South Africa, Orange Free State, Probate Records from the Master of the Supreme Court - FamilySearch Historical Records: Difference between revisions

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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 detailed information. The probate records usually have multiple pages and are included in a probate file, which is identified by a probate 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.  

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=== I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now? ===  

*Add any new information to your records                        

*Use the age in the death records 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 [https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/South_Africa_Vital_Records_Index 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                         

===I Can't Find the Person 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                         

*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                         

*Search the indexes and records of [[South Africa Societies|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

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