Angola Church Records

For information about records for non-Christian religions in Angola, go to the Religious Records page.

Online Resources and Websites

 * 1838-1991 - - index and images (records in Afrikaans and English)
 * 1856-1988 - South Africa, Reformed Church Records, 1856-1988 - images (records in Afrikaans and English)
 * 1874-1931 - Parish registers, Gereformeerde Kerk, Quê (Angola) - 1874-1931 - images
 * 1879-1929 - Parish registers, Gereformeerde Kerk, Humpata (Angola) - 1879-1929 - images
 * 1885-1958 - Parish registers, 1885-1958 - images (records in Afrikaans)
 * 1902-1931 - Parish registers, 1902-1931 - images (records in Afrikaans)
 * 1918-1958 - Parish registers, 1918-1958 - images (records in Afrikaans)

Historical Background
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 spread throughout southern Africa; a few congregations were established in Angola. Records for the Dutch Reformed Church have been maintained in good condition. The records were written in Afrikaans and English. The earliest available church records in Angola begin in 1838 and exist to 1988.

Information Recorded in the Records
Baptism records usually list:
 * Name of child
 * Date and place of baptism
 * Date of birth
 * Names of parents, including maiden name of mother
 * Names of witnesses
 * Name of minister

Membership records usually list:
 * Full name of member
 * Date of birth
 * Date they joined
 * Where they joined
 * Pastor that oversaw joining

Marriage records usually list:
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Race of groom and bride
 * Name and age of groom
 * Groom's country of birth
 * Groom's occupation and residence
 * Name and age of bride
 * Bride's country of birth
 * Bride's occupation and residence
 * Marriage by license or banns
 * Consent or order for marriage given by whom
 * Names of witnesses
 * Names of officiant at ceremony

Anglican Records
Anglicanism reached Angola in 1923. For more information, see Diocese of Angola and Christianity in Angola.

Baptist Records
The first Baptist missionaries arrived in Angola in 1878. For more information, see Christianity in Angola.

Catholic Records
Portuguese missionaries brought Roman Catholicism to Angola in 1491. For more information, see Christianity in Angola.

Congregationalist Records
The first Congregational missionaries arrived in Angola in 1880. For more information, see Evangelical Congregational Church in Angola and Christianity in Angola.

Lutheran Records
Lutheranism was introduced to Angola in the late 1800s by Finnish missionaries. The first permanent congregation was established in 1956. For more information, see Lutheranism in Angola and Christianity in Angola.

Methodist Records
For more information, see Christianity in Angola.

Pentecostal Records
Pentecostalism was introduced to Angola in the 1950s. For more information, see Evangelical Pentecostal Mission of Angola.

Seventh Day Adventist Records
For more information, see Christianity in Angola.