Aleutians East Borough Genealogy Records
Genealogy research in Aleutians East Borough takes you into one of Alaska's most remote corners, where birth, death, and marriage records for communities like Sand Point, King Cove, Akutan, and Cold Bay are scattered across state archives, federal databases, and volunteer websites. This borough has no centralized local records office, so most vital records and family history documents are held at the Alaska State Archives in Juneau or through statewide digital collections.
Aleutians East Borough Overview
FamilySearch Collections for Aleutians East
The best starting point for most researchers is FamilySearch's Aleutians East Borough genealogy guide. FamilySearch partnered with the Alaska State Archives to scan 1.1 million documents covering vital records from 1816 to 1998. This massive digitization project makes it possible to search records without traveling to Juneau. The collection includes birth, marriage, and death records created when the area was still an Alaska Territory precinct, well before the borough itself existed.
Statewide birth and death registration started in 1913, though full compliance in remote areas like the Aleutians took longer, with most communities reaching consistent reporting by the 1930s. If you are looking for someone born or who died before 1913, you will need to look at church records, Russian Orthodox parish registers, or federal census rolls instead. Census records from 1919 to 1972 are available as Alaska Village Census Rolls at FamilySearch.
Military records are a strong secondary source for this borough. Military discharge records from 1898 to 1934 are indexed at the Alaska State Archives. World War II Draft Registration Cards covering 1940 to 1945 can be searched through FamilySearch as well. Given the heavy military presence in the Aleutians during WWII, these draft cards may be the only surviving record of some individuals.
Vital Records: Births, Deaths, and Marriages
Certified copies of vital records for Aleutians East Borough events must be ordered through the Alaska Bureau of Vital Statistics, not from the borough itself. The bureau handles all births, deaths, marriages, and divorces that took place in Alaska. You can reach them at their Anchorage office at 3601 C Street, Suite 128, or place an order online through VitalChek at health.alaska.gov/en/services/vital-records-orders.
Under Alaska law, access to recent records is restricted. 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 date of the event. For genealogy research, this means records from before the mid-1970s are now open to the public. Records from the 1920s and earlier are the most accessible and are often available as scanned images through FamilySearch at no cost.
Fees for certified copies are set by the state. A first copy of a birth certificate costs $30, with additional copies at $25 each. Death and marriage certificates are also $30 for the first copy. Processing times run two to three weeks for online VitalChek orders and two to three months for mail or fax requests.
Probate and Court Records
The Alaska State Archives holds a Probate Index covering 1883 to 1960 with roughly 17,000 cases statewide. This is available as a downloadable spreadsheet. Probate files can name heirs, creditors, and next of kin, making them valuable for building out family trees even when vital records are incomplete. Many estates from the Aleutians were handled by territorial courts in far-off precincts, so records may be filed under a different location name than you expect.
Federal court records for Alaska are maintained at the National Archives at Seattle. This facility holds census records, naturalization records, and federal court documents for Alaska. Naturalization records from 1884 to 1991 are also searchable through FamilySearch, and a statewide index covering 1888 to 1972 is available as a downloadable spreadsheet from the Alaska State Archives. These naturalization files often include the applicant's birthplace, arrival date, and family information.
Land Records in Aleutians East
Land records are a useful genealogy tool that many researchers overlook. The Alaska Department of Natural Resources maintains land records for all boroughs, including Aleutians East, through the Alaska Land Records Information System (ALRIS), which allows free online searches of deeds, mortgages, mining claims, and other property documents. These records often list family relationships and previous residences, which can fill gaps left by missing vital records.
Federal land records from the Bureau of Land Management cover homesteads and mining claims dating back to the Alaska Purchase in 1867. Land patent records show the transfer of federal land to private ownership. Ancestry.com holds 1906 to 1975 Alaska Deed and Tract Books and Land Patent Records with images.
Cemetery and Burial Records
Burial records for communities in Aleutians East Borough can be found through several online platforms. BillionGraves and Find a Grave both have Alaska entries, and many volunteer transcriptions exist through the USGW Tombstone Transcription Project. These transcription projects rely on volunteers who visit cemeteries and record what they find. Coverage in remote Aleutian communities is incomplete, but what exists can be a quick way to confirm a death date and place. Interment.net also holds some Alaska burial records worth checking.
Alaska State Archives and Statewide Resources
The Alaska State Archives in Juneau is the main repository for territorial and state government records. In addition to the Probate Index and naturalization records, the archives hold Teacher Records from 1917 to 1959, which document educators who worked in remote and rural communities across the territory. If an ancestor taught school in the Aleutians, this is where you look. The archives also hold a Pioneer Home Residents index covering 1913 to 1980, which documents individuals who resided in Alaska's Pioneer Homes.
The Alaska State Library in Juneau offers extensive genealogy resources through its Historical Collections. Located at 395 Whittier Street, Juneau, the library is open Monday through Friday, 10 AM to 4 PM, and can be reached at 907-465-2910. The library holds the Alaska People Index, which covers over 20,000 names across two volumes spanning 1935 to 1985. It also holds Alaska Territorial Telephone Books from 1906 to 1958 on microfiche, a resource that can confirm where a person lived at a given time.
The volunteer site AKGenWeb Aleutians East offers free historical information and links. Keep in mind it is maintained by volunteers and may not be updated regularly, but it can point you to local resources and connections you might not find elsewhere.
For photographs, maps, and other primary source documents from the territorial period, Alaska's Digital Archives provides a searchable collection assembled by the Alaska State Library, University of Alaska Anchorage, and University of Alaska Fairbanks. This is a good place to search for images of Aleutian communities, ships, and people from the early 1900s.
The Alaska State Archives maintains genealogy collections including vital records, naturalization files, and military discharge records. Visit archives.alaska.gov to search indexes and submit research requests.
The Alaska State Library Historical Collections at library.alaska.gov offers guides to genealogy resources, the Alaska People Index, and historical newspaper indexes.
Cities in Aleutians East Borough
Aleutians East Borough includes several small communities such as Sand Point, King Cove, Akutan, Cold Bay, False Pass, and Nelson Lagoon. None of these communities currently meet the population threshold for a dedicated city genealogy page on this site. For records connected to these communities, use the borough-level resources listed above or contact the Alaska Bureau of Vital Statistics directly.
Nearby Boroughs
Genealogy research often crosses political boundaries. Families in southwestern Alaska moved between boroughs, and records may be filed in a neighboring area. Check these nearby boroughs for related records: