Parktown South Africa Family History Centre

The Parktown Family History Centre is adjacent to the Johannesburg Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (The primary function of the Centre is to help temple patrons prepare family ordinance requests for submission to the temple.) While primarily used by members of the church, the facility is open to all who wish to research the genealogy of their ancestors.

The centre also houses a large holding of South African Death Notices on microfilm which are scanned and emailed to family history centres throughout Africa and elsewhere by email request.

Genealogists and patrons come to this Centre to research family history online in digital format, printed volumes and from microfilm and microfiche. Patrons may rent films that are not already in our holdings through the online ordering system:

 Order films here 

Centre Contacts and Hours
Location &amp; Map:


 * 5a Jubilee Road, Parktown, Gauteng 2193, Johannesburg, RSA
 * The Centre is on the 1st Floor of the Africa Southwest Area Office, adjacent to the Johannesburg Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Centre is open Tuesday through Saturday, and is closed Sunday and Monday as well as any day the Temple is closed.
 * Limited parking is available in the guarded Area Office car park immediately west of the Temple car park area on Jubilee Road. Use the lift from Ground Floor near the Cafeteria entrance, or buzz for admittance at the 1st Floor entrance near the upper car park.
 * Organized goups of 10 - 15 patrons are welcome with prior notice. Additional hours may be arranged upon prior notice.
 * Google Map: "5a Jubilee Road, Parktown, Gauteng"

Phone: 27 011 645 1461

E-mail:  FHCJHB@ldschurch.org

Open Hours: Tuesdays through Fridays:  09:00 to 16:00, Saturdays: 07:00 to 14:30

Holiday Schedule: Centre is closed on any day that the Johannesburg Temple is closed.

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Upcoming Events:
"Welcome to the Family Tree" upon request

"Capture Your Family Stories" upon request

"Indexing From Square One" upon request

Class Schedule:
Staff Training Meetings: Tuesdays at 08:30

Ward and Stake leaders and Family History Consultants in the Johannesburg area may call 27 011 645 1461 for a training appointment.

Individuals may visit or call the Centre for assistance during posted hours.

Indexing is available for all patrons who have fifteen minutes or more to share for service.

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 * Patrons may search The FamilySearch Catalogfor microfilm and fiche. Patrons may order films through this online film ordering page.  The Family History Center in Utah will send rental copies of these films to this Centre where we will hold these films for patron use.


 * Suid-Afrikaanse Geslagregisters (hard copy and PDF)
 * Dutch Reformed Church Christenings
 * South Africa Probate Records and Death Notices
 * Stamboom van de Van Der Merwe Familie (volumes and index)
 * many more volumes

Databases and Software

 * This centre has access to the Family History Centre Portal page, FHC Portalwhich when accessed from the centre gives free access in the centre to premium family history software and websites that generally charge for subscriptions. 

Hardware and Equipment

 * Fourteen Internet access computers for accessing FamilySearch and the FHC Portal to membership genealogy services. Two additional computers for staff use to assist patrons.
 * Nine microfilm readers.
 * Microfiche and microfilm scanner for support staff use, upon request.
 * Document scanner for support staff use, upon request.
 * Printer and copier for patron use. No patron fee assessed.

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Nearby access to temple office staff:
Submit a Family Ordinance Request form to receive temple ordinance cards.

Family History Support Missionaries
The Parktown Family History Centre is currently staffed with three senior missionary couples. Each are trained in the use of Family Tree, the "My Family" booklet and in maintaining the large microfilm holding in this centre. Patrons from all over the Africa Southeast Area may expect assistance in preparing name submission requests for their deceased family members.

Patrons throughout Africa are encouraged to record their oral histories in the "My Family" booklet and bring them to the Family History Centre, or to their local Family History Consultant. Patrons who do not have the use of computers or Internet access may come to the Centre and receive help in transcribing their family pedigree from their copies of "My Family" into Family Ordinance Requests.

The Centre operates in the English language. Language translation is available for the missionaries to converse in the patron's native language. French, Portuguese, Zulu and Afrikaans are readily available. We also use "Google Translate" when necessary''. ''

Other Senior Couple Missionaries
Senior couple missionaries from the Area Office attend worship services in assigned Wards and Branches throughout the Johannesburg area, providing fellowship and encouragement to local members to complete family name submissions.

Full-time Missionaries
Missionaries serving in the South Africa Johannesburg Mission and all Ward and Branch Mission Leaders are encouraged to bring all new converts and recently reactivated members members to the Centre to prepare family names for baptism and confirmation within a month of their baptism or reactivation.

Indexing
All patrons are invited to learn about Indexing. All may contribute service at their own or at the Centre's internet connections to "Index" archived records that have already been collected for the future ease of reference and citation. There are many ongoing projects from around the world to cross reference existing digital holdings of records so that patrons may quickly call up records online and attach them as digital sources to their family history.

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Resources in the Local Area

 * National Archives Repository, 24 Hamilton Street, Arcadia 0001, Pretoria &lt;enquiries@dac.gov.za&gt;
 * National Film, Video and Sound Arcives, 239 Vermeulen Street, Pretoria &lt;film.enquires@dac.gov.za&gt; 
 * Barlow Rand, Ltd., The Group Archivist, Sandton 2146, Gauteng&lt;matthewt@barloworld.com&gt; 
 * Brenthurst Library, Houghton 2014, Gauteng&lt;marcelle.graham@Brenthusrt.co.za&gt;' 

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Links
https://familysearch.org/tree is a web site for developing your Family Tree. Many other web sites exist, and we have the index and a free Portal to many of them.'  &lt;fck:hr&gt;

Volunteer at the Centre
The Area Presidency and Stake and District Presidents routinely invite all members to attend the temple. We encourage temple patrons to plan a visit to the family history center, as many of those who travel long distance to the Temple do.

We invite Ward and Branch Mission Leaders, and Stake and District Family History Consultants to assure that all members, new and old or recently reactivated, to come to the Centre to prepare names for submission to the Temple.

All members and friends of the church are invited to fill out the "My Family" booklet for collection of photos and family stories. Publishing those stories and photos to the Family Tree may require computer help by Family History Consultants. They may also be brought or forwarded to the Parktown Family History Centre for assistance.

Groups living within 150 km of Johannesburg area may schedule time in the family history center, just as those who travel great distances do.

Please volunteer any suggestions that you may have. Please inform us of any special needs and accommodations that you may require.