Step-by-Step Alaska Research, 1880-Present

Alaska Step-by-step research 1880--present

Step 1. Find out everything possible from living relatives and their family records.
Every good genealogy project starts with finding all the clues that can be gathered from living relatives — both from their memories and from documents or memorabilia in their homes.

What are the best questions to ask?
In order to extend research, ask for names, dates, and places. Everything about who a relative was and when and where they lived is a clue to a new record search. For ideas, see :
 * Fifty Questions for Family History Interviews What to Ask the Relatives
 * Genealogy: 150 questions to ask family members about their lives
 * Creating Oral Histories

What documents should be collected or copied?
Because these records cover names, dates, places, and relationships, they are a valuable source of clues. Look for them in your home, your parents' home, and ask living grandparents to check for them.

Step 2. Find ancestors in every possible census record, 1850-1950, online.
A census is a count and description of the population of a country, state, county, or city for a given date. A census took a "snapshot" of a family on a certain day. For each person living in a household you might find (depending on the year) their name, age, birthplace, relationship to head of household, place of birth for father and mother, citizenship status, year of immigration, mother of how many children and number of children living, native language, and whether they were a veteran of the military.

Using the clues to lead to census record searches.
Let's say that you find this marriage certificate among your grandmother's old papers. Just based on the clues here, you can begin to find all the records for this family. Since they were married just before the 1940 census, we will begin by finding them in those census records.

'''In 1940, we notice that they live in a neighborhood in Juneau County, Alaska, with several other Parker families. If you look at the very last two lines of this page, you see Glenn Parker and and Nell Parker, the couple from the marriage license. Look at all the other Parker families. It looks like this might be a town, village, or even just a farm, where someone named Parker settled a generation ago. Then his children grew up and established homes next door.'''

'''We next try to follow Glenn through earlier census records. In 1930, just ten years earlier, we find him living with his father and mother, Abraham L. and Edith Parker. Looking back at the 1940 census with all the Parkers, we find Abraham L. Parker, age 63, probably the patriarch of the family, and the original settler.'''

'''We then follow Abraham L. Parker back in time through the 1920, 1910, and 1901 (British Columbia) census records. In this process we identify children: Eunice E., Inez May, Charles L., Alfred or Albert F., Leslie F., and Glenn R. Looking back at the 1940 census, all the boys are living in the same neighborhood. The girls have probably married at that point, and without their husbands, we can't identify them.'''

Step 3: Find birth, marriage, and death certificates for ancestors and their children.
States, counties, or even towns in some states recorded births, marriages, and deaths. In addition to the child's name, birth date, and place of birth, a birth certificate may give the birthplaces of the parents, their ages, and occupations. A death certificate may give the person's birth date and place, parents' names and birthplaces, and spouse's name.

Using the census clues to lead to a birth certificate.
Now, we want to try to find important birth records for the various people represented in these census records. There are currently very few Alaska birth certificates online or microfilmed. We recommend writing to the county or ordering through the mail. Here is an example--notice the types of information it contains. These are worth sending for. (See information below on how to do that.)

Using the census clues to lead to a marriage certificate.
One main purpose for locating records for is to establish the identity of the wives--their maiden names. In some cases the names of the parents of the bride and groom are given: In *, we find this indexed list: By clicking on the camera icon at the far right, we get an image of the original certificate:

Using the census clues to lead to a death certificate.
By studying the census records, and assuming that most people lived to be 65-70 years old, you can decide the time frame where you would expect to see a death certificate. '''It is very important to send for death certificates. Even though you might feel that knowing a death date is not high priority, the death certificate is important because of all the secondary data: birth date and place of the deceased, maiden name of the wife, names of the deceased's parents, birth places of the deceased's parents. In, we find this death certificate:

How to Find the Records
There are basically two ways to find these indexes or full original certificates:
 * online databases
 * purchasing them through the mail

Order Certificates from Alaska Vital Records Department.
Almost always the full original certificate will contain information not contained in the index. Although it costs money, consider sending for the full original certificates, particularly for direct line ancestors (grandparents, great-grandparents, etc).


 * Where to Write for Alaska Birth, Marriage, Death and Divorce Records

For more information on birth, marriage, and death records in Alaska, see How to Find Alaska Birth Records, How to Find Alaska Marriage Records, and How to Find Alaska Death Records.

Step 4: Try to find additional details about ancestors in obituaries, cemetery records, and Social Security records online.
There are additional record collections available, based upon a person's death: obituaries, cemetery records, and Social Security records. These are a great source for more details about a person. Here are some examples; notice the level of details.

Obituaries

 * ObitsArchive.com - Alaska ($)
 * ObituariesHelp.org - Alaska Newspaper Obituaries Listings
 * Online Alaska Death Indexes, Records &amp; Obituaries
 * The Obituary Link Page - Alaska Obituary Links
 * Alaska Obituaries
 * — index and images

Cemeteries

 * Find-A-Grave
 * at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
 * U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current at at Ancestry
 * Billion Graves
 * at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
 * BillionGraves Index at Findmypast ($)
 * FamilySearch Places
 * at FamilySearch — How to Use This Collection
 * Alaska Cemetery Records at AccessGenealogy
 * Alaska Cemetery Records at Interment
 * Alaska Tombstone Transcription Project at USGenWeb Transcription Project
 * Online Alaska Obituary and Cemetery Indexes at DeathIndexes
 * Alaska Jewish Cemetery Project at International Jewish Cemetery Project

U.S. Social Security Death Index and Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007

 * The U.S. Social Security program began in 1935 but most deaths recorded in the index happened after 1962.
 * The Social Security Death index includes those who had a Social Security number and/or applied for benefits.
 * You can search these records online at
 * Also at Ancestry.com, ($), index.
 * The Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 picks up where the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) leaves off, by providing information filed in the application or claims process.
 * The Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 picks up where the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) leaves off, by providing information filed in the application or claims process.


 * If you find an ancestor in the SSDI index, you can order a copy of their original Social Security application (SS-5). If you can prove the individual has died (by sending an obituary or copy of their cemetery headstone), the application will also give the deceased's parents' names, if listed.

For more information, see Alaska Obituaries and Alaska Cemeteries.

Step 5: Search military records: World War I and World War II draft cards.
There are many different types of military records: draft records, enlistment records, service records, pension records, etc. Information in military records can vary from a simple lists of name, age, and residence, to more detailed records including name, residence, age, occupation, marital status, birthplace, physical description, number of dependents, pensions received, disabled veterans, needy veterans, widows or orphans of veterans, and other information. - Example of a World War I draft card. - Example of a World War II draft card.



'''Search the World War I and World War II Draft Collections for male relatives.
- For more information and additional collections, see Alaska Military Records.
 * , index and images.
 * , index and images.

Step 6: Look for church records online.
Church records function as vital records. Church records are particularly helpful prior to the advent of civil registration.
 * An infant christening or baptism record documents a birth.
 * Many, if not most, people are married in a church, and then a record is created by the minister.
 * Likewise, ministers presided over funerals, then creating a burial record, which documents a death.



Search for church records that can provide additional birth, marriage, and death information.

 * 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.($)

- For help with church records kept in Alaska, see Alaska Church Records. To search records by denomination, if you know your ancestors religion, go to Searching for Church Records by Denomination.

Step 7: Search for online wills and probate packets.

 * County probate records include '''probate proceedings, petitions, affidavits, orders for sales, reports of sales, administrators' and executors' bonds, guardianship papers, wills, and letters of administration.
 * In a will book, usually just a transcription of the will is recorded. But all of these other records are kept in a probate packet.
 * Administrations are probate proceedings that handled an estate if no known will existed.

Search these indexes and images for probate records.

 * United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search: Alaska
 * Alaska, Wills and Probate Records, 1883-1978, ($), index and images, incomplete. (Sitka only).
 * Alaska State Archives Probate Index, 1883-1960

Probate Information in County Wiki Articles
Each Alaska county Research Wiki page lists additional probate sources, including where to write for records: Alaska Counties -- For more information, see Alaska Probate Records and United States Probate Records.

Step 8: If any ancestor was an immigrant, search immigration and naturalization records online.
The census records may show that an ancestor was born in another country. It will be necessary to try to find the town or city they were born in to continue research in the country of origin. Searches of immigration records (usually passenger lists) and naturalization (citizenship) records would be the next step.



Alaska Immigration Records

 * United States Immigration Online Genealogy Records
 * Alaska Alien Arrivals, 1906-1956 Index and images ($)
 * Ship Passenger Lists, Klondike Stampeders and The Matanuska Colony
 * Alaska, Passenger and Crew Manifests, 1906-1981, image/ index

Alaska Naturalization and Citizenship Online Records

 * United States Naturalization and Citizenship Online Genealogy Records
 * Alaska State Archives Naturalization Index
 * U.S. Naturalization Records Indexes for Alaska, 1900-1929 - U.S. District Court, Index to Declarations filed in Juneau ($)
 * U.S., Naturalization Records - Original Documents, (World Archives Project) for Alaska, 1900-1924 - U.S. District Court ($)
 * U.S. Naturalization Records Indexes for Alaska, 1904-1917 - U.S. District Court, Index to Declarations filed in Skagway, (included in U.S. Naturalization Records Indexes, 1794-1995). ($)

For more information, see Alaska Emigration and Immigration and Alaska Naturalization and Citizenship.

Local Histories

 * Published histories of towns, counties, and states sometimes contain biographies and accounts of early or prominent families.
 * Here are several websites that feature online copies of printed county histories: Alaska; that will bring up too many hits. Just use the name of the county and "county": for example, "Hyde County"
 * Google Books. Use keywords "Alaska" and the county name. Hits will list online readable books, lists of libraries that carry the book, and purchasing opportunities.
 * Family History Books
 * Internet Archive.Use keywords "Alaska" and the county name.
 * Ancestry.com, ($). In the Card Catalog search box, use Alaska and the name of the county.

FamilySearch Collected Local Histories

 * Local histories are extensively collected by the FamilySearch Library, public and university libraries, and state and local historical societies.
 * If you have access to the FamilySearch Library or a FamilySearch center, you can find local histories by:
 * Go to the FamilySearch Catalog.
 * In the "Place" field, type the name of your county and click "Search".
 * A list of subheadings for the county will appear. Local histories containing genealogies and biographies will be found under Biography, Genealogy, History, or History - Indexes.

Biography Collections
These collections of biographies can be searched online. Most have a table of contents and an index. Or use the "Find" function on a computer.
 * Explore North - Arctic and Northern Biographies. Bibliography with links to several biography collections.
 * American Heroes of the Klondike Gold Rush
 * Canadian Heroes of the Klondike Gold Rush
 * The Naming of Alaska: The Explorers.

Step 10: Contact a local historical or genealogical society.
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 * Historical societies have collections that are frequently little known and often overlooked.
 * Many have a surname file, where they have collected genealogies, newspaper clippings, old photographs, etc.
 * Many have a sort of "pioneer ancestor" program, where people can submit pedigrees to prove they are the descendants of an early resident of the area.
 * Most keep track of queries about families that once lived in the area from other distant relatives who may actually have more family memorabilia.
 * Most keep track of queries about families that once lived in the area from other distant relatives who may actually have more family memorabilia.


 * Find the society on the internet, and they may list their holdings. Or call them on the phone, find out what they have, and find out what arrangements can be made to search their collection. Frequently, one of their members can be hired to search the collection for you.


 * See Alaska Societies for addresses. Here is an example of an internet website for a local genealogical society.

Historical Images
Records collected and digitized by FamilySearch can all be found through their Historical Images feature.
 * Alaska, United States Historical Images, New Version
 * Alaska, United States Historical Images, Old Version

Alaska Online Genealogy Records
Search any other online records listed in Alaska Online Genealogy Records. The steps given here are intended to list record sources which can most efficiently identify descendants. Many other online records which might or might not mention descendants are listed in the Alaska Online Genealogy Records page, including immigration records, land records, military records, newspapers, and probate records, and others. These can be records that cover a smaller group within the population, such as men who served in the military, etc.
 * Alaska Online Genealogy Records

Step 12: Study the Research Wiki pages for any borough in Alaska.
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. This article focused more on Alaska state or state-wide records. There is a separate Wiki article for each borough in Alaska. These articles give information, office addresses, and links to borough records.