Record Atlas
6 eras · 1852–2026 · 152 places

The Transvaal

Pretoria, Johannesburg, Potchefstroom, Rustenburg, Lydenburg. 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
1852–1877 South African Republic (Transvaal) eGGSA — Genealogical Society of South Africa · FamilySearch

The Sand River Convention of 17 January 1852 recognised Boer independence north of the Vaal; the first president took office in 1857 and the 1858 constitution fixed the name.
1877–1881 Transvaal — British annexation NAAIRS — National Archives of South Africa · eGGSA — Genealogical Society of South Africa · FamilySearch

Annexed by Britain on 12 April 1877; the Pretoria Convention of 3 August 1881 restored self-government.
1881–1902 South African Republic (Transvaal) NAAIRS — National Archives of South Africa · eGGSA — Genealogical Society of South Africa · FamilySearch

Under British suzerainty until the London Convention of 27 February 1884; British forces occupied the republic after the Second Boer War began on 11 October 1899.
1902–1910 Transvaal Colony NAAIRS — National Archives of South Africa · eGGSA — Genealogical Society of South Africa · FamilySearch

The Treaty of Vereeniging of 31 May 1902 ended the republic; limited self-government came in 1906–07.
1910–1961 Union of South Africa — Province of the Transvaal NAAIRS — National Archives of South Africa · eGGSA — Genealogical Society of South Africa
1961–2026 South Africa — the former Transvaal NAAIRS — National Archives of South Africa

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, 1852–2026, 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.

152 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