Application for Research
DUTCH REFORMED CHURCH IN SA: ARCHIVE
NEDERDUITSE GEREFORMEERDE KERK IN SUID-AFRIKA: ARGIEF
Please provide full details as requested. We use this information
for our own statistical purposes and to do a proper search for
the relevant documents regarding your request.
1.
Contact details of the Researcher
Title, Name and Surname:
Telephone or Cell phone
where we can contact you:
Your preferred e-mail address
or fax number:
Date:
2.
Nature or purpose of the research (Please tick the appropriate box):
The Archive uses this information to determine the research fee. [Please note: The Archive’s
member records, for genealogical research, are only available at GISA. See page 3 for details
regarding genealogical research.]
3.
4.
Undergraduate studies
Postgraduate studies
Research on behalf of an
organisation or other person
Personal (own) research
Study field (Please tick the appropriate box)
Dutch Reformed Church:
Information
Dutch Reformed Church:
History
Other churches / organisations
(Supply details below)
Other
(Supply details below)
Research
4.1 Subject or title (explain / give details if the title is not descriptive enough)
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4.2 Theological research (details of your university and study field)
University / Institution:
Current programme
(degree / diploma):
Discipline group:
(Missiology, Ecclesiology)
Promoter / study leader:
4.3 Type of information needed:
Synod documents, commission reports, minutes of congregations. Please indicate
the period of your interest in the second column [Example: <1900 or 1960-1968].
4.4 Search phrases
This is the most important part of the research request. Clear, detailed search
phrases will help the Archive to locate the relevant documents. Please use Boolean
operators (see next page) to narrow the research to your specific research.
Please remember that the majority of the documents in our Archive are in Dutch and
Afrikaans. We recommend that you discuss (or explain in detail) the search phrases
with the Archive personnel. They need to translate your request to search the
Dutch/Afrikaans documents. It is imperative that this translation is correct!
3
Genealogical Research
All the member records of the Dutch Reformed Church are available on microfiche at GISA (see
details below). Genealogists are thus referred to GISA for all requests regarding member records.
It is also important to understand that neither GISA nor the Archive has a central computerized
index of church members or baptisms. It is not possible to “quickly search” (by computer) for a
specific surname. All the baptism registers of all the congregations (more than a thousand) need
to be searched, page by page. It is thus of critical importance that a research request must specify
the congregation and the period (as specific as possible). If a personal visit to GISA is not
possible, GISA can suggest a private researcher to do the research for the genealogist. The
Archive does not have the capacity to do research for a private researcher or genealogist.
GISA (Genealogical Institute of South-Africa)
Postal Address:
PO Box 3033, Matieland, 7602
Physical Address:
115 Banghoek Road, Stellenbosch
Telephone:
021-887-5070
Fax:
021-887-5031
E-mail:
info@gisa.org.za
Web:
www.gisa.org.za
Please note: The Dutch Reformed Church has five archives in Southern Africa. The Archive in
Stellenbosch keeps the records of the URC (VGK / Dutch Reformed Mission Church), the General
Synod of the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) and the records of seven DRC Synods: Western
Cape, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Western Transvaal, Northern Transvaal and the High Veld
Synod. The other Synods have their own archives.
Free State:
Telephone:
Mrs Christa Botes – inlig@ngkvs.co.za
051-523-3780
KwaZulu-Natal:
Telephone:
Mrs Elize de Villiers – argief@ngkzn.org.za
033-345-2279
Eastern Synod:
Telephone:
Mrs Elna de Bruyn – aanbid@sinoos.co.za
012-804-9543
Namibia:
Telephone:
Rev Clem Marais – clem@ngkn.com.na
(+264) 61-37-4350
The Genealogical Society of South Africa (GGSA) is has many resources for geneaologists. They
also have an extensive list of photos (and names) of most of the gravestones in the historical
cemetries of South Africa.
GGSA (The Genealogical Society of South Africa)
Mobile:
082-500-6758
E-mail:
jakok99@gmail.com
Web:
www.eggsa.org
The GSU has many resources and links to help genealogists. Their Dutch Reformed Church
collection contains more than 45 000 images (records) from various locations which were part of
historic Cape Colony and the Transvaal province. Record coverage vary depending on location.
This collection is being published as images and records become available. [The quickest way to
these images is through the website of the GGSA!]
GSU (Genealogical Society of Utah)
Web:
www.familysearch.org
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Boolean operators
Boolean operators define the relationships between words or groups of words.
Use
To
AND
Narrow search and retrieve records containing all of the words it separates.
OR
Broaden search and retrieve records containing any of the words it separates.
NOT
Narrow search and retrieve records that do not contain the term following it.
()
Group words or phrases when combining Boolean phrases and to show the
order in which relationships should be considered: e.g., '(mouse or mice) and
(gene or pseudogene)
Wildcard symbols can expand the scope of your search.
Use For
*
Truncation. This expands a search term to include all forms of a root word, e.g.,
patent* retrieves patent, patents, patentable, patented, etc. Tip: When looking for
singular and plural forms of short words that have a common root, such as cell, the
truncation symbol may retrieve too many irrelevant words, while the wildcard symbol
may retrieve too few words. In such a case, do not use wildcards and instead OR
together the forms of the word you want, e.g., cell or cells.
*
Multi-character wildcard for finding alternative spellings. Use to indicate an
unlimited number of characters within a word, e.g., behavi*r retrieves behaviour or
behavior.
?
Single-character wildcard for finding alternative spellings. The ? represents a
single character; two ?? represent two characters; three ??? represent three
characters, etcetera. Use within or at the end of a word, e.g., wom?n finds woman
as well as women, and carbon fib?? finds carbon fiber or carbon fibre. Note:
Only words with characters equal to the number of ?'s present are retrieved, e.g.,
cell? retrieves cells and cello but not cell.
ARCHIVE CONTACT DETAILS
Contact numbers
Archive
021-882-9923
www.kerkargief.co.za
Street Address
Archive
1 Noordwal-Wes
Stellenbosch
7600
Postal Address
Archive
PO Box 34
Stellenbosch
7599
Manager
Dr Ben du Toit
021-882-9923
bendutoit@kaapkerk.co.za
Head Archivist
Marlene Schoeman
021-882-9923
083-306-9947
marlene@kaapkerk.co.za