Welcome to an exciting journey through the ERNST family tree.
(1668--2006)

Some families know a great deal about their roots; others know very little. This site is an attempt to record what we have researched about our family history. In these modern times, families tend to be scattered all over the world. One of the goals of this web is to help our family to stay connected even though we live far apart in different parts of the world.

To this end corrections and/or additions to the published data will be welcomed. All we ask is that any amendments be accompanied with a reliable reference to enable us to verify the information.

This genealogy must be considered the most authoritative compilation of this particular branch of the Ernst family, as it is backed by extensive research and documentary evidence from many archives. Unfortunately, there are other genealogies of this branch of the family, particularly from Australia, that, although very comprehensive in that they contain details of the female descendants, do not reveal their source and contain many proven errors.

Georg Nicolaus Ernst arrived in Ceylon from Neustadt an der Aisch, Germany on 3rd February 1764 and founded the Ceylon branch from which we in South Africa are descended. We are at present researching his European origin, beginning with the archives of the Rijksargief in Den Haag and the Lutheren Church records in Neustadt an der Aisch in an attempt to trace the roots of the family in Bavaria. So far we have established that the Ernst family were a respected middle class Lutheren family who lived for at least three genarations in Neustadt an der Aisch and we have traced the roots back to 1668.

On 6th May 1927 Dr Adalbert Henry Ernst, his wife Phyllis Maud Helen (née Anthonisz) and their two sons, Vernon Derek and Alex Henry, landed in Durban, South Africa to found the South African branch of the family.

We have also collected a wealth of anecdotes relating to the family which we hope to compile in book form. The autobiography of my father, Dr Adalbert Henry  Ernst is in an advanced stage of preparation. This will be made available to the immediate members of the family.

A.H. (Chicot) Ernst