The Cape Town Mailing List
Welcome to the Cape Town Mailing List. This list was created with the aim of establishing a forum to assist anyone researching their ancestors' lives in Cape Town but also the broader Cape Colony. There are many members of the list who are knowledgeable, not only about genealogy but also about the history of various geographical and social aspects of the Cape Colony from the time of Van Riebeeck to the 20th Century. So ask a question and you will more than likely receive advice in one form or another.
To subscribe to the List please go to SOUTH-AFRICA-CAPE-TOWN-L-request@rootsweb.com and type the word - subscribe - in the subject line as well as in the body of the text. No other words please. You will receive an email of confirmation after which you can freely post your queries to the list.
Whilst a free flow of information and debate is encouraged, there are a few guidelines which have been put in place to ensure the friendly and open ambience of the list:
A friendly query will receive a friendly response.
No advertising is allowed - if you wish to bring something to the attention of the list please contact me, the List Administrator beforehand so that a decision can be made as to the merit of the request. Spam emails will be severely dealt with not only by the List Administrator but by other members of the list as well!
Always construct your queries in a clear, concise manner - give names, dates and locations, if known, so as to provide a context for other list members. Remember, long, involved emails tend to put people off.
Please choose your subject line carefully. "Help Please" is very friendly but many listers are members of more than one list and receive many, many emails everyday so they prefer something more constructive. e.g.. "Ship at Simons Bay 1853-54"
Do not send thank you's to the list. If you wish to thank someone for assisting you, please do so off list using their personal email address. Remember that every email sent to a Rootsweb hosted mailing list is archived for future retrieval and non-relevant emails just slow things down.
If you wish to post information that you think might be of benefit to the list, feel free to do so but please be specific about your source of information. e.g. if you have found a passenger list and wish to share the names please state in which publication you found it and the date.
Thank you for taking the time to read through this and good luck in your quest.
Background painting is one of Table Bay by Thomas Bowler.