persons; administer trust property given under the control of any person by a deceased person; administer the property of minors and persons under curatorship; administer derelict estates, and to regulate the rights of beneficiaries under mutual wills made by any two or more persons. There are four provincial offices and one office presided over by an Assistant Master at Kimberley, whose area of  jurisdiction is that of the Griqualand West Local Division of the Supreme Court. The provincial offices are at the seats of the provincial divisions of the Supreme Court: Pretoria in the Transvaal; Bloemfontein in the Orange Free State; Pietermaritzburg in Natal; and Cape Town in the Cape Province. The Master's Office keeps information filed regarding every estate within his jurisdiction, and, with certain exceptions, any person may at any time during office hours inspect any document and have a certified copy made of any document on payment of the relevant fees. If the estate has not yet been wound up, the public do not have access to that file. Not all deceased persons have estate files. Estate files are not opened for those who owned little or no assets. The documents give information about the deceased including personal details, those of his/her spouse(s), children and other beneficiaries. Addresses often also give clues about where to find relatives of the deceased, while wills are valuable for signatures. It must be noted that the death notice is a legal document which is filled in after the death of a person. If correctly completed, it contains full names of the deceased, place and date of birth, names of deceased's parents and his /her children's names. Commencing dates for the estate files kept at the various Master's Offices are:
 

PROVINCE	COMMENCING DATES
Cape	1959 onwards
Grahamstown (Eastern Cape only)	1962 onwards
Natal	1975 onwards
Transvaal	1977 onwards
Orange Free State	1951 onwards
Kimberley	1957 onwards

The above dates change as information is passed on to the Archives for storage. Before the above dates the Estate files are kept in the relevant Archives. Since 2004, the Pretoria Master's Office has only handled estates for the provinces of Gauteng, Mpumalanga and North West Province. Since January 2004, Limpopo province has had its own Master's Office. Mpumalanga province was set to get its own Master's Office from 2005 or 2006.

NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF SOUTH AFRICA
There are archive repositories in Pretoria, Cape Town, Bloemfontein, Durban and Pietermaritzburg. They are responsible for the custody of the archives and other documents that have a bearing on the province in which they are situated. The National Archives in Pretoria houses the archives of central government departments and the Transvaal Archives Repository. The documents available at an Archives repository include: correspondence files, registers and other documents of government offices and the offices of local authorities that are, or were, located in the provinces concerned; photographs; maps; microfilms; and Estate files before the dates listed under The Master of the Supreme Court, for the various Provinces. Each Archives Repository has a library with books of a genealogical and historical nature, as well as microfilm readers.
In many instances photocopying restrictions apply to earlier estate files to prevent damage to them. Researchers can transcribe the details from the estate file.
Microfilms are also available through Family History Centres of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons).
Death notices (note: not the same as death certificates) for the Cape started in 1834, Northern Cape 1871, OFS 1836, Transvaal 1873, and Natal 1840. The death notice is a legal document and forms part of the deceased's estate file, which also includes, where available, the last will, an inventory of the deceased's estate and the final liquidation and distribution account. Death notices are not available for every person who died, it usually depended on the size/value of the estate and/or other legal matters.
Due to shortages of staff and funds, the Archive Repositories rarely reply to enquiries. To get copies of Archive documents, the best way is for someone to access them in person or using a reputable genealogical researcher with extensive knowledge of South African records.

CHURCH RECORDS  (Baptisms, marriages & deaths)
Until 1778 the Dutch Reformed Church (Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk or NGK) was the only official church in South Africa. This church's records date from 1665. The next oldest church is the Lutheran Church with records dating from 1778. The Anglican Church records date from 1806. The Methodist Church dates from 1816, the Presbyterians from 1824, the Church of England from 1870 and the Catholic Church from 1837. The Nederduitse Hervormde Kerk has records from 1842 and the Gereformeerde Kerk (Dopper) from 1859. Church records are the oldest records preceding the information available from the Department of Home Affairs. Some churches keep records of burials performed from the church or of persons buried on church property. Church Minute books can have varied information of genealogical interest, depending entirely on the situation. You can request copies of church register entries from the church but not all churches have a central repository and many are kept at parish level. The NGK Archives are in Cape Town. The Methodist registers and English registers are kept at the Cory Library in Grahamstown. Wits University has many Anglican registers.
In the earlier days, most baptisms took place in the NGK as there was no English church established at that time. For example, in the NGK in Middelburg (Cape), you find nearly all the early English settlers such as Biggs, Gilfillan, Green, Bennie and Cawood, amongst others. In Grahamstown you find many Afrikaans baptisms in the Anglican Church of St. Michael and St. George. In the early days, many settlers were married in the Marriage Court and then in church.

The first NGK parishes include: