Namibia Church Records

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Namibia

Church Records

For information about records for non-Christian religions in Namibia, go to the Religious Records page.

Online Resources and Websites

• 1904-1984 - Namibia, Dutch Reformed Church Records, 1904-1984 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1690-2011 - South Africa, Dutch Reformed Church Records (Stellenbosch Archive), 1690-2011 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1838-1991 - South Africa, Netherdutch Reformed Church Registers (Pretoria Archive), 1838-1991 at FamilySearch — index and images

• British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, China, index and images, ($)
• British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, Africa, index and images, ($)
• British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages, Africa, index and images, ($)
• British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages, Africa, index and images, ($)
• British Armed Forces and Overseas Deaths and Burials, index and images, ($)
  
  

Historical Background

• The largest Christian group in Namibia is the Lutheran church, which consists of three church denominations.
  • The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (ELCIN) grew out of the work of the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Mission (earlier known as the Finnish Missionary Society) which began in 1870 among the Ovambo and Kavango people.
  • The Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia (ELCRN) grew out of the work of the Rhenish Missionary Society from Germany which began working in the area in 1842.
  • The German-speaking Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (ELCIN-GELC) is the smallest of the three churches (approximately 4,500 members).
• The second-largest Christian denomination is Roman Catholicism, and accounts for more than 20% of the population. It consists of three jurisdictions - the two dioceses of Windhoek and Keetmanshoop, and the Apostolic Vicariate of Rundu which is in the process of becoming a third diocese. An apostolic prefecture was established as early as 1892, but the current metropolitan province and ecclesiastical structure was erected more recently, in 1994.
• The Anglican Church consists of a single diocese (Anglican Diocese of Namibia), forming part of the Metropolitan province of Southern Africa. It is strongest in the north of the country. The Anglican church worships principally in the English and Kwanyama languages.
• Smaller numbers are affiliated with the Baptist Church, the Methodist Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), the New Apostolic Church, the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Branhamism, a number of Zionist Churches (practicing a mixture of traditional African beliefs), and Pentecostal Christianity. The Dutch Reformed Church of Namibia is predominantly made up of members of the Afrikaner ethnic group.

Information Recorded in the Records

Different denominations, different time periods, and practices of different record keepers will effect how much information can be found in the records. This outline will show the types of details which might be found (best case scenario):

Baptisms

In Catholic and Anglican records, children were usually baptized a few days after birth, and therefore, the baptism record proves date of birth. Other religions, such as Baptists, baptized at other points in the member's life. Baptism registers might give:

baptism date the infant's name parents' names father's occupation

status of legitimacy occasionally, names of grandparents names of witnesses or godparents, who may be relatives

birth date and place the family's place of residence death information, as an added note or signified by a cross

Marriages

Marriage registers can give:

the marriage date the names of the bride and groom indicate whether the bride and groom were single or widowed their ages

birth dates and places for the bride and groom their residences their occupations

birthplaces of the bride and groom parents' names (after 1800) the names of previous spouses and their death dates names of witnesses, who might be relatives.

Burials

Burial registers may give:

the name of the deceased the date and place of death or burial the deceased's age place of residence

cause of death the names of survivors, especially a widow or widower deceased's birth date and place parents' names, or at least the father's name

How to Find Records

Digital Copies of Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog

Watch for digitized copies of church records to be added to the collection of the FamilySearch Library. Some records might have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a Family History Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations. To find records:

a. Click on the [COUNTRY LINK records of Namibia].

b. Click on Places within Namibia and a list of towns will appear.

c. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.

d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.

e. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the listing for the record. . The magnifying glass indicates that the record is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the records.

Writing for Records

You will probably need to write to or email the national archives, the diocese, or local parish priests to find records. See French Letter Writing GuideLetter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.

Catholic Church Records

Writing to a Local Parish

To locate the mailing address or e-mail address for a local parish, consult:

• The Catholic Directory: Namibia

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Records

Online Records

Information is available to current members only for deceased members and immediate family members who are still living. Sign in to FamilySearch and then select Family Tree in the drop-down menu.

Anglican (Episcopal) Church Records

Writing for Records

• [ Google Maps search results for Anglican churches in Namibia]

Baptist Church Records

Writing for Records

• [ Google Maps search results for Baptist churches in Namibia]

Eastern Orthodox Church Records

Writing for Records

• [ Google Maps search results for Eastern Orthodox churches in Namibia]

Jehovah's Witnesses Church Records

Writing for Records

• [ Google Maps search results for Jehovah's Witnesses churches in Namibia]

Lutheran Church Records

Writing for Records

• [ Google Maps search results for Lutheran churches in Namibia]

Mennonite Church Records

Writing for Records

• [ Google Maps search results for Mennonite churches in Namibia]

Methodist Church Records

Writing for Records

• [ Google Maps search results for Methodist churches in Namibia]

Moravian Church Records

Writing for Records

• [ Google Maps search results for Moravian churches in Namibia]

Nazarene Church Records

Writing for Records

• [ Google Maps search results for Nazarene churches in Namibia]

Pentecostal Church Records

Writing for Records

• [ Google Maps search results for Pentecostal churches in Namibia]

Presbyterian Church Records

Writing for Records

• [ Google Maps search results for Presbyterian churches in Namibia]

Seventh-day Adventist Church Records

Writing for Records

• [ Google Maps search results for Seventh-day Adventist churches in Namibia]