South Africa, Methodist Parish Registers - FamilySearch Historical Records

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Collection Time Period
This collection of parish records from the Methodist Church in South Africa covers the years1822 to 1996.

Record History
Methodism arrived in South Africa with British soldiers in 1806, but the mission was launched by Barnabas Shaw, who reached the Cape in 1816, and William Shaw (unrelated), who accompanied the British settlers of 1820. Barnabas Shaw established a mission among the Khoi at Leliefontein in Namaqualand, and colleagues ventured across the Orange River into present-day Namibia and what are now the northern provinces of South Africa. William Shaw established Methodism throughout the British settlement in Albany and rapidly planted a chain of mission stations between the Cape Colony and Natal. In the late nineteenth century, missionary work was extended into the gold-mining area in Gauteng and north through modern Limpopo into Zimbabwe. Six missionary districts of the Wesleyan Methodist church became an affiliated conference in 1883. An independent conference was constituted in 1927 and enlarged in 1931 to include the Transvaal Missionary District of the British Conference and the small Primitive Methodist Mission.

Why These Records Were Created
These parish records were created to record the events of baptisms, marriages, and burials for the members of the Methodist Church in South Africa.

Record Reliability
These parish records are a reliable source for doing genealogical research in South Africa.

Record Description
This collection of the Methodist Church records includes images of baptisms, marriages, and burials from several towns in South Africa. The text of the records is handwritten in English or in Afrikaans.

Record Content
The key genealogical facts found in most baptism records include: • Place of baptism • Date of baptism • Childs name • Parents’ names • Parents’ residence • Childs age or date of birth

The key genealogical facts found in most marriage records include: • Place of marriage • Date of marriage • Name of groom • Maiden name of bride • Betrothed ages • Their marital status • Their occupation or profession • Their residence at time of marriage • If married after banns or license • Person giving the consent for the marriage • Place marriage solemnized • Names of witnesses

The key genealogical facts found in most burial records include: • Deceased name • Place of deceased last residence • Age of deceased at time of death • Date of interment • Burial place

How to Use the Record
Before starting research in these records you need to know the name of your ancestor, the location of the event (baptism, marriage or death), and an approximate date of that event. Church records include important vital information, which can also help identify other ancestors. The civil registration records can be researched also after 1895.

Related Web Sites
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Sources of This Collection
This is a collection of digital copies of original records housed at the Methodist Church of Southern Africa in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.

How to Cite Your Sources
Instructions for citing sources for your records can be found at: How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.