South Africa Probate Records

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South Africa

Probate Records

Online Resources

• 1832 - 1989 South Africa, Orange Free State, Probate Records from the Master of the Supreme Court, 1832-1989 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1869 - 1958 South Africa, Transvaal, Probate Records from the Master of the Supreme Court, 1869-1958 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1834 - 1989 South Africa, Cape Province, Probate Records of the Master of the High Court, 1834-1989 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1871 - 1937 South Africa, Cape Province, Kimberley, Probate Records of the Supreme Court, 1871-1937 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1846 - 1950 South Africa, Pietermaritzburg Estate Files 1846-1950 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images

Wills and Probates

Research use: Mainly to show relationships and to verify information in church records. Also to provide pedigree connections and names of living children and children’s spouses, which sometimes cannot be found elsewhere.

Probate records : death notices/estate records

Record type: Death notices, wills, probate packets.

Time period: 1834 to present.

Contents: Death notices - name, birth date and place, names of parents, age of deceased, marital status, date and place of death, names of children, and property. Wills - name of testator, residence, heirs, relationships, description of land and property, date of will and probate, signatures of witnesses’ and executors, etc.

Location: Provincial archives and the various masters of the Supreme Court.

Population coverage: 50% of Whites and also many Coloreds, Asians, and Africans.

Reliability: Highly accurate. The records had to be proved in a court of law.

• Forebears South Africa Wills and Probate Records.

Death Notices

Death notices are essential documents for research in South Africa. These important documents typically supply age, date, and place of death, whether married nor not, names of children, and, if known, the names of the parents of the deceased, so are of great value. Death notices were held under the jurisdiction for which they were created. Prior to 1994, death notices were created under the following five jurisdictions:

Cape Province
Kimberley (Cape Province)
Natal
Orange Free State
Transvaal

Click on the name of the province for more information on the death notices available for that province.

Orphan Chamber Records

These records include testaments, inventories, Pupillen Register (register of wards - children under the protection of a guardian), and death registers. The records are from 1689 to 1834. Testaments include certified copies of wills. Inventories - inventories of estates of deceased persons. Pupillen Register includes full names of wards and their parents, birth dates, and who the ward married. Death registers includes name of deceased, occupation, place of birth, burial and death; age. These records are found at the Cape Archives, 62 Queen Victoria Street, Cape Town, South Africa.