Editor: Dr Saul Issroff
Copyright © 1999 Saul Issroff, Mike Getz, SAfrica SIG
and Jewishgen Inc.
URL: http://www.jewishgen.org/SAfrica/gardens_shul-deathregisters.htm
Revised: 20 December 1999

The Gardens Shul, located in Cape Town, South Africa, has a long and colourful history with a full complement of records to match. The Shul's records are logged into large over-sized register books and kept in a floor-to-ceiling safe. In order to protect and preserve the records, the Mormon Church agreed to microfilm all the birth, marriage and death records in the Shul's custody as part of their on-going program of record preservation. This process has been completed and the resulting microfilm may be accessed at any Mormon Family History Center, if ordered in advance.
 
The index of death records that you will find below is intended to provide the researcher with a feel for the types of data that are available from these records. Space does not allow for all, but the most pertinent data to be included here.
 
In order to help you understand the data more clearly, the following outline is provided:
 
Column 1 LAST NAME - The last name of the deceased is taken just as it was spelled on the register. However, as you know, family names can be spelled in various ways even amongst brothers and sister in a family. So don't be put off if you see there is a slight variation in the name you are looking for. It is also possible that the individual used a different spelling or changed their name to reflect a more modern use of their name at a later date.
 
Column 2 FIRST NAME - The first name is also taken exactly as it was spelled in the register. In addition to the first name, the record has, in many cases, the Hebrew name of the deceased, i.e. Chaia Pese bat Moshe.
 
Column 3 SEX - This is self-evident.
 
Column 4 AGE - The age of the deceased may have an initial by the number that is an abbreviation for the following. "D" = Day, "W" = Week, "M" = Month. An example of this is: 6W - 6 Weeks.
 
Column 5 DATE OF DEATH - This is self-evident. However, the actual record has info on the date of death according to the Jewish calendar and the date of burial with the date according to the Jewish calendar. In addition, the attending physician is usually given as well as the cause of death. All dates shown below are in 'American' format, i.e. 'month/day/year.' Years when shown as two digits refer to the twentieth century, ie. 19yy.
 
Column 6 DATE OF BIRTH - This is information that did not appear until the 1950's on the death records. Further, not all death records from 1950 on had this data as it may not have been known at the time of death.
 
Column 7 BIRTHPLACE - This is another item that did not appear until the 1950's and then is not found on every death records as it may not have been known.
 
Column 8 ADDRESS - The address is not always an accurate gauge to determine where the deceased and his/her family lived. It may indicate the place where the person was in residence at the time of death. This can be reflected as the Jewish Old Age Home, a maternity hospital such as the Boothe Memorial Home, a hospital such as Groote Schur or other location.
 
Column 9 OCCUPATION - This data is not always provided. You will note that the women listed were primarily housewives.
 
Column 10 NEXT OF KIN - This item was not always filled in. On the actual death record there is a place for those who paid for the funeral or services and, in some cases, this includes relatives or the name of the synagogue or Chevra Kadisha.
 
Column 11 BOOK NUMBER - It is important to note that each of the registers was given an identifying or book number based on chronological order. You will find this number in the last column of the table. The beginning date for each of these register books is given at the end of the table. This will enable you to go to the correct book to find the record at the Garden Shul. It will not help you to locate the information in the Mormon microfilms. For this, you will have to look at the Mormon index of microfilms.
 
Column 12 DEATH REG DATE - All dates shown below are in 'American' format, ie. 'month/day/year.' Years when shown as two digits refer to the twentieth century, ie. 19yy.