Alaska Military Records

The U.S. Military Records Research Outline provides more information on federal military records and search strategies.

Military records are found at the Family History Library, the National Archives, and other federal and state archives. The United States Research Outline provides more information about the federal records.

U.S. servicemen have been in Alaska since 1867, when Alaska was placed under the jurisdiction of the War Department. Most of these soldiers were from the lower 48 states. The Family History Library has enlistment registers for the regular army, 1798 to 1914 Family History Library films 350307-49). The registers provide the soldier's name, rank, unit, commanders, physical description, occupation, and birthplace. The records are arranged by year and by the first letter of the surname.

A historical sketch of forts in Alaska is in Bruce Grant, American Forts Yesterday and Today (New York, NY: E. P. Dutton &amp; Co., 1965; Family History Library book 973 H2gb).

Forts
Fort Mims

Fort Patrick Henry

Post of Sitka -- Textual records of this fort, 1867-1877, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).

World War I (1917-1918)
World War I draft registration cards for men age 18 to 45 may list address, birth date, birthplace, race, nationality, citizenship, and next of kin. Not all registrants served in the war. For registration cards for Alaska, see:

United States. Selective Service System. Alaska, World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M1509. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1987-1988. (On Family History Library films beginning with 1473296.)

To find an individual's draft card, it helps to know his name and residence at the time of registration. The cards are arranged alphabetically by county, within the county by draft board, and then alphabetically by surname within each draft board.

Most counties had only one board; large cities had several. A map showing the boundaries of individual draft boards is available for most large cities. Finding an ancestor's street address in a city directory will help you in using the draft board map. There is an alphabetical list of cities that are on the map. For a copy of this map, see:

United States. Selective Service System. List of World War One Draft Board Maps. Washington, D.C.: National Archives. (Family History Library film 1498803.)

World War II (1941-1945)
For sailors from Alaska who died in World War II, see Volume 2 of Combat Connected Naval Casualties, World War II, by States, Two Volumes. (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1946; Family History Library book 973 M23un).

A national cemetery with about 500 graves is located at Sitka (see the "Cemeteries" section of this outline).

Web Sites
http://freepages.military.rootsweb.com/~xander/alaska-records.htm

http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/record-search-military.php?locIndex=299874

http://www.familymilitaryrecords.com/state.asp?state=AK