Alaska, United States Genealogy

United States

Alaska

Guide to Alaska ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Alaska Wiki Topics

Beginning Research

Guided Research Research Strategies Record Finder

Record Types

Adoption Bible Records Biography Cemeteries Census Church Records Colonial Records Correctional Institutions Court Records Directories Emigration & Immigration Genealogies Land & Property Military Records Naturalization & Citizenship Newspapers Obituaries Online Collections Periodicals Probate Records Taxation Vital Records Voter Records

Alaska Background

Biography Further Reading Gazetteers History Maps

Cultural Groups

African Americans Indigenous Peoples Swedish American

Local Research Resources

Archives & Libraries Societies Family History Centers

Moderator

Alaska Information

Alaska became the forty-ninth state of the United States on 3 January 1959. It was the Territory of Alaska before being admitted to the Union. It is the largest state in the Union and is in the northwest of the Americas above Canada. The capital of Alaska is Juneau. There are 19 organized and 1 unorganized boroughs.

Getting Started

Getting Started with Alaska Research Links to articles on getting started with Alaska research. Guided Research Step-by-Step Alaska Research, 1880-Present How to Find Birth Records How to Find Marriage Records How to Find Death Records Research Strategies

Alaska Research Tools Links to articles and websites that assist in Alaska research. Boundary Changes for Alaska Counties by Atlas of Historical County Boundaries by Newberry Alaska Archives and Libraries AKGenWeb Geographical Names Information System - U.S. gazetteer of places, cemeteries and post offices in Alaska.

Alaska Online Genealogy Records

Ask the Community

Alaska Clickable Map

Many genealogy records are kept on the county level in the United States. Click on a borough below to go to the borough Wiki article listing more information.

Boroughs

The U.S. state of Alaska is not divided into counties, as 48 other states are (Louisiana having parishes instead), but it is divided into boroughs. Many of the more densely populated parts of the state are part of Alaska's nineteen boroughs, which function somewhat similarly to counties in other states. However, unlike county-equivalents in the other 49 states, the boroughs do not cover the entire land area of the state. The area not part of any borough is referred to as the Unorganized Borough.

For the 1970 census, the U.S. Census Bureau, in cooperation with the state, divided the unorganized borough into 11 census areas, each roughly corresponding to an election district. However, these areas exist solely for the purposes of statistical analysis and presentation. They have no government of their own. Boroughs and census areas are both treated as county-level equivalents by the Census Bureau.

The table below shows the regions, boroughs and census areas as of July 1, 2013. Census areas in the Unorganized Borough are shown in italics. Because these areas have changed over time, it may be worthwhile for a researcher to look at the political jurisdictions at the time of ancestors being researched. More information is available on the Alaska Department of Labor web site.

Anchorage / Mat-Su Region Anchorage Municipality Matanuska-Susitna Borough Gulf Coast Region Kenai Peninsula Borough Kodiak Island Borough Valdez-Cordova Census Area Interior Region Denali Borough Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska Genealogy Southeast Fairbanks Census Area Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area

Northern Region Nome Census Area North Slope Borough Northwest Arctic Borough Southwest Region Aleutians East Borough Aleutians West Census Area Bethel Census Area Bristol Bay Borough Dillingham Census Area Lake and Peninsula Borough Kusilvak Census Area

Southeast Region Haines Borough Hoonah-Angoon Census Area Juneau, City and Borough Ketchikan Gateway Borough Petersburg Borough Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area Sitka City and Borough Skagway Municipality Wrangell, City and Borough Yakutat, City and Borough

Extinct or Renamed Boroughs and Census Areas:

• Wade Hampton Census Area
• Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon Census Area
• Skagway-Yakutat-Angoon Census Area
• Wrangell-Petersburg Census Area
• Prince of Wales-Outer Ketchikan Census Area

FamilySearch Resources

Below are FamilySearch resources that can assist you in researching your family.

• Facebook Communities - Facebook groups discussing genealogy research
• Learning Center - Online genealogy courses
• Historical Records - databases and record images on FamilySearch
• Family History Center locator map
• 1816-1959 Alaska, Vital Records, 1816-1959 at FamilySearch — index and images

Additional Resources

• 1899-2012 - United States, Obituaries, American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, 1899-2012 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1913-1958 - Alaska, Pioneer Home discharge index, 1913-1958 at FamilySearch — index

• Cyndi's List - Alaska genealogy sites on the internet
• AlaskaWeb - Alaska Trails to the Past
• Alaska Genealogy Trails - collection of transcribed data for the state of Alaska
• Access Genealogy – Genealogy guide for Alaska
• Alaska Genealogy History Guide – Genealogy Guide for Alaska
• The Ancestor Hunt - resources for Alaska genealogy research
• Alaska Genealogy - extensive directory of Alaska genealogy records
• Alaska Research Outline – Original Family History Library research outline; contains many out-of-date links

State Archives

Alaska State Archives

Searchable Indexes.

PO Box 110571
Juneau, AK 99811-0571
395 Whittier Street
Juneau, AK 99801
Telephone: (907) 465-2270
E-mail

National Archives, Seattle

• National Archives at Seattle
• Alaska Records Digitized by FamilySearch