New Applicant, how do I join?
Membership fee for the Genealogical Society of South Africa (GSSA) can either be R200,00(Abroad R350) or R150,00. This is based on whether you would like to receive the quarterly Journal of the Society, Familia, by post or electronically. When you decide to join you will be allocated to a particular branch e.g. Johannesburg Branch, Vaal Triangle Branch, Western Cape Branch, etc. There are 12 land based  branches and 1 Cyber branch called the eGSSA- this is an web based branch.
The various branches of the GSSA in some instances levy an additional mandatory fee for the newsletter of the branch, this differs from branch to branch.
A copy of the application form can be downloaded here. Application Form
There are two options to choose from should you wish to become a member of the GSSA
1)     Decide on the branch that you would like to join by visiting the GSSA website http://www.genza.org.za. On the page of the branch of your choice select the menu “contact us” and forward your completed form to the membership committee member.
2)    You can join via the eGSSA branch. Visit this page: http://www.eggsa.org/sales/eshop_e_dc_membership.htm and follow the instructions. The membership fee of the eGSSA consists of three elements, i.e. membership of the GSSA; membership of the eGSSA and optional member of a land based branch as well.
Should you have any queries kindly contact a committee member of the branch of your choice.

Why Family History is important

02 February 2013

By John Deare. Committee member of the Natal Midlands family History Society and the Natal Midlands branch of the Genealogical Society for 15 years.

It is without doubt that our roots influence our lives and the way we think and react to current events. No matter how hard we try to depart from the way things were done in our parents days and even our grandparents days, there is always a trace of their imprinting in out thinking. So it’s important to know and
understand the circumstances of their lives and how it influenced their decisions.
Nor must we forget the circumstances of how they came to live in Natal. Was it tribal and cultural difficulties that made them move. Was it the severe conditions in Victorian England. Was it unemployment that influenced them to become indentured to unknown bosses in an unknown land. Was it to avoid political or religious turmoil that they were prepared to face unknown hardships to make a new life.
As fascinating as the stories of the lives of early settlers and residents are to us today indicates the need for us to record more recent family history and keep it safe for future generations. This is where local organizations such as The Family History Society and The Genealogical Society are invaluable in assisting you with your research.
Where do you start, and in this case it’s not at the beginning but at present day. You need to record your basic details; birth, marriage and children; and then work backwards to your parents and grandparents.
There are many Internet sites which are invaluable such as Ancesty.com or FamilySearch.org; cyndislist.com and Ancestor.com in South Africa. I find Rootsweb.com and Rootschat.com, two free sites very helpful. When looking for information about Scottish ancestors I was put in touch with a second cousin twice removed now living in the USA who had already recorded much of the information I was looking for.
You will be bound to come across the black-sheep in the family and the skeletons in the cupboard. Fortunately these days we are more relaxed towards the indiscretions of others.
Funny things happen in every family and as you research you will come across many that lead to more question. Helping someone from Cape Town research his deKlerk ancestors we found that one had died in a telephone booth in Durban. It begs the question; was he trying to telephone for help. Last year I was asked to research a lady whos death notice said she had died at Addington beach. One jumps to the conclusion that indicated Addington hospital. But no, she actually died in the sea having first drunk Lysol, a strong disinfectant, before plunging into the surf. The information was obtained from a Durban newspaper. So once you have a date of an occurrence its often useful to have a look at the local newspaper to see if there is
an obituary notice. In the early 1920’s obituaries even listed the mourners at the funeral Recently I undertook research on the Hirst family who were musicians and the father established musical shops in Durban and Pietermaritzburg. I was able to trace from early Natal Almanacs the houses they lived in; most of which are still standing.
We have in our Society a number of family histories. Some are simply put together and others are professionally printed. It is always best to check to see if there is research on your family before tediously duplicating the work. We also have a set of Books published by GISA which included a large number of Afrikaans families. Plus we have a set of Shelagh Spencer’s books on early British Settlers in Natal.
The Genealogical Society of South Africa continuously undertakes projects to gather information for researchers. Members photograph gravestones in cemeteries throughout the Republic and these are published on the Societies web page. Currently there is a project on the go to photograph all the early Immigration records and these will also be available on their website.
For more information about your local Society please contact the author.
Author, John Deare retired after 42 years in the advertising industry where he developed an interest in market research. Now spends much of his time on genealogical research for local and overseas families. He has been on the committee of the Natal Midlands family History Society and the Natal Midlands branch of the Genealogical Society for 15 years. He can be contacted by telephone at 033 3442170 or on e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Images: http://www.burlington.lib.ia.us/genealogy/geneal.htm

09 November 2012

Since the earliest days at the Cape far sighted individuals recognised the need for recording genealogical information of the new arrivals to the Cape since 1652 From 1652 there were exceptional milestones reached by the recording of genealogies. Genealogy in South Africa today is the hobby of many South Africans and a growing science. It would be unfair to say that the following list is comprehensive but it still reflects the growth and development of genealogy in South Africa.

1652 - Diary of Jan van Riebeeck.

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30 July 2009

• 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.

05 September 2011

Heritage Month in the Northern provinces of South Africa started with a genealogy experiment that was accepted well by the audience.
 
Johan Barkhuizen, a member of the GSSA, prepared a DVD of his family history, that incorporated 16mm film material, some video footage and photographs. To this he added a sound track.  This innovative format of presenting family history was displayed for the first time  at the Genealogy and Family History Fair, in Pretoria on Saturday 3 September 2011.
 
The audience was suitably impressed and the potential of this genre was soon realized. Unlike the older generation the young people of today prefer being visually entertained, they would rather look at a DVD than read a book.  Genealogy in sound and image does not replace a book or CD because the latter contains more detailed information. It is complementary to the more traditional way of research and appeals to both young and old.