South Africa Vital Records Index - FamilySearch Historical Records

Collection Time Period
This index covers events from 1845-1894.

Population Coverage
This is an index to births/christenings, marriages, and deaths/burials in parishes throughout South Africa. It is not necessarily complete for any particular place or region.

Collection History
Volunteer indexers over thirty years extracted this information from microfilm copies of the parish registers.

Why was this collection created?
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sponsored the indexing to accomplish its program of identifying the ancestry of mankind.

Collection Reliability
Church vital records were an official source and are one of the most reliable sources of information available on those who were born, married, or died in South Africa.

Collection Description
Digital database of information transcribed from original records.

Collection Content
The key genealogical facts found in the index entries are: • Name of principal person(s) • Names for parents for those being baptized • Event date(s) • Event place • Collection title • Microfilm number and inclusive dates on the film

How to Use the Collection
Use this file to help you learn more about your ancestors. The information could help you identify family relationships and lineages as well as direct you to original records of your ancestors, which may contain additional information.

When looking for a birth/christening, search by the given name of the child, adding parents' names and as much locality information as is permitted. The reason for this procedure is that there is no surname in the original records and the indexer often assigned a surname based on the father's surname. Depending on the time and place, this may not be correct.