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

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

Record Description
This collection will include records from 1838-1991. These records include christening, marriage, and membership records of the Netherdutch Reformed Church of Africa (Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk van Afrika) located in Pretoria. 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 For Help Reading These Records section of this article.

Record Content
Christening Records generally contain the following information:
 * Name of the child
 * Gender
 * Names of the parents
 * Birth date
 * Birthplace
 * Christening date

Baptism records may contain the following information:
 * Name of child
 * Date of birth
 * Place of birth
 * Date and place of baptism
 * Name of father
 * Name of mother
 * Child’s gender

Marriage records may contain the following information:
 * Name of bride and groom
 * Date of marriage
 * Age of bride
 * Age of groom
 * Bride and groom’s marital status
 * Bride and groom’s residence
 * Bride and groom’s birth year
 * Names of witnesses

How to Use the Record
To search this collection for baptisms, it would be helpful to know the following information: To search this collection for marriages, it would be helpful to know the following information:
 * Name of child
 * Approximate year and place of baptism
 * Name of child
 * Approximate year and place of baptism

Search the Collection
To search by index: Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

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.

For Help Reading These Records
Some of these records are in Afrikaans. For help with reading the records, see the following resource: Afrikaans Word List

Using the Information

 * Use the estimated age to calculate a birth date.
 * Use the county code and the certificate number to obtain a copy of the original death certificate from the county.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * 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.

Related Websites

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

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)

Citations for This Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image Citation: