Alaska State Research Guide Digital Download

You'll love this if:

• You're getting started tracing your ancestors in Alaska
• You want new ideas and resources to get past a Alaska brick wall
• Your genealogy search is focused mainly on Alaska

Trace your Alaska ancestors with the advice and resources in our State Research Guide! This four-page download includes:

• a how-to article detailing Alaska history and records, with helpful advice on tracking your family there
• the best websites, books and other resources for Alaska research, handpicked by our editors and experts
• listings of key libraries, archives and organizations that hold the records you need
• timeline of key events in the state's history

Here's a sampling of the helpful tips you'll get in the Alaska guide:

• Alaska became a US territory in 1912 and joined the Union in 1959, but its heritage stretches back thousands of years when migrants from Siberia crossed the Bering Strait. The Inuit, Athabaskan, Unangan (Aleuts), Tlingit, Ypuiit (Yupik) and Haida are just some of the indigenous groups who continue to live there.
• Though part of the United States since 1867, Alaska was not generally included in the federal census until 1900. Select Alaskan islands were enumerated in the colonial and territorial eras from 1868 through 1929.
• Unlike most US states, Alaska does not have counties. As of 2019, the state is divided into 19 boroughs with varying levels of autonomy, plus one "Unorganized Borough." As such, many "county" resources are held at the borough or jurisdictional court level.

Plus, each guide contains active web links for one-click access to every recommended online resource. You can view this PDF on your computer and print pages for reference.