Search Juneau Genealogy Records
Searching genealogy records in Juneau gives you access to one of the oldest and most complete collections in Alaska, with marriage records going back to 1884, death records from 1903, mining records from 1880, and a range of court, probate, and funeral records tied to the city's long history as Alaska's capital. Juneau sits within the Juneau City and Borough, a unified government that has served as the seat of Alaska's territorial and state government since the early 1900s. Researchers tracing ancestors through Juneau benefit from a local genealogical society with a specialized library, state archives within the city, and a public library with strong historical collections.
Juneau Overview
FamilySearch Collections for Juneau
The FamilySearch Juneau Borough genealogy guide lists a detailed set of digitized local collections. These records are free and searchable online without a subscription. Key collections tied directly to Juneau include:
- Juneau Mining Records (1880-1969)
- Juneau Land and Property Records (1888-1950), including deeds, homesteads, and shipping records
- Juneau Civil and Criminal Dockets (1889-1960)
- Coroner's Inquests (1899-1969)
- Delayed Birth Certificates (1907-1961) for those born before official registration
- Marriage records (1884-1960) including Douglas and Fairhaven areas
- Death records (1903-1960), indexed and imaged
- Douglas Probate Records (1913-1930)
- Funeral records (January 2, 1898 through March 20, 1964)
- District Court Reception Books (1917-1949)
The range of records here reflects Juneau's status as Alaska's most important administrative center for most of its history. Many records that exist only for Juneau -- such as the coroner's inquests from 1899 and the earliest death records from 1903 -- were created because Juneau was the territorial capital and the seat of Alaska's court system. Researchers with ancestors anywhere in southeast Alaska may find their family members appear in Juneau records even if the family did not live there full time.
Gastineau Genealogical Society
The Gastineau Genealogical Society (mailing address 9237 Gee Street, Juneau AK 99801; email ggs@ggsalaska.org) maintains a specialized library at 5100 Glacier Highway within the Family History Center. Library access is by appointment; contact Gary at 907-723-2608 to schedule a visit. This is one of the most resource-rich genealogy libraries in Alaska, with collections that go well beyond what most county societies hold.
Among the most valuable resources at the society library are the Juneau Funeral Records (19 volumes, covering mortuaries from 1898 to 1964), the Carter Mortuary Records (1918-1927), the AJ Mine Personnel Index (1914-1944, supervised access only), and Vital Records of Juneau-Douglas from 1898 to 1936. The society also holds the Alaska Free Press Index (1887-1891), one of the earliest surviving Juneau newspaper indexes, which is a useful source for names and events in the territorial period.
Additional holdings include the Bureau of Indian Affairs Juneau Census from 1944, the Douglas Census from 1939, Alaska-Yukon Pioneers Volumes 1 through 5, Probate Records of Alaska (1885-1960), Evergreen Cemetery Headstone Photos, and 1941 Tax Maps for Juneau property research. Monthly meetings are held the 4th Saturday from September through November and January through May. The range of material here means the society library should be on your list for any serious Juneau genealogy project.
Juneau Vital Records and State Law
Certified copies of Juneau vital records must be ordered through the Alaska Bureau of Vital Statistics. The Health Analytics and Vital Statistics office is at 5441 Commercial Blvd, Juneau, AK 99801 (phone 907-465-3391). Online orders are processed through VitalChek at health.alaska.gov. Juneau, as the state capital, hosts the central vital records office for all of Alaska.
Alaska Statute 18.50.290 closes 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. Records older than those limits are fully open to the public. Many Juneau vital records falling in the open range are already digitized at FamilySearch, which makes them accessible without a certified copy fee. A first certified copy costs $30; additional copies are $25 each.
Note: The 1913-1915 Juneau Birth Records at FamilySearch are a separate collection from the statewide registration series and cover the early years when compliance was still being established.
Evergreen Cemetery and Douglas Cemeteries
The Evergreen Cemetery is the primary burial ground for the Juneau area and has an interactive searchable database and map available online, compiled by the City and Borough of Juneau Parks and Recreation department in 1996. The database lists names, death dates, and plot locations. The Gastineau Genealogical Society holds headstone photographs for many graves, which can be useful for confirming death dates or finding family groupings in adjacent plots.
The Douglas Historic Cemeteries include separate sections for Catholic, Odd Fellows, Masons, Native, Asian, and Russian Orthodox burials. The Douglas Indian Cemetery is a distinct historic burial ground. Eagle cemeteries include City, Eagles, and Serbian sections. This variety reflects the diverse immigrant population that came to Juneau during the gold mining era, when workers from Norway, China, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and across North America settled in the area.
Alaska State Library Historical Collections
The Alaska State Library Historical Collections are located at 395 Whittier Street, Juneau, AK 99801. This library holds non-government historical resources only, which complements the state archives holdings nearby. The collections include Alaska newspapers, directories for cities across Alaska, and digitized materials accessible online. The Genealogy Resource Guide is available at library.alaska.gov and provides a structured overview of what the library holds for family history research.
The Newspaper Collections are searchable at library.alaska.gov and include Juneau papers going back to the territorial period. Newspaper searches can turn up birth announcements, obituaries, marriage notices, and other vital events that were never formally registered with the state. For Juneau research in particular, the early newspaper coverage is strong given the city's status as the territorial capital and its active press.
The Juneau community website at juneau.com provides local context and community resources for researchers exploring Juneau's history and neighborhoods.
Juneau Public Library Research Resources
The Juneau Public Library provides access to genealogy databases including Ancestry Library Edition for in-library use. The library also maintains local history collections and can assist with requests tied to Juneau newspapers, directories, and community records. Staff reference services are available for researchers who need help locating materials in either the library's own holdings or the nearby state collections.
The Juneau Public Library offers in-library database access and local history collections. See juneau.org/library for hours, contact information, and research services.
The Alaska State Archives (see archives.alaska.gov) is also located in Juneau, making this city one of the few places where a researcher can visit a local genealogical society library, the state library historical collections, and the state archives all in the same trip. Researchers who can travel to Juneau have a significant advantage for work on southeast Alaska family history.
Other Alaska Cities
Genealogy records for other qualifying Alaska cities are available on this site: