Democratic Republic of the Congo Compiled Genealogies

Africa Democratic Republic of the Congo

Note: African countries offer a unique challenge. Prior to European colonial domination genealogies were traditionally kept only orally. Native Africans will not generally be found in written record format before the 1880s when Christian church missionaries began work among them. Efforts need to be made to preserve the earlier genealogies before the generation still holding to the old tradition’s dies out and the information is lost.

Oral genealogies
Record type: Oral genealogies, tribal and family histories, pedigrees, etc. covering many Congolese not in the civil registration, church or census records, etc.

Time period: Varies to present.

Contents: Family pedigrees.

Location: Transcribed genealogies are found at the National Archives in Brazzaville and provincial archives. Those not yet transcribed will be scattered throughout the country.

Population coverage: Possibly as much as 40%.

Research use: Very useful supplement to civil and church records especially prior to 1883, often the only source of family information available for Congolese.