Tracing 1820 Settler ancestors
In 1820 about 4,000 British emigrants arrived in the Eastern Cape in organised 'parties', each led by a party head, and were settled in the Albany district. Many English-speaking South African families – and many Afrikaans ones too – descend from them. Because the parties were well documented, these ancestors can often be traced back to their home parish in Britain.
Start with the party
Find out which party and ship your settler came with. Volunteer sites list the parties and their members – eGGSA's 1820 Settlers pages include settler returns, data tables and an index to settler correspondence, and the albany1820.com site lists the parties and ships. Treat party lists as a guide, not a complete passenger list.
Records to look for
- The 1920 centenary genealogical records: certificates compiled for the centenary, tracing descendants of each settler (filmed by FamilySearch, from originals in the Cape Archives).
- Applications and correspondence of the party heads with the Colonial Office, which name the people in each party, often with ages.
- Church registers in Grahamstown, Bathurst and the Albany district (Anglican, Methodist and others).
- The Cory Library at Rhodes University in Makhanda (Grahamstown), which holds 1820 Settler family papers, maps and pictures.
Back to Britain
Once you know where the family came from, look for their baptisms and marriages in the English, Scottish, Welsh or Irish parish registers before 1820.
Useful links
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