Mitteilungen des Österreichischen Staatsarchivs 4. (1951)
BISCHOFF, Norbert: Zentralarchiv für Jüdische Geschichte. – Diaspora-Forschungsinstitut - BEYERS, Coenrad: The Archives of the Union of South Africa
Südafrikanische Union 287 Commission found in the Chambers of one of the Judges and the first step was to remove them to a fireproof room in the office of the Surveyor-General. After this, Dr. T. W. G. van Oordt was appointed to examine the documents and report to the Commissioners. He prepared a general inventory of what was found. Many of the older records were damaged by worm and mildew and in others papers were found wanting and irrecoverable. However, on the whole, the more important ones were in a fair state of preservation. The records were now safe but they were not available to the public, and Dr. van Oordt suggested that a “keeper of archives” be appointed. In 1879 George McCall Theal (the historian) then employed in the Treasury was, in addition to his Treasury duties, appointed “Officer in Charge of Colonial Archives”. He held this appointment until 1881 when the Rev. H. C. V. Leibbrandt was appointed Librarian of the House of Assembly and Keeper of the Colonial Archives. In about 1886 the Archives were moved to the basement of the then newly built Houses of Parliament. In 1901 Mr. Leibbrandt relinquished the post of Librarian but retained that of Keeper of the Colonial Archives which was at that time created a separate office and which he held until his retirement in 1908. The following year the Government appointed a Commission to have the custody of the Archives on behalf of the Colonial Government. This Commission served until 1913. Transvaal. Housed in the Transvaal Archives are, among others, the records of the various small, short-lived republics such as Lydenburg, the New Republic, Stellaland and Land Goosen and of various settlements such as Zoutpans- berg and Utrecht, the records of the South African Republic dating from 1829 to 1902 (the oldest documents are only miscellaneous papers containing much private correspondence) and the Military Rule, Crown Colony and Responsible Government records from 1902—1910. The beginning of Archive organisation in the Transvaal dates back to the year 1887 when the State Secretary appointed two officials to arrange the papers of his office, after office hours. In February 1899 the Republican Government appointed an Archivist, Mr. W. T. S. Morkel, for the Department of the State Secretary, but his work related only to his Department and it was not until 1902 that a “Keeper of the Archives” was appointed, the previous post having lapsed during the war of 1899—1902. Mr. W. J. Fockens was appointed Keeper of the Archives with effect from the 6th October, 1902; and continued in the post until his death on the 26th September, 1919. Natal. In the Natal Archives are housed most of the records of the Natal Republic, the records of Natal Colony from 1845 to 1910 and the Zululand Government records from 1879 to 1898 and various other groups. There was not a full time official in charge of the Natal Archives before Union.
