South Africa, Cape Province, Kimberley, Probate Records of the Supreme Court - FamilySearch Historical Records

South Africa

What is in the Collection?
This collection includes records from 1871 to 1937. It consists of probate records from the Supreme Court located in Kimberley, Cape Province, South Africa.

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. 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 records are located in the Cape Archives Depot, Cape Town.

Sample Images
Click on images for a larger view.

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What Can this Collection Tell Me?
Death records may contain the following information:
 * 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
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How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:


 * The name of the deceased
 * The residence of the deceased
 * The approximate date of death or probate date
 * Names of other relatives who may be mentioned in the probate records

Search by Name by visiting the Collection Page: 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.

View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒ Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒ Select the "Film" 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.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Use the age in the citizenship papers to find an approximate birth year to begin your search in church or civil records.
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have moved, been recruited or lived nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify. Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual. This compiled list can help you identify possible relations that can be further verified by researching vital records indexes in the country.
 * When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Save a copy of the image or transcribe the information. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details such as a title, an occupation, or land ownership. Add this new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors.
 * Church Records often were kept years before government records were required and are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900.

I Can't Find Who I'm Looking for, What Now?
If you did not find the person you were looking for, consider selecting the "Illegible Surname" category and see if you can locate them.
 * Switch to a different record collection. Depending on the time period, either Civil Registration records or Church Records may be more useful.
 * While searching, it is helpful to know such information as the ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as an ancestor and that the ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.
 * Keep in mind that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images. Pay special attention to how the name should have been pronounced and try variations on the pronunciation.
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well.
 * Search the indexes and records of local genealogical societies.
 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after the late 1800s.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one record to another.
 * Be aware that there may have been some transcription errors.

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: