South Africa, Cape Province, Civil Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
Currently, this collection of civil registration records includes only death records and covers the years 1895-1972.

Entries are generally in chronological order and are usually grouped alphabetically by locality. In many cases, the English name rather than the preferred Afrikaans name is used to maintain alphabetical sequence. However, some records are filed out of alphabetical order. Most of the records are handwritten in English.

In South Africa, the National Archives holds records of births, marriages, and deaths on behalf of the Department of Home Affairs. The Registration of births and deaths was made compulsory in 1894 and began in 1895. Indexes and registers are available up to the early 1970s.

Compulsory civil registration began at different dates for the various parts of South Africa. For Cape Province, the birth and death records start with the year 1895 and the marriage records start in 1840. In Cape Province, provision was made for voluntary registering of births from 1880.

The National Archives of South Africa is the main repository of documents created before 1956. The National Archives has a number of repositories scattered throughout the country; the one for Cape Province is located in Cape Town (Western Cape).

The Department of Home Affairs maintains the records of births, marriages, and deaths, but the physical records are not accessible to the public for research purposes. To access information, you must apply in writing to the Department of Home Affairs and give exact information about the event.

Civil registration records such as birth, marriages, and deaths are recorded for vital statistics and to better serve public health needs.

For a list of records by dates and localities currently published in this collection, select the Browse.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information for collections published in FamilySearch.org. Source citations include the author, custodian, publisher and archive for the original records.

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

Record Content
Key genealogical facts found on most death records include:


 * Name of the deceased
 * Place of residence
 * Age at time of death
 * Gender
 * Occupation
 * Date and place of death
 * Intended place of burial
 * Cause of death
 * Informant personal information, usually a relative
 * Sometimes the names of the parents
 * Date and place of registration

How to Use the Record
Civil registration gives important information about an individual, including personal details that may also help in finding other ancestors of the same family. In the case of deaths records, the place of residence may help you know where to find other relatives of the deceased person. Searching the indexes first may help you locate the actual civil record more easily.

Beginning Your Search

To begin your search, it would be helpful if you knew the following information:


 * Name of ancestor
 * Approximate year of birth

Searching the Images

To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒Select the "Year" category ⇒Select the "Municipality or Municipality Range" category which takes you to the images

Look at the images one by one comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

Using the Information

If you have found the record of your ancestor, the following information can aid you in your research:


 * Use the age to calculate the year of birth
 * The usual place of residence may help you determine if that is the place your ancestor was born.

Related Wiki Articles

 * Eastern Cape, South Africa
 * South Africa Websites
 * South Africa
 * South Africa, Cape Province Dutch Reformed Church Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from the record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find th record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you do not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
"South Africa, Cape Province,Civil Deaths. 1895-1972" images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org: accessed 23 May 2012), 1923 &gt; Elliot &gt; image 29 of 155, John Wary, 1923; citing South Africa Registrar of Births, Marriages and Deaths, National Archives of South Africa, Pretoria.