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Archive tours - Annual schedule

The schedule for 2025 is as follows:

CURRENT YEAR
 
 Dates
 Days
 Status
 Destination
 Accommodation
 Cost
 Comments
1
  18 - 22 Aug 25
  5 days
  Bookings close 31 March 2025
  Gauteng  On request  R950  BOOK NOW!
2  5- 10 Oct 25  5 days + travel  Bookings close 31 March 2025
  Western Cape  Included  R11 400
  BOOK NOW!
ANNUAL SCHEDULE OF PREVIOUS YEARS
  2024 Archive Tours of previous years
2023 Archive Tours of previous years
  2022 Archive Tours of previous years
 
 

Gauteng archive tour (August 2025)

Participants are prepared by means of advance email briefing documentation; in this way, they know exactly what they are looking for and hoping to find answers to.
To make sure they do not “re-invent the wheel”, they first visit the genealogical library of the GSSA and Northern Transvaal branch on Monday to consult registers and books that already exist.
On Tuesday and Wednesday they spend full days in the National Archives (Transvaal archival repository). For beginner researchers it is suggested they mainly copy family information from estates documents. These files usually contain information about parents and children. As they progress, participants will be able to study other files, e.g. dealing with farms, government departments, court cases and much more. One also can find maps and photographs!
On Thursday they visit the National Library, one of the legal deposit libraries. Authors publishing more than 100 books are obliged by law to donate copies to these deposit libraries. Thus, one may find a copy of a book from way back when books were printed. One also finds all Government Gazettes, many newspapers, university theses etc. For the genealogist, there also is a large genealogical book shelf.
Friday follows an interesting excursion by Gautrain to Parktown in Johannesburg where the research centre of the Church of the Latter Day Saints (LDS) is situated. Here one can scroll through microfilm rolls of church registers of many congregations and learn how to make full use of the well-known FamilySearch.org online programme.

Cape Town archive tour (October 2025)

After flying on Sunday from OR Tambo (Johannesburg) we break the ice at an introduction and the first supper when we also meet the local tour members.  On Monday morning after an early breakfast and a short walk to the Cape Archive in Roeland Street, Cape Town, the two day research marathon starts.  Only short intervals for a quick coffee can intercept the enthusiasm of researchers, novices or advanced!  On Tuesday the same programme is followed. After some rest in the afternoon, debriefing and shop talk take place at the dinner table.
On Wednesday a bus takes us to Wellington where the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) now houses in its library the genealogical collection inherited from GISA (Genealogical Institute of South Africa).  Here we can work in books, registers, films of church records, photographs and much more.
Then on Thursday back in the National Archive in Cape Town we have another chance to continue our work from Monday and Tuesday.  If time allows it, some could visit friends or join a tour to the National Library.
On Friday the bus takes us to Franschhoek where we made an appointment with the Huguenot Society which keeps many family registers of French ancestors who arrived in South Africa in 1688. When participants work on their pedigree sheets they usually find that many of their ancestors belonged to this group: examples are Marais, Roux, Pienaar, Fourie, Bruwer, and many, many more.
After a special farewell lunch the bus takes us via a scenic route to the Cape Town international Airport for us to arrive at OR Tambo at about 21:00.