South Africa, Reformed Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

South Africa



Title in the Language of the Record
Suid-Afrika, Gereformeerde Kerk Rekords

Record Description
This collection will include records from 1856 to 1988.

These records include images of christenings, marriages, membership records, and some indexes for several parishes in South Africa and surrounding countries. The text of the records is in Afrikaans.

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

Record Content
Baptism records usually contain the following information:


 * Name of child
 * Date and place of baptism
 * Child's birth date
 * Names of parents, including maiden name of mother
 * Name of person performing baptism

Marriage records usually contain the following information:


 * Date and place of marriage
 * Race of both husband and wife
 * Name and age of groom
 * Groom's country of birth
 * Groom's occupation and residence
 * Name and age of bride
 * Bride's country of birth
 * Bride's occupation and residence
 * Marriage by license or banns
 * Consent or order for marriage given by whom
 * Names of witnesses
 * Name of officiant at ceremony

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


 * Name of ancestor
 * Approximate year of baptism and marriage
 * Ancestor's Religion

Searching the Collection
To search the collection image by image select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page: ⇒Select the appropriate "Country" ⇒Select the appropriate "Province" ⇒Select the appropriate "Municipality or Town" ⇒Select the appropriate "Record Type and Years" which will take 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.

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.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached 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

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 Websites Africa Historic Maps

Citations for 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: Image citation: