South Africa, Church of the Province of South Africa, Parish Registers - FamilySearch Historical Records

South Africa

What is in the Collection?
This Collection will include records from 1801 to 2004, with possibly some records before 1801.

The records in this collection include digital images of parish registers of the Church of the Province of South Africa, also known since 2006 as the "Anglican Church of Southern Africa". The Church includes dioceses in Angola, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Saint Helena, South Africa and Swaziland. Records were acquired from the collection of the William Cullen Library, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, and include baptisms, marriages, deaths, and burials.

Sample Images
Click on images for a larger view.

How Do I Search the Collection?
To search the collection by image: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate "Country" ⇒Select the appropriate "Province" ⇒Select the appropriate "Diocese, Town, and/or Parish" ⇒Select the appropriate "Record Type and Years" which will take you to the images.

To search these records, it would be helpful if you knew any of the following information:


 * Names of parents
 * Name of ancestor
 * Name of ancestor's spouse
 * Approximate year and place of birth/marriage/death
 * Parish

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Use the age in the citizen 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?

 * 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 1800.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one record to another.
 * Be aware that there may have been some transcription errors.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

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: