Alaska, United States Genealogy

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

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.

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.

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 at FamilySearch — index and images

Additional Resources

 * 1899-2012 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 2001-2014 - 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
 * Ancestorhunt.com - 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