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

| link5= [[Free State Province, South Africa Genealogy|Free State]]

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{{South Africa HR Infobox

|CID=CID3040532

| custodian = [https://www.nationalarchives.gov.za/node/2692 Free State Archives Repository]

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== What is in This Collection? ==  

This collection includes records from 1832-1989. The province changed names from the Orange Free State to the Free State in 1994.

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.   

The original probate records from the Master of the Supreme Court in the Orange Free State, South Africa are located in the Master's Office of the Orange Free State Archives, Bloemfontein.

=== Image Visibility ===

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=== Reading These Records ===

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

*[[Netherlands Language and Languages]]

*[[South Africa Language and Languages]]

== What Can These Records Tell Me? ==  

The following information may be found in these records:

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* Relationship of the deceased

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== How Do I Search This Collection? ==  

*The name of the person you are looking for

*Approximate date of death

=== Search the Index ===

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=== 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 [[Use_Appropriate_Forms#Prepare_a_Research_Log | research log]].

== What Do I Do Next? ==

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

*Add any new information to your records                           

*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                           

*[[South Africa Church Records|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                                   

*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                           

*There is also some variation in the information given from one record to another

*Be aware that there may have been some transcription errors<br><br>

== 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.

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== How Can I Contribute to the FamilySearch Wiki? ==

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