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

South Africa

What is in This 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 Angola, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia 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.

Reading These Records
These records are in Afrikaans and English. For help reading these records see Afrikaans Word List and South Africa Language and Languages.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Christening
 * Date of baptism
 * Place of baptism
 * Name of the minister
 * Name of the child
 * Date of birth
 * Names of the parents
 * Witnesses

Membership
 * Full name of member
 * Date of birth
 * Date they joined
 * Where they joined
 * Pastor that oversaw joining

Marriage
 * 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 This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the person you are looking for
 * Approximate date of the event (birth, marriage, death)

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. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * If available, check the image for additional information
 * Analyze the entry to see if it provides additional clues to find other records of the person or their family

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * The person may be recorded with an abbreviated or variant form of their name
 * Try searching by surname only
 * Remember that spelling was generally not standardized until the early part of the 20th century

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in South Africa.
 * South Africa Record Finder
 * South Africa Finding Town of Origin

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.

África do Sul, Netherdutch, Igreja Reformada da África, Registros da Igreja (Registros Históricos do FamilySearch)