New to genealogy and family research? Check out the help-guides in our Learning Centre.

We also offer a free Beginner’s Guide to genealogy, which can be downloaded from the site.

Additionally, you have access to experts at Ancestry24 as well as the entire community in our forums. If you are serious about your family history research, also join one of our common surname interest groups or create your own and start building your very own family tree our our unique family tree builder.

Here are some more general and useful pointers:

• What is Ancestry and Genealogy?
• How to start your Family Tree
  • What is a Family Tree
• Writing your Family History
• How to write a Biography
• Adoptions – Where to find information
• Almanacs and Year Books
• Birth Records
  • Birth, Marriage & Death Records
  • Ammendments to births + official name changes
  • How to find birth records
• Cemetery Records
  • Avbob
  • Burial Customs
  • Cemeteries + Crematoria in Cape Town
  • Cemetery Contact Numbers
  • Cremations
  • Funeral Assurance
  • Historical Graves in South Africa
  • Huguenot Cemeteries
  • Muslim Funerals
  • State Funerals
  • Where do I find Cemetery Records
• Census
  • Census & Recorded Souls
  • Census returns, are there any in South Africa?
• Church Records
  • Anglican Church Archives in Port Elizabeth
  • Anglican Church Archives
  • Church Records, where do I find them?
• Costumes at the Cape
• Deaths
  • What is a death notice
  • What is a death certificate
  • Where do I find a death notice?
  • What does a death notice contain?
  • Where can I find my Ancestors wills?
• Deceased Estate Records
  • Deceased Estate & Law of Succession
  • Modern Deceased Estates
• Divorce Records
  • Ex Parte Application
  • Illiquid Case
  • What will I find in them?
• Education Records
• Eytomology
  • Etymological Dictionaries online
  • Naming Patterns
  • Xhosa names and meanings
  • Xhosa surname and meanings
  • Zulu names and meanings
• Genealogical Numbering System
• Genetic Genealogy
• Heraldry
  • Coat of Arms, how do I trace it?
• Internet Archives
• Links to other websites
• Biographical Dictionaries online
• Marriage
  • Marriage + Divorce Law
  • Marriage Certificates, what will I find on them?
  • Marriage Records, where do I find them?
  • Prohibited Marriages
  • Where can I obtain a copy of a marriage certificate
• Master of the High Court
  • The Master’s business Unit
  • The History of the Orphan Chamber
  • The Orphan Chamber at the Cape
• Military Records
  • How do I get them
  • National Archives & NAAIRS
  • NAAIRS, what is it?
  • Newspaper Resources
• Passenger Lists
  • Where do I find them?
  • Passenger + Shipping Records
• Police Records
• Preserve and look after your information
• Prison Records
• Property and Land, Deeds
  • Deeds Registry
  • Deeds, Searching
• Official names changes
• Voting Information, 1853 – 1970
• Wills, where do I find?