Alaska Church Records

History
The largest religious denominations in Alaska as of 2010 were the Catholic Church with 50,866 adherents, non-denominational Evangelical Protestants with 38,070 adherents, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with 32,170 adherents, and the Southern Baptist Convention with 19,891 adherents. In 1795, the First Russian Orthodox Church was established in Kodiak. Intermarriage with Alaskan Natives helped the Russian immigrants integrate into society. As a result, an increasing number of Russian Orthodox churches gradually became established within Alaska. Alaska also has the largest Quaker population (by percentage) of any state. Source: Wikipedia

Information Found in the Records
To effectively use church records, become familiar with their content. Click on these links to learn about a specific record type:

Look for online records.
'''Ancestry.com, FindMyPast.com, and MyHeritage.com can be searched free of charge at your local family history center or the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The early government birth, marriage, and death records of Alaska were reconstituted from church records:
 * 1816-1959 at FamilySearch; Index and images, incomplete — How to Use this Collection
 * 1818-1963 Alaska, Vital Records, 1818 -1963 at Ancestry ($) Index and images


 * 1845-1917 Alaska, Russian Orthodox Church records, 1845-1917 at FamilySearch
 * 1867-1889 Index to baptisms, marriages and deaths in the archives of the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in Alaska 1867-1889'''
 * 1867-1912 Cook Inlet deaths copied from Greek Church Records, 1867-1912 at FamilySearch
 * 1890-1899 Index to baptisms, marriages, and deaths in the archives of the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in Alaska, 1890-1899 at FamilySearch
 * 1895-1944 United States Marriages – Alaska, 1895-1944 at FindMyPast ($)
 * 1900-1936 Index to baptisms, marriages and deaths in the archives of the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in Alaska, 1900-1936 at FamilySearch

Lutheran

 * 1781-1969 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969 at Ancestry; index and images, incomplete.($)

Presbyterian

 * 1701-1970 U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1970 at Ancestry; index and images, incomplete.($)

Other Collections

 * The Ancestor Hunt: Free Alaska Online Church Records

Look for digital copies of church records listed in the FamilySearch Catalog.

 * The Family History Library (FHL) has a substantial collection of original church records and transcripts on microfilm for churches in the United States.
 * Online church records can be listed in the FamilySearch Catalog under the state, county, or town.
 * If you find a record that has not yet been digitized, see How do I request that a microfilm be digitized?
 * Some records might have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a Family History Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations.
 * To find records:
 * a. Click on the records of United States, Alaska.
 * b. Click on Places within United States, Alaska and a list of counties will appear.
 * c. Click on your county if it appears.
 * d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Click on Places within United States, Alaska [COUNTY] and a list of towns will appear.
 * f. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.
 * g. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * h. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the listing for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the record is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the records.

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Russian Orthodox Church
Before 1900 the largest religious group in Alaska was the Russian Orthodox Church, which was introduced to the Alaskan natives in the eighteenth centuryby Russian fur traders.

The early records of this church are the single most important source of vital records information for the state.
 * Copies of all surviving Russian Orthodox records (in Russian) are at the Bureau of Vital Statistics.
 * These have been microfilmed (401 rolls), and there is an online Inventory: The Alaskan Russian Church Archives (Washington, D.C.: Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, 1984).
 * Microfilm copies of the Russian Orthodox Church Archives are available at the National Archives' Pacific Alaska Region; the University of Alaska, Rasmuson Library, Fairbanks, Alaska; the Alaska State Library, Juneau; University of Alaska Library in Anchorage; and the Family History Library (FHL) in Salt Lake City.
 * There is an online Index to baptisms, marriages and deaths in the archives of the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in Alaska, 1900-1936
 * During World War II many records of Russian Orthodox baptisms, marriages, and deaths were sent to the Library of Congress to be translated and indexed. The originals are still there.
 * Microfilm copies for 1816 to 1936 are on 25 films at the National Archives—Alaska Region, the Rasmuson Library, the Bureau of Vital Statistics, and online from FamilySearch.

Bureau of Vital Statistics
Moravian, Episcopal, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist, and other denominations have more recently established missions, schools, and hospitals in Alaska. The Moravians, the second largest denomination in Alaska, settled predominantly in Bethel and along the Kuskokwim River.
 * Records for all of these groups are at the Bureau of Vital Statistics. The Bureau of Vital Statistics collects church records in order to create delayed birth certificates for individuals whose births were not officially recorded. They borrow the original church records to microfilm and return the originals to the church. The staff will do research and make copies for a fee, but requests may be denied if the information is needed for genealogical purposes.
 * A person may obtain only his or her own birth certificate, except for parents who may obtain their own child's certificate. Access to birth records becomes available to the public 100 years after the event.
 * Access to death records filed in the Bureau of Vital Statistics office is restricted for 50 years after the date of the event to family members, their legal representatives, and persons who can prove they are legally entitled.
 * Access to marriage records filed in the Bureau of Vital Statistics office is restricted for 50 years after the date of the event to the persons named on the certificate, their legal representatives, and persons who can prove they are legally entitled.
 * For Catholic and Presbyterian information, write to the local church instead because the Bureau's records are restricted.
 * Most Methodist records are also at the local churches.
 * The Family History Library has a few Presbyterian records.

Correspond with or visit the actual churches.
Some records are still held in the local churches. Contact the current minister to find out what records are still available.
 * Make an appointment to look at the records. Or ask the minister of the church to make a copy of the record for you.
 * To find church staff available, you might have to visit on Sunday.
 * Ask for small searches at a time, such as one birth record or a specific marriage. Never ask for "everything on a family or surname".
 * A donation ($25-$40) for their time and effort to help you would be appropriate.
 * If the church has a website, you may be able to e-mail a message.
 * See the Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.
 * Each denomination page offers an online address directory of local churches for that denomination.

Check the church records collections in archives and libraries.
Some church records have been deposited for preservation in government archives or in libraries. Watch for links to digitized, online records offered by the archives. Some archives provide research services for a fee. For others, if you cannot visit in person, you might hire a researcher.

'''Here you will find archive information unique to the state. Many more archives are kept by denomination. For denominational archives, go to  Searching for Church Records by Denomination.

Lutheran
ELCA Region 1 Archives Archives and Special Collections Mortvedt Library Pacific Lutheran University Tacoma, WA 98447 (253) 535-7586 E-mail: archives@plu.edu
 * Archives hold records for closed churches. For open churches write directly to the local church.

Moravian
Alaska Moravian Church P.O. Box 312 Bethel, AK 99559 Phone:(907) 543-2478

For Aleknagik and Dillingham: Dillingham Moravian Church P.O. Box 203 Dillingham, AK 99576 Phon: 907-842-5477
 * More recent church records are held by the pastor in charge of a district within the church.

Roman Catholic
Archdiocese of Anchorage-Juneau 225 Cordova Street Anchorage, AK 99501 Phone: (907) 258-7898 Fax: (907) 279-3885
 * Contact the local parish first.

The Archdiocese includes the geographic areas of: Aleutians East, Aleutians West, Anchorage, Bristol Bay, Dillingham, Kenai Peninsula, Kodiak Island, Lake and Peninsula, Matanuska Susitna and Valdez Cordova.

Diocese of Juneau 419 Sixth Street Juneau, AK 99801 Phone: (907) 586-2227 Fax: (907) 463-3237 Archives and Special Projects
 * Contact the local parish first.

The diocese includes the geographic areas of: Haines, Juneau, Ketchikan Gateway, Prince of Wales Outer Ketchikan, Sitka, Skagway Yakutat-Angoon and Wrangell Petersburg.

Diocese of Fairbanks Chancery Office 1316 Peger Road Fairbanks, AK 99701 Phone: (907) 474-0753 Fax: (907) 474-8009 Sacramental Archive keeps birth, marriage, and death records. Online Sacramental Record Request Form

The diocese includes the geographic areas of: Bethel, Fairbanks North Star, Nome, North Slope, North West Artic, Southeast Fairbanks, Wade Hampton, Yukon-Koyukuk.

The Sisters of Providence Archives (Hospital Records) 4800 37th Avenue S.W. Seattle, WA 98126 Phone: (206) 937-4600 Fax: (206) 938-6193

Russian Orthodox
St. Herman's Theological Seminary 414 Mission Road Kodiak, AK 99615 Phone: (907) 486-3524 Fax: (907) 486-5935

Missions
Iqurmuit Traditional Council (Russian) PO Box 9 Russian Mission, AK 99657 Phone:(907) 584-5511 Fax: (907) 584-5593

Correspond with genealogical or historical societies.
Some church records have been given to historical societies. Also, historical societies may be able to tell you where the records are being held. To find a society near you, consult these lists:
 * Society Hill List of Alaska Societies

Next, go to the Wiki article for your ancestors' denomination.
There are frequently additional, nationwide or regional archives and online collections for each denomination. Find the article for your ancestors' denomination and follow the instructions there to access these sources.

Carefully compare any record you find to known facts about the ancestor
You will possibly find many different people with the same name as your ancestor, especially when a family stayed in a locality for several generations, and several children were named after the grandparents or aunts and uncles. Be prepared to find the correct church records by organizing in advance as many of these exact details about the ancestor as possible:
 * name, including middle name and maiden name
 * names of all spouses, including middle and maiden name
 * exact or closely estimated dates of birth, marriage, and death
 * names and approximate birthdates of children
 * all known places of residence
 * occupations
 * military service details

Carefully evaluate the church records you find to make sure you have really found records for your ancestor and not just a "near match". If one or more of the details do not line up, be careful about accepting the entry as your ancestor. There are guiding principles for deciding how to resolve discrepancies between records that are seemingly close. For more instruction in evaluating evidence, read the Wiki article, Evaluate the Evidence.