On Line Sources for South African Genealogy

[Sue Mackay]

http://www.national.archives.gov.za/ includes the index to the South African archives (NAAIRS).

NB that death notices are extremely useful documents compared to English death certificates. They give details of birth and parentage where known, details of spouse, list all the children including the married names of daughters and indicate whether the deceased owned property.

Digital copies of documents in the Cape Archives (wills, death notices etc) can be ordered with a NAAIRS reference at very reasonable cost from eggsa.org (put www. in front), the virtual branch of the Genealogical Society of South Africa. It is not necessary to be a member although the costs are even cheaper for members. The eggsa site also has photographs of many graves. At present they cannot provide documents from Cape Town because of a digital camera ban.

Transcriptions of many BMDs from newspapers (pre 1856 only) can be searched at http://www.eggsa.org/newspapers/

http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/intl/ZAF/
Highly recommended mailing lists, especially Eastern Cape and British Immigrants. These lists are much better than the average Rootsweb mailing list. Many members have transcribed important records and posted them on the lists. Baptisms, marriages and burials which have been transcribed from church registers are also on-line at http://www.e-family.co.za/ (under Nolene)

http://www.1820settlers.com/ is a site devoted to the descendants of the 1820 settlers to the Cape of Good Hope.

For Afrikaaner ancestors (and general useful South African links) visit http://home.global.co.za/~mercon/