South Africa, Netherdutch Reformed Church Registers (Pretoria Archive) - FamilySearch Historical Records

South Africa

Title in the Language of the Record
Suid-Afrika, Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk van Afrika, Kerk Rekords

What is in the Collection?
This collection will include records of christenings, marriages, and membership records of the Netherdutch Reformed Church of Africa located in Pretoria for the years 1838-1991. These records are from various areas of South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe.

The Dutch East India Company sent a crew to create a Dutch settlement in the Cape of Good Hope in 1652. Many of the members of the crew belonged to the Dutch Reformed Church, and created a community in Cape Town. The church group suffered from several divisions, most notably the Doppers.

These records are in Afrikaans and English. For translation help see the Afrikaans Word List

Collection Content
Christening Records generally contain the following information:
 * Date of baptism
 * Place of baptism
 * Name of the minister
 * Name of the child
 * Date of birth
 * Names of the parents
 * Witnesses

Membership records may contain the following information:
 * Full name of member
 * Date of Birth
 * Date they joined
 * Where they joined
 * Pastor that oversaw joining

Marriage records may contain the following information:
 * Race
 * Full names
 * Date of marriage
 * Ages
 * Countries of birth
 * Occupations
 * Residence at time of marriage
 * District and province of marriage
 * Name of person giving consent to the marriage
 * Name of person solemnizing the marriage
 * Other notes

How Do I Search the Collection?
To browse by image: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒ Select the appropriate 'Province' ⇒ Select the appropriate 'Town/Municipality' ⇒ Select the 'Event Type' category which takes 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.

Tips for Finding and Using the Information
Christenings and Membership Records
 * Use the birth record as a source for your ancestor’s parents. This record is proof of the relationship.
 * Try searching for the parents’ marriage record in the same locality as your ancestor’s birth place. A marriage record can provide more information about your family, especially the mother’s maiden name—which is frequently unknown.
 * Remember that a Christening date is not always the same as a birth date.
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images.
 * Perhaps other records used to determine the birth date of your ancestor were incorrect. Try searching several years before and after the supposed birth of your ancestor to locate his or her birth record.
 * Note individuals listed as witnesses or godparents. Witnesses and godparents were often relatives.
 * Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name.

Marriage Records
 * Be aware that your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.
 * Be sure to record the bride’s full name because that information is often not recorded in other records.
 * In some cases, witnesses were relatives of the bride or groom. Remember to note those individuals because they may help identify the extended family.
 * Use the ages of the bride and groom to estimate their birth years.
 * Sometimes marriage records note the names of the bride and groom’s parents. Use this information to extend your pedigree a generation.
 * Occupations were often the best way to differentiate between individuals of the same name. Note the occupations listed to ensure that you have identified the correct individual as your ancestor.
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they were married, then try searching the records of a nearby locality.

Related Websites

 * Genealogical Society of South Africa
 * National Archives and Records Service for South Africa
 * South African Genealogy
 * South African Family History

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)
 * South Africa Vital Records Index (FamilySearch Historical Records)

FamilySearch Historical Record Collections

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