Big Lake Alaska Genealogy Records
Genealogy research in Big Lake, Alaska draws on the broader Matanuska-Susitna Borough record system, since Big Lake is a census-designated place that first appeared in U.S. Census records in 1980 and does not have its own precinct-level vital records collection. Records for Big Lake area families are filed through the Mat-Su Borough and the Alaska State Archives in Juneau. The Palmer Historical Society, which serves the entire Mat-Su region, holds photographs, research guides, and connections to Alaska Digital Archives materials that cover the Big Lake area. Vital records, probate files, land records, and naturalization documents all survive for the broader Mat-Su Valley and are accessible through state and federal sources.
Big Lake Overview
FamilySearch Collections for Big Lake
The FamilySearch Matanuska-Susitna Borough genealogy guide covers Big Lake records as part of the broader Mat-Su Borough collection. Big Lake as a formal community only began appearing in census records in 1980, so earlier family research for the area falls under the Mat-Su precinct collections. The key collections that apply to Big Lake area research include:
- Matanuska-Susitna Borough vital records from the 1920s through 1960
- Palmer-Wasilla-Talkeetna Town Lots Index (1905-1970)
- Wasilla Probate Records (1923-1961)
- Wasilla Probate Case Files (1944-1960)
- Births, Marriages, and Deaths for the Mat-Su precinct (1923-1950)
- Naturalization records covering Mat-Su area residents (1888-1972)
Because Big Lake sits in the western part of the Mat-Su Valley, families who settled the area before 1980 would have been recorded under Wasilla or the broader Mat-Su precinct. The Wasilla probate records and the town lots index are often the best starting points for tracing families who moved into the Big Lake area during the postwar homestead era.
Note: If your research turns up Big Lake records that appear to be filed under Palmer, that is expected. The Palmer area was the administrative center for the Mat-Su Valley, and early records were often indexed under the nearest major settlement rather than smaller communities.
Palmer Family History Center
The Palmer Family History Center serves the Big Lake area for genealogical research. The center is located in Palmer, the nearest city with a Family History Center and the borough seat of Matanuska-Susitna Borough. Phone: 907-745-4355. The center provides free access to FamilySearch databases and research assistance. Staff can help you navigate the Mat-Su collections and identify which FamilySearch records apply to the Big Lake area.
The center also connects researchers to the Palmer Historical Society, which maintains research resources for the entire Mat-Su region. The historical society holds connections to the Alaska Digital Archives and historical photograph collections that cover the broader Matanuska Valley, including communities along the Big Lake Road corridor. Photographs from these collections sometimes identify individuals by name and location, which can confirm a family's presence in the area before formal census records began.
Big Lake Chamber of Commerce and Local Resources
The Big Lake Chamber of Commerce provides community information and has tracked local business and community history for the Big Lake area. While the chamber is not an archive or genealogy resource, it can direct researchers to local community organizations and long-time residents who may have informal records, photographs, or family history knowledge that does not appear in official databases.
The Big Lake Chamber of Commerce provides community information and local history for the Big Lake area. See biglakechamberak.org for community contacts and local resources.
Local community knowledge is sometimes the only way to fill gaps in official records for a community like Big Lake that does not have a long formal record-keeping history. Talking to longtime Big Lake residents, checking local church records, and searching community newsletters can surface family information that official archives do not capture.
Matanuska-Susitna Borough Records
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Clerk's Office maintains official borough records, including government meeting minutes, resolutions, and public records. The borough assessor maintains property and land records for the entire Mat-Su Valley, including the Big Lake area. Property records can confirm when a family owned land in Big Lake and sometimes name adjacent landowners who turn out to be relatives.
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough government provides public records access and community services for Big Lake and surrounding areas. See matsugov.us for records request information and office contacts.
Big Lake area residents can obtain copies of birth, death, and marriage certificates through the Alaska Bureau of Vital Statistics. Property and land records for Big Lake are maintained by the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assessor's Office. Mat-Su Borough also provides community planning documents and historical land use records that trace how the Big Lake corridor developed over time. These planning records do not replace vital records, but they show when land was subdivided and developed, which can indicate when a family first settled in the area.
Vital Records: Births, Deaths, Marriages, Divorces
Certified copies of vital records for Big Lake area residents must be ordered through the Alaska Bureau of Vital Statistics. You can order online through VitalChek at health.alaska.gov, or visit the Anchorage office at 3601 C Street, Suite 128. There is no local Big Lake or borough office that issues certified copies. All Alaska vital records go through the state system.
Access rules follow state law. Alaska Statute 18.50.290 restricts birth records for 100 years from the date of birth. Alaska Statute 18.50.300 restricts death, marriage, and divorce records for 50 years from the event date. Birth records from before 1926 and other vital records from before 1976 are now fully open to the public. Many older Mat-Su area records are already free and digitized at FamilySearch. A first certified copy costs $30, and additional copies are $25 each.
Alaska State Archives Records
The Alaska State Archives in Juneau holds Matanuska-Susitna area records as part of its territorial collection. The archives include naturalization records (1888-1972) for area residents, the statewide Probate Index (1883-1960) covering Matanuska-Susitna area estates, Vital Statistics (1816-1998) with birth, marriage, and death records, Military Service Discharge Records (1898-1934) for area veterans, and Teacher records (1917-1959) for Mat-Su schools.
The Research Inquiry Form can be submitted online for specific record requests. Staff can check physical holdings that have not yet been digitized. For Big Lake researchers, this is a practical option when you have a specific name and approximate date but cannot find the record in online collections. The archives response time varies based on the complexity of the request, but they do handle inquiries for the Mat-Su Valley region.
Probate and Land Records
Probate records for the Mat-Su area begin in 1923 with the Wasilla precinct records. The statewide Probate Index at the Alaska State Archives covers 1883 to 1960 and includes about 17,000 cases. For Big Lake, the relevant cases are those filed under the Wasilla or Mat-Su precinct. These files name heirs, creditors, and family members. The index is downloadable as a spreadsheet from the archives website, making it easy to search for a surname without making a formal inquiry.
Federal records for the Big Lake area are held at the National Archives at Seattle. These include census records, naturalization documents, and homestead applications. The Big Lake area was developed partly through homestead claims in the 1950s and 1960s, and those patent applications often include family information and prior state of residence. Land records for Matanuska-Susitna Borough are searchable through the Alaska Department of Natural Resources ALRIS system, which gives free online access to deeds and other recorded property documents.
Matanuska-Susitna Borough Records Page
Big Lake is located in Matanuska-Susitna Borough. The borough page covers courthouse details, FamilySearch collections, state archive resources, and records covering the entire Mat-Su Valley.
Cities in Matanuska-Susitna Borough
These qualifying cities in Mat-Su Borough have dedicated genealogy pages on this site: