Alaska, Pioneer Home Discharge Index - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States Alaska

What is in the Collection?
This collection will include records from 1913-1958.

The Alaska Pioneer Homes system was first established in 1913 when the territory established a home in Sitka for indigent men. The age requirement of 65 years was implemented in 1915. Women were first admitted in 1950. Additional homes were opened in Fairbanks in 1967, Palmer in 1971, Anchorage in 1977, Ketchikan in 1981 and Juneau in 1988.

What Can these Records Tell Me?
These court and pension records may contain the following information:


 * Name
 * Residence
 * Death date
 * Country of origin
 * Next of kin

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search you will need to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The names of other family members
 * The place of residence for your ancestor

View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the "Surname range" which takes you to the images.

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Save a copy of the image or transcribe the information. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Use the information to locate a death record
 * Search the location where your ancestor lived for additional records
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct. Remember your ancestor may have used a nickname.
 * You may need to compare the information of more than one person to determine which person is your ancestor.
 * If the person you are seeking is an American Indian, you may need to search for both their Indian name and their English name.

I Can't Find Who I'm Looking for, What Now?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Look for an index. There are often indexes in local genealogical and historical societies
 * Search the records of other Pioneer Homes.

Citations for This Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

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