South Africa, Cape Province, Probate Records of the Master of the High Court - FamilySearch Historical Records

South Africa

Cape Province

Access the Records
South Africa, Cape Province, Probate Records of the Master of the High Court, 1834-1989 CID2517051 {{{CID2}}} {{{CID3}}} {{{CID4}}} {{{CID5}}} {{{CID6}}} {{{CID7}}} {{{CID8}}} {{{CID9}}}
This article describes a collection of records at FamilySearch.org.
Cape Province, South Africa
Flag of South Africa
Location of Cape Province, South Africa
Location of South Africa
Record Description
Record Type:	Probate Records
Collection years:	1834-1989
Languages:	Afrikaans and English
FamilySearch Resources
South Africa Genealogy
Africa Websites
Africa Historic Maps
South Africa Websites
South Africa Archives and Libraries
Western Cape Province, South Africa Genealogy
Eastern Cape Province, South Africa Genealogy
Northern Cape Province, South Africa Genealogy
Related Websites
South African Genealogy
Cyndi's List - South Africa
Find A Grave - South Africa
GenealogyInTime Magazine
Cape Master Death Notice Index
Genealogical Society of SA - Graves
Genealogical Society of SA - Funeral Programs
Cape Master Death Notice Index
Archive
Pietermaritzburg Archives (Formerly Natal State Archives), South Africa

What is in This Collection?

This collection includes records from 1834-1989. 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 much more information than a death certificate. The probate records are contained in packets with a record cover identified by an assigned file 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.

This collection includes several handwritten and typed indexes. You can use these lists to quickly scan for your ancestor’s name and where his or her records are located. The index includes the name of the person who died, the death dates, the name of the spouse, and the probate file number. The death notices and wills included in the probate files are hand-written. The death notices are on a pre-printed form.

The original probate records from the Master of the High Court in Cape Province, South Africa are located in the Cape Archives Depot, Cape Town.

Image Visibility

Whenever possible FamilySearch makes images and indexes available for all users. However, rights to view these data are limited by contract and subject to change. Because of this there may be limitations on where and how images and indexes are available or who can see them. Please be aware some collections consist only of partial information indexed from the records and do not contain any images. For additional information about image restrictions see Restrictions for Viewing Images in FamilySearch Historical Record Collections.

Reading These Records

These records are in Afrikaans and English. For help reading these records see:

• Afrikaans Word List
• Netherlands Language and Languages
• South Africa Language and Languages

What Can These Records Tell Me?

The following information may be found in these records:

• Name of the deceased
• Birthplace of the deceased
• Age of the deceased
• Names of the deceased’s parents
• Occupation of the deceased
• Names of surviving or deceased spouses (with death date) if any
• Date and place of death
• Names of the children of the deceased
• Whether the deceased owned property
• Whether the deceased left a will
• Name of the informant

Collection Content

Sample Images

• South Africa Cape Province Probate Records of The Master High Court DGS 007739210 Image 52.jpg

  1947 Death Notice

• 

  1947 Will Page 1

• 

  1947 Will Page 2

How Do I Search This Collection?

Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:

• The name of the deceased
• Location of residence upon death

Search The Index

Search by name on the Collection Details Page.

1. Fill in the search boxes in the Search Collection section with the information you know
2. Click Search to show possible matches

View the Images

To view images in this collection:

1. Look at the South Africa, Cape Province, Probate Records of the Master of the High Court Digital Folder Number List article to determine the folder/film number for the images you want to see
2. Go to the Browse Page
3. Select the Film number to view the images

How Do I Analyze the Results?

Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?

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

• Use the age to find an approximate birth year to begin your search in church or civil records for the person and other family members
• Use the information to find the person or family in prior census records
• Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have 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
• The probate record may contain an inventory of personal property, and a list of who received the property
• Check for siblings, especially women, to determine if they married
• 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 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
• 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
• Try different ways of searching the collection. For example, fill in just the given name or the surname. This will return a list of everyone with that name so you can browse through options
• Be aware that there may have been some transcription errors

Citing This Collection

Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.

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

Record Citation: When looking at a record, the citation can be viewed by clicking the drop-down arrow next to Document Information.

Image Citation: When looking at an image, the citation is found on the Information tab at the bottom left of the screen.

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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.