It is with great sadness that we have to inform you that Judi has passed away after a short illness. When we got the call this morning we had no words and were not ready for this farewell.

Judi joined eGGSA in 2009 and straight away volunteered to take on the role as GENESIS editor. When we started our Facebook page, she was the first to put her hand up. From the beginning Judi became an integral part of our management team.

Judi will be remembered for her joy for life, her passion for genealogy, her positive attitude, her willingness to help others with their research, her readiness to take on the next challenge and always being prepared to help. Judi we are going to miss you. We have today lost a respected genealogist, team member, friend and confidant.

Our sincerest condolences to her husband Jan, the children, grandchildren, family and friends. 

All at eggsa.org

Michael Scogings has now completed his indexes of BMDs from the Natal Witness for 1846-1885 inclusive, which are the issues he has access to.

He will now turn his hand to the early issues of the Natal Mercury, to further fill in the gaps until the start of civil registration in Natal in 1868.

A huge vote of thanks to Michael for this mammoth task.

Following a talk she gave on researching in South Africa, Sue Mackay was contacted by a lady in the UK who had taken possession of two old diaries written in the 1870s by a relative, John Thomas Davis Harcourt (b1851 in Birmingham), who went out to join the Frontier Police. The diaries were acquired from a South African who no longer wished to be responsible for them, and they found their way to Jane Milne in the UK, who was known to be “the family historian”. With them were several WW1 diaries written by the son, William Douglas Harcourt, and these have drawn the interest of the Imperial War Museum, but Jane was keen that the two older diaries should also have a wider audience.

I suggested that the diaries themselves might be offered to the National Archives, but Jane was willing for them to be photographed and published on eGGSA, so that historians at the Cape could access them. I offered to transcribe the diaries, as I have experience of reading old handwriting following my transcriptions of the 1820 settler correspondence, and I enlisted the help of Geoff Chew in London, a retired South African academic, who has a greater knowledge than I have of South African history, and who was also familiar with most of the places mentioned in the diary.

It soon became apparent that Harcourt was present at many important meetings with tribal chiefs and that the diaries were very interesting historical documents, so thanks are due to Jane Milne for ensuring that they were not lost.

The Diary images can be seen HERE

Lunette Lourens has added a further part to her interesting and useful article, discussing Packaging requirements and options for your family archives.  This article is intended to provide simple and practical guidance to anyone who is looking after their family heritage. 

1 What are family archives?
2 What to keep
3 Taking care of the physical condition of the archives
4 Packaging requirements and options for your family archives
5 Storage environment for your family archive
6 Arrangement of your family archives

Genealogy Books: Alta Griffiths has made a list of books now available on the FamilySearch web site - please see Books online in the Links to useful websites section of this web site.

Cemetery registers On FamilySearch have been added to Graves and Cemeteries in South Africa
  Images from the City of Cape Town, Cape Metro Cemetery Records, 
  to search: https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/2790463
  includes:
  Maitland cemetery in Cape Town 1886-2007
  and
  Plumstead Cemetery - Record of Interments - May 1959 to Jan 1977 

Our online shop is available for purchasing downloadable items and membership.

In fact our stock has been re-organised so that most (but not all) items can now be purchased as downloadables, including the Cemetery DVD, but it will, unfortunately, not be possible to post any CDs, DVDs or books during the current Corona-virus lock-down.

The Archives are closed and our photographers in lock-down so document photograph orders are also suspended. 

Baie geluk aan Riana le Roux en haar uitsonderlike span vrywilligers met hierdie besonderse prestasie. Dit is baie ure se werk, geduld en harde arbeid wat in die projek in gaan.

Groot dankie aan almal wat fotos bydra, fotos op die web laai, fotos merk, begraafplase indukseer en die webblad instandhou vir hierdie uiterse waardevolle projek. Ons waardeer alles wat julle vir ons doen.

Die projek groei so vinnig, ons sien uit na die volgende mylpaal.

Ses maande se uitreksels vanaf die Staatkoerant van die Kaap is bygevoeg by die eGGSA Koerant Uitreksels, vir die periode tussen Junie tot Desember 1830. 

Die transripsies is deur Brenda Gassnet gedoen en ons is haar baie dank verskuldig.

Die dope is deur Corney Keller gestransribeer vanaf die fotos van die Kaapse Agriewe VC 645. Hierdie is ‘n stel foto kopieë van die oorspronklike register wat in die 1980’s, vir die Wetenskaplike Navorsinging Raad (WNNR) gemaak is. Kopieë was aan die Suid Afrikaanse Argiewe gegee en ‘n kopie het gegaan aan die Kaapse Argief en een aan die Pretoria Argief ( waar dit deel uitmaak van die FC reeks). Die oorspronklike register word tans in die Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerkargief, Noordwal-Wes, Stelenbosch as G3 3/2 bewaar. Die dope is by ons eGGSA BDM databasies bygevoeg.

Ons innigste dank aan Corney Keller vir die transribering en die NG Kerkargief vir die bewaring en instadhouding van die rekords.

Die versameling grafstene het so gegroei dat dit meer gerieflik geword het om hulle up hul eie webwerf te huisves. Die grafte kan gevind word by http://www.graves-at-eggsa.org/

Skakels wat u gestoor het sal nog reg by die graf of begraafplaas uitkom, maar as u gestoorde skakels na die nuwe vorm wil verander, sal u dit maklik vind om hulle in lyn te bring. Die vorige adres sou gelees het 

http://www.eggsa.org/library/main.php?g2_itemId=2898227    teenoor die nuwe adres wat lees
http://www.graves-at-eggsa.org/main.php?g2_itemId=2898227

Al wat u moet doen is om die       eggsa.org/library     met        graves-at-eggsa.org       te vervang.

Ons virtuele vergadering is nou gesluit. Baie dankie aan almal vir u deelname en ondersteuning.

Alle lede was uitgenooi om aan die vergadering deel te neem. Soos verduidelik in die e-pos gedateer xx Januarie 2018, het ons aanvaar dat die lede van wie ons nié gehoor het nie, tevrede is met beide die nominasies en die 2017 Jaarverslag.

Teenwoordigheid by die Vergadering
Lede wat eGGSA gekies het as hul primêre tak was geregtig om aan die AJV deel te neem. Ons e-pos stelsel het rekord gehou van die aantal e-poste wat uitgestuur, onafgelewer, aangestuur en onoopgemaak was. As virtuele tak gebruik ons hierdie getalle om die kworum te bepaal.

Die 2018-Bestuur bly dus onveranderd aangesien geen verdere nominasies ontvang was vir die bestuursposte nie. Bestaande nominasies was ook nie betwis nie.

Bestuurslede
Alta Griffiths - Voorsitter
Daan Hamman - Onder-Voorsitter
Carol Beneke - Tesourier
Lynn Couperthwaite - Lidmaatskapdienste, -kommunikasie en Bemarking
Richard Ball - Webmeester
Judi Meyer - Redakteur genesis

Addisionele lede
Annelie Els - Stamouers
Corney Keller - Nederlandse Transkripsies
Daan Botes - Poskaarte
Riana le Roux - Begraafplaasprojek

Baie geluk aan die bestuurspan, en dankie dat julle weer bereid is om nog ‘n jaar op die bestuur te dien. eGGSA Annual Report 2017, tesame met die finansiële state, sal aan Nasionaal gestuur word.

Daar is huidiglik twee negentiende eeuse koerante wat by die Koerant Uitreksels toegevoeg is. Die "Grahamtown Journal" van die 1880's, met uitreksels getransribeer deur Sue Mackay, vanaf foto's wat sy by die Britse Biblioteek in London, geneem het. Ook uittreksels uit die Kaap van Goeie Hoop Goewerments Gazette van die 1820's, wat deur Alta Griffitha in die Stellenbosch Universiteits Biblioteek geskandeer is en huidiglik deur Brenda Gassner getranskribeer word.

Keith Meintjies het 'n ontledings tabel vir die NAAIRS aanlyn verwysings indeks voorsien, wat dit netjies in 'n spreivel, uiteensit.

Hierdie sal baie handig wees vir mense wat 'n groot aantal verwysigs kry. Die inligting is verkrygbaar op ons Keith Meintjies ontledings blad.

Baie dankie aan Keith vir die beskikbaar stelling hiervan asook aan sy seun Ian, wat die ontwikkel het.

In die laat 1890s en vroeë 1900s het George McCall Theal 35 volumes van die Registers en aantekeninge van die Kaap Kolonie gepubliseer, wat alle korrespondensie van 1793 tot 1827 behels, van wat toe die Publieke Rekord Kantoor (nou die Nasionale Argiewe), in London opgeteken.

Sue MacKay het elkeen van die aanlyn kopieë van die volumes deur gegaan en die skakels daarheen, aan die eGGSA web werf voorsien.

Sue skryf: Hierdie volumes kan gratis afgelaai, (of aanlyn deursoek) deur middel van die Internet Argief, deursoek word. Volumes 12 en 13, dek die 1820 Setlaars en verskaf baie van die korrespondensie, wat ek vir die werf transkribeer het, alhoewel Theal se werk baie meer selektief is en nie-party leiers of die wat nie emigreer het, insluit nie.

Dit sluit egter sekere antwoorde wat by die Koloniale Kantore van briewe wat elders op die werf gevind kan word. Daar is 'n indeks in elke vyfde Volume en Volume 35 beskik oor ?n volledige indeks. Volume 36 is 'n Register van die inhoud van Volumes 1-35.

Helena het goedgunstiglik haar werk wat bestaan uit Boedeldokumente ( Sterfkennisse, Testamente em Likwidasie en Distribusierekeninge) aan eGGSA geskenk vir ons aanlyn Dokumenteafdeling.

Helena het baie tyd daaraan spandeer om die inhoud te vereenvoudig. Die byskrifte is deur Anina du Plessis gedoen en voltooi deur Lorraine Beechey.

Die dokumente kan in vier afsonderlike albums gevind word:
Wes Kaap Argief
Pretoria Argief
Bloemfontein Argief
Pietermaritzburg Argief.

Ons opregte dank aan Helena, Anina en Lorraine

The eGGSA Passenger List Project has been updated and now includes the Natal Immigration Board's list of immigrants 1850 to 1904, as well as the passenger lists from the departure notices in the British Mail 1879 to 1881. The database includes details of 27,000 passengers and 800 voyages.

This is an ongoing eGGSA project and the finished, searchable data is provided on the eGGSA web site.

The volunteers who are doing the work (photographing the records, co-ordinaing the transcribers, transcribing, proof-reading and database creation) are members of the eGGSA, Eastern Cape, Natal Midlands, West Gauteng and Western Cape branches of the GSSA and live on four contintents, Africa, Europe, America and Australia. .

A new section has been added to the web site to bring together the many transcripts we have available. Here, at South African Records Transcribed, you can now find the Muster Rolls, and the Cape Baptisms and Marriages 1665-1696. These have been revised and corrected by Corney Keller and he has just added to them a transcript of the Cape Town NGK marriages 1696 to 1712. You will also find some earlier baptisms and marriages found in the De Stael letters to the Amsterdam Classis, that Corney found in the Amsterdam Archives who have given permission for the letters themselves to be transcribed - letter reports to Amsterdam from Peter Stael, siekentrooster at the Cape from 1654 to 1663. Also there is a transcript of the French baptism register of Drakenstein, 1694 to 1713, with translations into English.

In addition Corney has acquired scans of 25 soldijboeken of early 17th and 18th century settlers at the Cape which are displayed with the permission of the Nationaal Archief, Den Haag, Nederland, and also provided a transcript to a few of them.

I am the niece of a '19 year old lad' from Manchester England who found himself in a war and a country I am certain he had little knowledge of. He tragically lost his life in January 1943 and is buried in Stellawood Cemetery, Durban. His name is Bernard Vaughan Healey, born to impoverished parents who had 7 children to feed and clothe. His childhood was miserable and before he had a chance at making a better life for himself, lost that life at such a young age. He was buried thousands of miles from home and of course no family members ever visited his grave. He has been long forgotten, his parents and siblings all long dead. I never knew him, being born 15 years after he died.

But because of the fantastic work you all have done, including those who tend and care for the graves, Bernard Vaughan Healey has been cared for more in death than he ever was in his short sad life.

He is 'at peace' in a beautiful corner of the world being watched over by angels who at the least deserve heartfelt thanks and praise for the dedicated work you all do. I will always think of you all with gratitude and praise.

Yours sincerely
Dianne Dever
Manchester