South Africa, Dutch Reformed Church Records (Stellenbosch Archive) - FamilySearch Historical Records: Difference between revisions

== What is in the Collection?  ==

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.  

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 practically all the whites in the Cape belonged to it. In the following Centuries, several other church denominations were created in Cape, leaving a decline in the membership of the Dutch Reformed Church.  

These records are written in Afrikaans, Dutch and English.  See the section [[South Africa, Dutch Reformed Church Records, Stellenbosch Archive (FamilySearch Historical Records)#For Help Reading these Records|For Help Reading these Records]] for translation helps.  

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'''Birth records"' usually include the following information:

*Names of parents

===For Help Reading these Records===

==What Do I Do Next?==

===I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?===       

*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 Who I'm Looking for, What Now?===       

                          

*Switch to a different record collection. Depending on the time period, Civil Registration 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.                           

*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's.  

|title=South Africa, Dutch Reformed Church Records, Stellenbosch Archive 1660-2011

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