Namibia, Dutch Reformed Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Namibia

What is in the Collection?
This collection includes baptisms, marriages, and membership records from the Dutch Reformed Church for the years 1956 to 2012.

Availability of records will vary depending on location. The Dutch Reformed Church has baptismal and membership records at their archive. Marriage records are kept at the National Archives of Namibia in Windhoek, which shares a building with the National Library of Namibia.

Reading These Records
These records are written in English and Afrikaans. See the section For Help Reading these Records for translation helps.

What Can these Records Tell Me?
The records may include the following information:

Baptism records
 * Name of child
 * Child’s birth date
 * Date of baptism
 * Name of person performing baptism
 * Names of parents, including maiden name of mother
 * Names of witnesses to the baptism

Marriage records Membership records
 * Names bride and groom
 * Date of birth and age for both the bride and groom
 * Date and place the marriage took place
 * Race of both husband and wife
 * Names of witnesses
 * Name of officiate at ceremony
 * Marriage license or banns
 * Name of member
 * Birth date
 * Baptism date
 * Confirmation date
 * Date and place of arrival into the church
 * Date of departure from the church
 * Name of the clergyman

How Do I Search the Collection?
You can search the index. Before using this collection it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the person you are looking for
 * The approximate date of the event (birth, marriage, etc.)

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in English and Afrikaans. For help with reading the records, see the following resources:


 * Afrikaans Word List

Search the Index
Search by name by visiting the Collection Page: 1. Fill in the search boxes on the Collection Page with the information you have 2. Click Search to show possible matches

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images.

For more tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Witnesses listed in the church records may be relatives
 * The birth place listed on the church records may provide a location to search additional records
 * Oftentimes the baptismal registers will include a birth date for the person being baptized
 * The parents' names of the children being baptized are often included on the baptismal record
 * Parents' names are often included on the marriage records

I Can’t Find The Person I’m Looking for, What Now?

 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities.
 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

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.

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