Namibia, Dutch Reformed Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Namibia

What is in the Collection?
This collection will include Dutch Reformed Church Records from 1956 to 2012.

The collection includes Dutch Reformed Church records of baptisms, marriages, and membership records. Availability of records will vary depending on location. This collection is being published as images and records become available. The Dutch Reformed Church has baptismal and membership records at their archive. Marriage records are kept at the National Archives of Namibia in Windhoek, which shares a building with the National Library of Namibia.

These records are in English and Afrikaans. For translation help, see:
 * Afrikaans Word List
 * Google Translate

Collection Content
Records from the Dutch Reformed Church may contain baptism, marriage, and membership records.

Baptism records may contain the following information:
 * Name of child
 * Child’s birth date
 * Date of baptism
 * Name of person performing baptism
 * Names of parents, including maiden name of mother
 * Names of witnesses to the baptism

Marriage records may contain the following information:
 * Names bride and groom
 * Date of birth and age for both the bride and groom
 * Date and place the marriage took place
 * Race of both husband and wife
 * Names of witnesses
 * Name of officiate at ceremony
 * Marriage license or banns

Membership records may contain the following information:
 * Name of member
 * Birth date
 * Baptism date
 * Confirmation date
 * Date and place of arrival into the church
 * Date of departure from the church
 * Name of the clergyman

How Do I Search the Collection?
The records should be searched according to the year of the event, and by where your ancestor lived at the time of their baptism, marriage, or enrollment in the church. The records are set up by region within the country and then by town. The church records are then listed by the type of record for a range of years.

When searching: It is helpful to know your ancestor's given name and surname, along with some other identifying information such as where your relative lived. To browse by image: You will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate “Country” ⇒Select the appropriate “Region” ⇒Select the appropriate “Municipality or Town” ⇒Select the appropriate “Record Type and Years” 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.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Witnesses listed in the church records may be relatives
 * The birth place listed on the church records may provide a location to search additional records
 * Oftentimes the baptismal registers will include a birth date for the person being baptized
 * The parents' names of the children being baptized are often included on the baptismal record
 * Parents' names are often included on the marriage records

Citing 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:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):