South Africa, Cape Province, Probate Records of the Master of the High Court - FamilySearch Historical Records

South Africa

What is in the Collection?
This collection includes records from 1834-1989 and are in both English and Afrikaans. For translation use the following helps:
 * Afrikaans Word List
 * Google Translate

South African probate records often include heirs, locations, property transfers, wills, and other important information. The most useful records in the collection are the death notices which give much more information than a death certificate. The probate records are contained in packets with a record cover identified by an assigned file number.

When a person died, the nearest relative or other connection should have completed a death notice and sent it to the Master of the High Court within 14 days of the death.

The original probate records from the Master of the High Court in Cape Province, South Africa are located in the Cape Archives Depot, Cape Town.

Collection Content
Death notices within the probate records contain different information at different times but may include variations of the following:
 * Name of the deceased
 * Birthplace of the deceased
 * Age of the deceased
 * Names of the deceased’s parents
 * Occupation of the deceased
 * Names of surviving or deceased spouses (with death date) if any
 * Date and place of death
 * Names of the children of the deceased
 * Whether the deceased owned property
 * Whether the deceased left a will
 * Name of the informant

How Do I Search the Collection?
This collection includes several handwritten and typed indexes. You can use these lists to quickly scan for your ancestor’s name and where his or her records are located. The index includes the name of the person who died, the death dates, the name of the spouse, and the probate file number. The death notices and wills included in the probate files are hand-written. The death notices are on a pre-printed form.

Search the Collection
To search by index: Fill in the requested information in the boxes on the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the individuals 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 look at the information on several individuals comparing the information about them to your ancestors to make this determination.

To browse by image: ⇒Select “Browse through images” on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate “Description” which takes you to the images

Look at each 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

 * Use the death notice to identify the spouse and parents.
 * Use the death notice to identify dates and places of birth for listed family members.
 * Use the death notice to determine specific localities where ancestors lived.
 * Use the probate records, such as the will, to identify additional family members.
 * The probate record may contain an inventory of personal property, and a list of who received the property.
 * Read the information carefully for clues.
 * Check for siblings, especially women, to determine if they married.
 * Be aware that there may have been some transcription errors.
 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Try different ways of searching the collection. For example, fill in just the given name or the surname. This will return a list of everyone with that name so you can browse through options.

When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Download a copy of the record, or extract the genealogical information needed. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. The information may also lead you to other records about your ancestors.

Related Websites

 * This article covers details about historic South African death notices
 * 
 * South Africa Websites

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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:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry): Image Citation: