Please can someone explain to me where the CT archive building is and whether they have birth registers there, and if so, how does one access them? Many thanks Sybil

In Roeland street, opp the school Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device -----Original Message----- From: Sybil Banisterjones <[email protected]> Sender: [email protected] Date: Fri, 11 Apr 2014 10:03:48 To: SOUTH-AFRICA-EASTERN-CAPE<[email protected]> Reply-To: [email protected] Subject: [ZA-EC] CAPE TOWN ARCHIVES Please can someone explain to me where the CT archive building is and whether they have birth registers there, and if so, how does one access them? Many thanks Sybil ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Hi Sybil Yes there are birth records in the Cape Town Archives for the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Northern Cape BUT you will need to know what magisterial district the birth was registered in as there are over 20 possibilities just in Cape Town itself. In a nutshell: The government office holds the most comprehensive compilation of personal resources for all South Africans. Since the registers of births are closed for a period of a 100 years – the public may then view birth records prior to 1908 which are housed in the various archival repositories. If someone was born in Kimberley – these records would be in the Cape Town Archives. If they were born in Rustenburg then they would be in the Pretoria Archives etc. The index’s available to these records are also housed in the provincial archival repositories. Each province has a reference pertaining to these births: HAWC – Home Affairs Western Cape Eastern Cape Northern Cape Natal Free State Transvaal Registration of births in the Cape begun in 1895, the Transvaal in 1901 and Orange Free State in 1903. You will first need to know exactly which magisterial district the event took place before you can request the index. These indexes are not searchable electronically either except for the Western Cape Index on Ancestry24. The Home Affairs Western Cape Index (HAWC) is housed in the Cape Town Archives as well as the Eastern and Northern Cape. If someone was born in Cape Town you will need to check places like Cape Town Central, Wynberg, Docks, Green Point, See Point, Woodstock, Observatory etc – these are all separate registers. Please note that a CLOSED period of 100 years exists to all Birth records to protect individuals as stipulated by the office of origin. A normal period of closure remains as 20 years for Deaths and Marriages. To find the birth certificate of an individual you will need to first consult the index to the birth in the area in which it was registered i.e. Worcester. The earliest reference number begins with 1/3/57/4/1 –which covers 1895 to June 1905. Once you have got the register 1/3/57/4/1 you will need to look for the dates between 1895 – 1905 for that birth registration. There are two volumes of birth registers that apply for this period being 1/3/57/3/1 to 1/3/57/3/2. The first volume covers January 1895 to June 1899 and the second one June 1899 until January 1905. Depending on the size of the initial index will depend on how many volumes of registers there are for each area. Worcester has 62 Birth registers equalling about 4 years per book until 1933 and then one book per year thereafter. This does not apply to each area. Some of these books are very large, heavy and the pages are difficult to photograph because of the enormity of them. There are on the top floor of the archives and once ordered be prepared for a very long wait. First make sure you get your volume numbers correct before you attempt to order any of these books. The Cape Town Archives is situated in Roeland Street and parking can be difficult – depending on the time of day https://www.google.co.za/maps/place/Roeland+St/@-33.930859,18.4235699,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x1dcc677c24c99003:0x2b9226a0c0a6ef14 Street address: 72 Roeland Street, CAPE TOWN Tel: (021) 466 8100. Fax: (021) 465 2960 regards Heather Heather MacAlister Content Manager South Africa / Consultant Ancestry.com<http://www.ancestry.com/> P 082-8082251 E [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> P. O. Box 455 Clanwilliam, 8135, South Africa From: Sybil Banisterjones <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Reply-To: "[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>" <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Date: Friday 11 April 2014 at 10:03 AM To: SOUTH-AFRICA-EASTERN-CAPE <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Subject: [ZA-EC] CAPE TOWN ARCHIVES Please can someone explain to me where the CT archive building is and whether they have birth registers there, and if so, how does one access them? Many thanks Sybil ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Hi, The archives are at 72 Roeland Street (old Roeland Street jail building) - the easiest would be to google for directions. My personal experience only - my husband found his grandmother's birth record in a register (born 1897 in PE and I saw my mother's as well (1923 Cape Town). Prior to 1895 you won't find them because it wasn't required to register births before 1895 in the Cape. You would need lots of time if you don't have the exact year and place of birth as it doesn't seem that the registers cover every single town and some fall under other places. The staff were relatively helpful especially when I said I was trying to find out who my grandfather was as my mother was born out of wedlock. However, as the birth took place less than 100 years ago, they were not permitted to show me the original birth registration which is kept separately to the registers (according to what they told me anyway.) My only option would be to apply to Home Affairs for my mother's original birth certificate. The handwritten registers are kept in a separate room which the public has access to unlike the other records which you must first order from the desk. Antoinette Saunders -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Sybil Banisterjones Sent: Friday, April 11, 2014 10:04 AM To: SOUTH-AFRICA-EASTERN-CAPE Subject: [ZA-EC] CAPE TOWN ARCHIVES Please can someone explain to me where the CT archive building is and whether they have birth registers there, and if so, how does one access them? Many thanks Sybil ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message