Actions
- Download the Cemetery Recording Initiative – in a nutshell diagram.
GSSA Projects
Project leader Hendrik Louw
The Project is an initiative of the Genealogical Society of South Africa
Background
The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) initiated the development of the South African Genealogies (SAG). In 1997 the Genealogy division was closed and the body's family research function was taken over by the Genealogical Institute of South Africa (GISA) that came into being and continued at Volume 3 and thus the A-Z surname index consists of 17 volumes.
GISA then decided to systematically update the volumes, starting with A, so it was decided that the newly updated SAG collection would henceforth be known as SAF, in order to distinguish the two. GISA completed A-L before it was closed down and bequeathed the bundle as a gift with copyright to the GSSA.
Although several registers M-Z have also been updated, the entire collection is now known as SAF and currently consists of about 14,000 Family registers, ± 1,100,000 names in register format, surnames alphabetically divided into 49 PDF sections, easy to look up.
This collection forms the basis of many researchers' work and is without doubt the South African archive of our South African Family Registers. In this way, South Africa thus preserves both its history and culture by constantly updating, adding to and verifying the registers for accuracy.
Description
Updating the SAF registers with new information is a continuous process and the full-time responsibility of five team members.
Deliverables
The SAF registers in product format and other related products.
Invitation
You are welcome to contribute to the SAF registers - this facility is free and open to the public. It may include:
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Family research and family tree information in your possession (either your own or inherited information) that can be made available to the project for incorporation SAF registers.
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Information on your family can also be submitted via the Ancestral Chart Project
Contact
For more information, please contact the project leader, Hendrik Louw, via email
Actions
- Buy the latest version of the SAF registers and related products, via the OnlineShop.
- Order a part of the SAF registers (e.g. a specific surname), via email.
- Submit family research and family tree for incorporation SAF registers (up to 10Mb via email).
- This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. information (via email) to make special arrangements (if larger than 10Mb).
The goal of this focus area is to preserve the relevant genealogical data contained in the administrative records of cemeteries and burials - and make the information accessible to genealogical researchers.
On a more detail level the information above is enhanced with information on locating cemeteries and with photos of gravestones and walls of remembrance. Funeral letters are being collected and an “In Memoriam” facility provides functionality to acknowledge people who do not have graves (for example, may have been cremated).
In general the various projects proceed with their activities, delivering their results for inclusion and safe storage in the relevant database, from where it can be viewed and/or purchased from the OnlineShop or the WebShop.
The three projects: PROJECT Cemetery Locations, PROJECT Cemetery Records and PROJECT Gravestone photos are collectively known as the Cemetery Recording Initiative.
For more information on any of the specific projects below, please click on the guide on the right:
PROJECT Cemetery locations.
PROJECT Cemetery records.
PROJECT Gravestone photos.
PROJECT Funeral letters.
PROJECT In memoriam.
The second focus area centres around family trees: this includes the South African Family (SAF) registers; family pages and ancestral charts, as well as inscriptions in Family Bibles.
In general the various projects proceed with their activities, delivering their results for inclusion and safe storage of the relevant database, from where it can be viewed and/or purchased from the OnlineShop or the WebShop.
For more information on any of the specific projects below, please click on the guide on the right:
PROJECT: South African Family (SAF) registers.
PROJECT: Family pages & ancestral charts.
PROJECT: Family Bibles.
Project leader
Riana le Roux
The project was initiated and is managed by the eGGSA branch of the GSSA - and involves most of the other branches.
Description
Whether you call them tombstones (the stone placed on top of a stone coffin), a gravestone (the stone slab covering a grave) or a gravestone (typically markers denoting a grave), today all these terms indicate a marker at the head of the grave. In this project we call them gravestones, which include memorials, monuments, and memorial plaques.
Gravestones have traditionally been a good starting point to finding information on family and unravelling one’s own family history.
The project is regarded as an extension of and preservation of the monuments in the graveyards all over South Africa, honouring those who have gone before us, by preserving their memory. The photos are captioned with names and dates as they appear on the gravestones.
The aim of the project is the systematic recording of gravestone inscriptions on South African related graves. Tomorrow those gravestones may no longer be there.
The project is also referred to as the Gravestone Project in the eGGSA context, where the photo albums also reside.
Deliverables
The captioned photographs of gravestones are made available in alphabetical albums, searchable by name, cemetery etc. – free of charge. The albums currently contain over 925 000 photos, with many more photos still to be processed.
Invitation
Members of the public are invited and encouraged to lend a helping hand and donate photographs. You are welcome to contribute photographs of South African gravestones by submitting them to Riana le Roux (see below).
Actions
- View the gravestone photo collection.
- Search for names in gravestone photo collection.
- Search for cemeteries in gravestone photo collection.
- This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. your gravestone photos for the albums (up to 10Mb via email)
- This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. information to make special arrangements (if larger than 10Mb, via email).
- Download a guide for taking gravestone photos.
- Download a guide for planning your trip.