Record Atlas
7 eras · 1800–2026 · 1 places

Mafikeng and the Molopo

Mafikeng, Mmabatho, Ramatlabama. Which empire held this ground in which years — and, the part that matters, which archive that means.

Whose archive this ground was

YearsWho held itWhose archive that means
1800–1882 Before registers. no registers survive

Before registers.
1882–1885 Stellaland and Goshen no registers survive

The Boer-led states of Stellaland and Goshen seceded from the Tswana country in 1882; the London Convention of 1884 made Stellaland a British protectorate, and British forces under Charles Warren restored order in early 1885.
1885–1895 British Bechuanaland, a Crown colony no registers survive

British Bechuanaland existed from 30 September 1885 to 16 November 1895, with Vryburg as capital and Mafeking laid out as an administrative centre.
1895–1910 Cape Colony - Mafeking NAAIRS — National Archives of South Africa · eGGSA — Genealogical Society of South Africa · FamilySearch

British Bechuanaland was annexed to the Cape Colony on 16 November 1895. Civil registration of Cape births and deaths began about 1895 (approximate). The Bechuanaland Protectorate to the north was governed from Mafeking.
1910–1977 Union of South Africa - Cape Province, Mafeking NAAIRS — National Archives of South Africa · eGGSA — Genealogical Society of South Africa · FamilySearch

The Cape Colony became the Cape Province of the Union in 1910. Mafeking remained the seat of the Bechuanaland Protectorate administration until 1965.
1977–1994 Bophuthatswana NAAIRS — National Archives of South Africa

Bophuthatswana had self-government from 1 June 1972 and nominal independence on 6 December 1977, recognised only by South Africa and Transkei. Mafeking was incorporated into it in 1980 after a local referendum, and it was reincorporated into South Africa on 27 April 1994.
1994–2026 North West Province NAAIRS — National Archives of South Africa

Mmabatho merged with Mafikeng, which is the capital of North West Province.

The rings are approximate — deliberately. They exist to shade which filing system a place fell under, not to adjudicate a border. A place near a ring's edge should be checked against both neighbours.

See the whole span, 1800–2026, on the map →

The map takes a range, and a range that crosses one of the rows above is where records get lost: the family never moved, and the archive on the far side of the handover will tell you it holds nothing.

1 places on this ground

33 FamilySearch collections reach this ground

Ranked with the regional ones first — a collection for a province is usually a better lead than a national index, though the national index is often where a name is actually written down. A free account opens the images.

All record regions · The map