Welcome to the Genealogical Society of South Africa

genza bannerWe serve a community of dedicated amateur family researchers. Anyone who hasn't ever dabbled in genealogical research can imagine the relief, joy and great exultation that the genealogist experiences on having made a breakthrough, or finds the final link to complete a family line. It truly is the experience of a lifetime.
Families have migrated far and wide within South Africa. Later descendants of families that arrived in South Africa as early as 1676 trekked North and East, some ending in the present day Namibia and or even further afield to Angola and Kenya. Tracing their footsteps, opens up new worlds, and gives one insight into cultural, political and the religious motivation for these great treks.
The Genealogical Society of South Africa (GSSA) that was established in 1964 has twelve branches of which eleven are land based and one which is an electronic branch catering for members worldwide, via the internet. Each branch arranges its own activities and meets all year round apart from December and January. More information can be gleaned by visiting the branch pages of www.genza.org.za. Members  become close friends and are more than happy to assist newcomers with their research. Many a dead end has been resolved by discussing the issue with a fellow genealogist.
Our aim and goal is:
  • To promote and facilitate interest and research in genealogy and family history to present members, to the genealogical hobbyist and to all members of the public who may be interested in genealogy and/or family history.
  • To promote general understanding of Genealogy and its value, to understand and maintain professional status and dignity for genealogists amongst members of the Genealogical Society of South Africa and the general public.
  • To encourage the observance of the highest standards of research by members of the Society.
  • To provide a wide range of educational courses, research programmes and services for the general benefit of GSSA branches and members, as well as any other service or assistance as may from time to time be decided upon by the National Council of the GSSA.
  • To encourage and develop links with Family History Societies.
  • To establish and maintain contact with like minded Societies throughout the world.
  • To establish a certification program to promote the reliability, professionalism and integrity of all South African Genealogists and Record Researchers.
  • To assist in the preservation of all genealogical records and memorabilia

 


 

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Products and Services - Library

Boeke rekenaarThe GSSA has excellent genealogical sources that are kept at the library of the Heritage Foundation in Pretoria. The Northern Transvaal branch and the Heritage Foundation have an agreement according to which the foundation and the branch cooperate in making available sources for genealogical research.
The collection includes books and magazines in both electronic and published format. This data deals with South African as well as international genealogies, 1820 British Settlers and the arrival of the French Huguenots, the German Missionaries, Dutch Immigrants, the Anglo Boer War and British Concentration Camps. A special effort is made to collect and make available family registers and pedigree sheets of individual families. The library is in possession of both the SA Geslagsregisters (SAG) and the more recent SA Family Registers (SAF). biographies, several baptism/christening, marriage, and membership registers, as well as registers of various cemeteries and the GSSA Cemetery Recording Project are stored here. NTVL Library
Volunteers of the Northern Transvaal branch and the full-time librarian of the Heritage Foundation are on hand to provide guidance and assistance. The Heritage Foundation library is in the Heritage Building at the Voortrekker Monument.
Times
The library is open for genealogical research on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 10.00 to 15.00 and on some Saturdays (see News page for the latest arrangements) . Volunteers will be available on these days to assist researchers. Please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.the GSSA librarian (Lynne) to confirm times and availability.
Heritage Foundation Telephone number 012-325-7885 x2234.
Admission and fees
Enter at the entrance gate of the Voortrekker Monument (VTM), take a ticket and move up to the main parking area at the Reception / Information Center, just below the Afrikander Handelshuis, at the foot of the VTM. Pay the entrance fee of R20 and have your gate ticket stamped so that you can be allowed out at the gate.
Library List
The library list is often updated, so be sure to download a new version now and then to benefit from new books that are added.  The Library list is available in two formats, PDF & Excel (the contents are the same):
Library photo

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Archive tours - Annual schedule 2022

The schedule for 2022 is as follows:

 
 Dates
 Days
 Status
 Destination
 Accommodation
 Cost
 Comments
1  22 - 29 May  5 days + travel  Completed  Western Cape  Included  R8000
2  17 - 22 Jul  3 days + travel  Postponed  Pietermaritzburg  Included  Ca. R3500  Moved to 2023
3
 15 - 19 Aug  5 days + travel
 Completed  Gauteng  On request  R900
4
 18 - 23 Sep
 5 days + travel
 Considered
 Bloemfontein
 Included
 R5500
 2022 cancelled
 2023 on request
5
 16 - 21 Oct  5 days + travel  Postponed  Western Cape  Included  R9000  Moved to 2023
ANNUAL SCHEDULE OF UPCOMING YEARS
  2023 Archive Tours of upcoming years

Gauteng archive tour (August 2022)
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.
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 (May 2022 & October 2023)

GSSA members planned to visit the Cape in August 2020… and then Covid-19 happened.  When we say ‘planned’, it means that the accommodation and places of research were all booked and participants already received lots of information.  We had to postpone, first to May 2021 (the second wave over Christmas gave us a scare), then August 2021 (the new winter lockdown made us to rather not go) and now to August 2022 and to repeat it during 2023.
But South Africans are very accommodating and all our bookings could just be rolled forward.  (However, three eGGSA participants from other countries pulled out completely, afraid of Covid-19 tests, long flights, quarantine or isolation.  But their deposits are paid and they want to join the next Cape trip as soon as the pandemic has calmed down, i.e. in 2023.)
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.

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Archive tours - Annual schedule

The schedule for 2023 & 2024 is as follows:

CURRENT YEAR (2023)
 
 Dates
 Days
 Status
 Destination
 Accommodation
 Cost
 Comments
1
 21-25 Aug  5 days
 Fully booked
 Gauteng  On request  R900  Fully booked
2  22-27 Oct  5 days + travel  Fully booked
 Western Cape  Included  R9000  Fully booked
AANNUAL SCHEDULE OF UPCOMING YEAR (2024)
1 Jul 2024  3 days + travel  postponed  Pietermaritzburg  Included  Ca. R3500  2024 on Request
2
Aug 2024
 5 days + travel
 Considered
 Gauteng
 On request
 R900

 2024 on Request
3  Sept 2024  5 days + travel  Considered  Bloemfontein  Included  R5500  2024 on Request
4
 Oct 2024
 5 days + travel  Considered  Western Cape  Included  R9500  Book NOW
ANNUAL SCHEDULE OF PREVIOUS YEARS
2022 Archive Tours of previous years
 
 

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Getting started - Entry points

There are so many entry points to genealogy, here are a few ideas:
  • Start with yourself and record your family information: The ancestral chart project provides some background, examples and family sheets to guide you in collecting core genealogical data – a good start to your genealogical journey.
  • Play with technology: Capture family stories and voices in video clips or audio recordings – these will become a precious family treasure in future. You may consider a genealogical profile questionnaire as an interview tool or just get granny to tell you the well-known family story once again.
  • Create a photo album: Perhaps you have discovered old photos, letters, etc., and may want to start an ancestral photo album, enriched with some notes and facts about your family. Remember to keep track of names, dates and places.
  • Learn about genealogy: Visit the library to get a feel for genealogical books and documents. You will become acquainted with available sources and get exposure to how others have documented their family histories. The librarian, skilled in genealogy, will be able to guide you on how to proceed.  Alternatively check out the WebShop to procure some genealogical material.
  • Adopt genealogy as a hobby: Join the GSSA and become part of the genealogical community. You will meet kindred spirits, ranging from aspirant to seasoned genealogists. Depending on the surname you are interested in, we may be able to put you in touch with other members working on the same surname. The virtual tour offers a 90 second glimpse into what the GSSA is about.

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Get Started

1 Converted
Genealogy may have sparked your interest, but where and how does one start on a genealogical journey?
It is probably easier than you think - and contrary to conventional wisdom, you do not have to start at the very beginning – the best place is to start with yourself and your own family circle – the people you know.
 
“You are born into your family and your family is born into you. No returns. No exchanges.” (Elizabeth Berg)
 
There are so many entry points to genealogy, we offer a few ideas if you want to try your hand at it.
 
Be careful not to be seduced by instant family trees. The true facts are ultimately more important and more valuable than a quick and impressive but false pedigree.
 
When considering family research, it is important to consider before you begin: What is your goal? What do you want to achieve? What is the scope of your planned study?
 
Whether you just want to dabble in genealogy, to gain a better understanding of the discipline; wish to unravel the multi-dimensional puzzle of the lives of your ancestors; or choose to record your known family history for the  benefit your decedents, genealogy will become a rewarding journey.
Start building your family's multi-dimensional puzzle
...piece by piece...

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What is genealogy? Historical origins

Primitive societies memorised the names of their ancestors over thousands of years and transmitted this knowledge to successive generations. In South Africa this oral tradition for the ancestors of certain rulers dates back to almost 1500 AD.
The Old Testament contains many examples of family registers.
Descent among European nobility was of great importance for the inheritance of titles and the use of a coat-of-arms. Great emphasis was placed on the ancestry and bloodlines of a couple wishing to marry.

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