South Africa, Dutch Reformed Church Registers (Cape Town Archives) - FamilySearch Historical Records

	This article describes a collection of historical records available at FamilySearch.org.
Access the records: South Africa, Dutch Reformed Church Registers, 1660-1970 . CID1478678 {{{CID2}}} {{{CID3}}} {{{CID4}}} {{{CID5}}} {{{CID6}}} {{{CID7}}} {{{CID8}}} {{{CID9}}}

Title in the Language of the Record

Suid-Afrika, Kaap Provinsie Nederduitse Hervormde Kerk Rekords

Record Description

This collection dates from 1660 through 1970.

The Dutch Reform Church records have been maintained in good condition. Baptisms and marriages are found in different registration formats; most are written in Dutch, though others are in Afrikaans, Dutch, or English. Deaths records are not found among these registers.

When South Africa was settled by the Dutch in the 16th and 17th centuries, they transplanted their Dutch Reformed theology into the African continent. The Dutch Reformed Church of South Africa was formally established in 1652 and became the only official church in South Africa until 1778, when freedom of public worship was given to other churches. The history of the Dutch Reform Church has been very much bound up with the politics of the Afrikaner community of South Africa. The baptism and marriage records are recorded in bound registers, which are kept at the local churches archive in care of the registrar. Since 1928 the registrar sends the registries to be archived at the Central Archive of the Dutch Reformed Church in Cape Town, South Africa.

The Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa consists of three separate churches: the Nederduitse Gereformeede Kerk (the largest and usually called the Dutch Reform Church; the Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk (largely restricted to the Transvaal); and the Gereformeede Kerk in Suid Afrika (the Doppers). During the 17th and 18th Centuries the Dutch Reform Church (Nederduitse Gereformeede Kerk) was the only officially recognized Church denomination in South Africa and many white residents of the Cape belonged to it. In later years other churches denominations were created in Cape, leaving a decline in the membership of the Dutch Reform Church.

For a list of records by localities and dates currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.

For translation help, see Dutch Genealogical Word List and Afrikaans Word List

Record Content and Use

For details about the contents of these records, their history, and help using them see the wiki article: South Africa, Dutch Reformed Church Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)

• South Africa, Cape Province Dutch Reformed Church DGS 4434392 68 Baptism.jpg

  Baptism Record

• South Africa, Cape Province Dutch Reformed Church DGS 4434431 23 Marriage.jpg

  Marriage Record

Search This Collection

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 look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

To search the collection image by image
⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page:
⇒Select the appropriate "Country"
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⇒Select the appropriate "Record Type and Years" which will take 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. Keep in mind:

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For Help Reading These Records

Don't overlook FS Library Place South Africa, Cape Province, Stellenbosch items or FS Library Keyword South Africa, Cape Province, Stellenbosch items in the FamilySearch Library Catalog. For other libraries (local and national) or to gain access to items of interest, see South Africa Archives and Libraries.

Known Issues with This Collection

	Problems with this collection? See a list of known issues, workarounds, tips, restrictions, future fixes, news and other helpful information.

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 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.

Related Web Sites

• Africa Websites
• Africa Historic Maps
• South African Family History and Genealogy
• The Genealogical Institute of South Africa

South African Research Training:

• Part 1: Beginning South Africa Research
• Part 2: South Africa National Archives
• Part 3: South Africa FamilySearch Collections Online

Related Wiki Articles

• Afrikaans Word List
• South Africa, Cape Province, Civil Deaths (FamilySearch Historical Records)
• South Africa

Citations for 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:

Collection Citation: The citation for this collection can be found on the Collection Details Page in the section Cite This Collection.

Record citation (or citation for the index entry):

When looking at a record, the citation is found below the record. You can search records in this collection by visiting the search page for South Africa, Dutch Reformed Church Registers, 1660-1970.

 Image citation:
 This template has been deprecated and is no longer used.

When looking at an image, the citation is found on the Information tab at the bottom left of the screen. You can browse through images in this collection by visiting the browse page for South Africa, Dutch Reformed Church Registers, 1660-1970.

DGS stands for Digital Genealogical Society also known as an Image Group Number. Each set of digital images is assigned a DGS number for identification purposes.