South Africa, Church of the Province of South Africa, Parish Registers - FamilySearch Historical Records

South Africa

Title in the Language of the Record
Suid-Afrika, die Kerk van die Provinsie van Suid-Afrika, Parish registers

What is in the Collection?
This Collection will include records from 1801 to 2004, with possibly some records before 1801.

The records in this collection include digital images of parish registers of the Church of the Province of South Africa, also known since 2006 as the "Anglican Church of Southern Africa". The Church includes dioceses in Angola, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Saint Helena, South Africa and Swaziland. Records were acquired from the collection of the William Cullen Library, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, and include baptisms, marriages, deaths, and burials.

The text of the records is in English and Afrikaans. For translation help, see Afrikaans Word List.

Collection Content


Baptism records may contain the following information:


 * Date and place of baptism
 * Child's name and gender
 * Child's date and place of birth
 * Parents' names and their residence
 * Occupation of father
 * Names of sponsors or witnesses
 * By whom the baptism was performed

Marriage records may contain the following information:


 * Date and place of marriage
 * Race of the bride and groom
 * Name and age of groom
 * Groom's birthplace, marital status and occupation
 * Groom's residence at time of marriage
 * Name and age of bride
 * Bride's birthplace, marital status and occupation
 * Bride's residence at time of marriage
 * Marriage by license or banns
 * Names of witnesses
 * Name of minister and religious denomination

Burial records may contain the following information:


 * Date and place of burial
 * Name and age of deceased
 * Residence at time of death
 * Who performed burial ceremony

How Do I Search the Collection?
To search these records, it would be helpful if you knew any of the following information:


 * Names of parents
 * Name of ancestor
 * Name of ancestor's spouse
 * Approximate year and place of birth/marriage/death
 * Parish

Search the Collection
To search the collection image by image ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page: ⇒Select the appropriate "Country" ⇒Select the appropriate "Province" ⇒Select the appropriate "Diocese, Town, and/or Parish" ⇒Select the appropriate "Record Type and Years" which will take 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.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites

 * South Africa Church Records*Africa Websites
 * Africa Historic Maps

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 Genealogy
 * South Africa, Cape Province, Civil Deaths (FamilySearch Historical Records)

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:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image citation: