Alaska Gazetteers

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U.S. Gazetteers

Alaska

Gazetteers

Online Gazetteers

• FamilySearch Places
• Geographic dictionary of Alaska Markus Baker, Geographic dictionary of Alaska. Washington, D.C. : Library of Congress Photoduplication Service, 1963
• Alaska State Library
• Alaska State Archives and Libraries
• Disturnell's Business Directory and Gazetteer Disturnell's Business Directory and Gazetteer, San Francisco : W.C. Disturnell 1882, San Francisco Public Library 2014
• Dictionary of Alaska Place Names Donald J Orth, Dictionary of Alaska Place Names, Washington, U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 1967.

Print Only Gazetteers

• Dictionary of Alaska Place Names Orth, Donald J. Dictionary of Alaska Place Names. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1967.
• Alaska Place Names Schorr, Alan Edward. Alaska Place Names. Second Edition. Juneau, Alaska: University of Alaska, 1980. (Supplement to Donald Orth's book, above)
• Polk's 1923-24 Alaska-Yukon Gazetteer and Business Directory R. L. Polk & Company Polk's 1923-24 Alaska-Yukon Gazetteer and Business Directory. Seattle, Washington: R.L. Polk, 1923.

Why Use Gazetteers

A gazetteer is a dictionary of place-names. Gazetteers list or describe towns and villages, parishes, states, populations, rivers and mountains, and other geographical features. They usually include only the names of places that existed at the time the gazetteer was published. Within a specific geographical area, the place-names are listed in alphabetical order, similar to a dictionary. You can use a gazetteer to locate the places where your family lived and to determine the civil and religious jurisdictions over those places.

There are many places within a state with similar or identical place-names. You will need to use a gazetteer to identify the specific town where your ancestor lived, the state the town was or is in, and the jurisdictions where records about the person was kept.

Gazetteer Contents

Gazetteers may also provide additional information about towns, such as:

• Different religious denominations
• Schools, colleges, and universities
• Major manufacturers, canals, docks, and railroad stations
• The population size.
• Boundaries of civil jurisdiction.
• Ecclesiastical jurisdiction(s)
• Longitude and latitude.
• Distances and direction from other from cities.
• Schools, colleges, and universities.
• Denominations and number of churches.
• Historical and biographical information on some individuals (usually high-ranking or famous individuals)