South Africa, Transvaal, Estate Files - FamilySearch Historical Records

South Africa

What is in the Collection?
This collection will include records from 1950-1993. The records include images of copies of death notices from probate estate files from the historic province of Transvaal. Transvaal now exists as the Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and North West provinces of South Africa. These files are located in the National Archives of South Africa in Pretoria. This collection is being published as images become available.

These records are in both English and Afrikaans. For translation help, see Afrikaans Word List

Collection Content
Death notices may contain the following information:
 * Name of deceased
 * Date of death
 * Place of death
 * Names of family members
 * Age at death

How Do I Search the Collection?
This section provides information on how to search the collection, what to do with information once found, some tips on how to find records, and what to do if no record is found.

When searching: As you are searching, it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor's given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence, age, estimated [event] year, and family relationships.

Search the Collection
To browse by image: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the 'Year' category ⇒ Select the 'File Number' category which takes you to the images.

Search the collection by image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

What Do I Do Next?

 * Use the estimated age to calculate a death date.
 * Use the county code and the certificate number to obtain a copy of the original death certificate from the county.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.
 * Titles may be clues to property ownership, occupations, rank, or status within the community.

What If I Can't Find Who I'm Looking For?

 * Check for variant spellings of the names.
 * Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. In addition local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search the records of nearby localities (counties, parishes, etc.).

Related Websites

 * The Genealogical Society of South Africa
 * national Archives and Records Service of South Africa

South African Research Training:
 * Part 1: Beginning South Africa Research
 * Part 2: South Africa National Archives
 * Part 3: South Africa FamilySearch Collections Online

Related Wiki Articles

 * South Africa
 * South Africa Vital Records Index

Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image. Collection Citation:

Image Citation: