South Africa, Cape Province, Western Cape Archives Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Record
Suid-Afrika, Kaap Provinsie, Wes-Kaapse Argiewe Akten

Record Description
This collection will include various records from 1792 to 1992.

This collection has various records from the Western Cape Archives in Cape Town, South Africa. It includes the following; Birth, Marriage and Death Registrations, Probate Estate Files, Slave Records and Immigration Records. The records are in English and French. This collection is being published as images become available.

For a list of records by localities and dates currently published in this collection, select the Browselink from the collection landing page.

Record Content
Marriage records may contain the following information:


 * Date and place of marriage
 * Name and age of groom
 * Occupation of groom
 * Name and age of bride
 * Birthplace of each
 * Marital status of each
 * Residences of both bride and groom
 * Names of witnesses

Slave records may contain the following information:


 * Colony where transaction took place
 * Date of sale
 * Name of vendor
 * Name of purchaser
 * Amount paid
 * Number of slaves purchased
 * Sometimes, names and ages of slaves

Census records may contain the following information:


 * Names of family members
 * Number of males in household
 * Number of females in household

How to Use the Record
To begin your search in the birth records, it would be helpful if you knew the following information:


 * Name of parents
 * Approximate year and place of birth

To begin your search in the marriage records, it would be helpful if you knew the following information:


 * Name of bride or groom
 * Approximate year and place of marriage

To begin your search in the slave records, it would be helpful if you knew the following information:


 * Name of ancestor
 * Province and town

To begin your search in the census records, it would be helpful if you knew the following information:


 * Name of head of household
 * Approximate year and place of residence

Search the Collection
To search the collection image by image ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page: ⇒Select the appropriate "Town" ⇒Select the appropriate "Record Type, Date Range and Volume" which will take you to the images.

Look at the images one by one 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.

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 and age, and family relationships. 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.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in English and French. For help reading the records, see the following wiki articles:


 * French Wordlist
 * France Language and Languages

Using the Information
The information that you have found is very reliable. When you have found your ancestor, you can do the following:

To find the year of birth for your ancestor, the age on the marriage record will help determine the year of birth

The following collections may give you more information about the baptism date for your ancestor and give you information about the parents:


 * South Africa, Dutch Reformed Church Registers (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * South Africa, Dutch Reformed Church Records, Stellenbosch Archive (FamilySearch Historical Records)

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 African Genealogy
 * Genealogical Society of South Africa
 * South African Family History

Related Articles

 * South Africa
 * South Africa Websites

Citations for This Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information (often called citing your sources). This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

Collection citation: Image citation: