Search Wrangell City and Borough Genealogy Records
Wrangell City and Borough is one of the oldest continuously occupied communities in Alaska. Tlingit people have lived here for millennia, and the town later came under Russian, British, and American control at different points in history. That layered past means genealogy records here cover a wide range of origins and eras. If your family traces to the Stikine River area, the records held at state archives, in FamilySearch collections, and at the Wrangell Museum can help you find birth, death, marriage, probate, court, and land documents going back to the mid-1800s. This page explains where to look and what survives.
Wrangell City and Borough Overview
Wrangell Vital Records and State Archives
The Alaska State Archives holds a substantial set of Wrangell records. Court records for Wrangell run from 1887 to 1960. Probate records cover 1890 to 1960. Deeds and mortgages span 1878 to 1971, one of the longer runs of property records you will find for any Alaska community of this size. The Wrangell Plats Index runs from 1864 to 1972. Wrangell mines records from 1868 to 1917 document the gold rush era along the Stikine River. Shipping records from 1907 to 1934 survive and can help trace maritime workers and families. Wrangell Coroner's Inquests from 1903 to 1959 are accessible and sometimes include witness names and family relationships.
Vital records from 1938 to 1964 are available through FamilySearch. State-level vital statistics covering 1816 to 1998 are held at the Alaska State Archives. Naturalization records from 1888 to 1972 include Wrangell filings. Military discharge records from 1898 to 1934 cover borough veterans. Teacher records from 1917 to 1959 document educators in Wrangell schools. The probate index from 1883 to 1960 covers Wrangell estates.
For current records, contact the Alaska Bureau of Vital Statistics. Under Alaska Statute 18.50, births are restricted 100 years and deaths, marriages, and divorces 50 years. Older records are open to the public.
AKGenWeb Wrangell Resources
The AKGenWeb Wrangell page covers both Wrangell and neighboring Petersburg Borough. The site has births listed from borough records, deaths extracted from the Social Security Death Index in three alphabetical segments, and directories for both communities. Probate records are indexed A through F, G through K, L through Q, and R through Z, making it easier to locate a specific estate without searching the full archive.
Historic images for Wrangell on the AKGenWeb site include marriage records, death certificates, deeds, land records, and mining records. Court dockets, criminal court records, voting records, bonds, civil dockets, merchant marine records, plat records, mortgages, and business records are also noted in the collection. The current local newspaper is The Wrangell Sentinel, which may be useful for researching more recent family events and obituaries.
The City and Borough of Wrangell government office is another contact for local records questions. The main government website is at wrangell.com.
Wrangell Probate, Deeds, and Mining Records
Wrangell deeds and mortgages from 1878 to 1971 are among the most extensive property records for any Alaska borough. Deeds often contain family details beyond just property transfers. A deed might list an heir, a spouse, or a relative as a party to the transaction. For families that owned land in Wrangell through multiple generations, these records can map out family relationships across decades.
The Wrangell Plats Index from 1864 to 1972 is another useful source. Plat records define property boundaries and subdivision layouts, often naming original owners. Wrangell mines records from 1868 to 1917 document the Stikine gold rush era. Mariposa Bar and Omega Creek mining records from 1898 to 1899 are specifically accessible. A Memorial to Congress from Citizens of Fort Wrangell dated 1876 is also available and can be a source for early resident names.
Current land records for the Wrangell Recording District are searchable through the Alaska DNR land records portal. Shipping records from 1907 to 1934 at the state archives are worth checking if your ancestor worked in maritime trades, which was common in Wrangell given its location near the Stikine River estuary.
Wrangell Museum and Local Historical Collections
The Wrangell Museum preserves the cultural heritage of Wrangell, billed as the "Gateway to the Stikine." Collections include photographs, documents, and artifacts from the region covering Tlingit history and Gold Rush era documentation. Research assistance is available for genealogy inquiries. If you have family from this area and want to see original materials or get help with local sources, the museum is a good place to contact.
The museum archives include items from the multiple colonial periods Wrangell experienced. Russian, British, and American records each left their mark on this community, and the museum holds materials that reflect all three eras. Tlingit cultural materials in the collection are also relevant to families researching Native heritage from the Stikine area.
FamilySearch Collections for Wrangell
FamilySearch holds several dedicated Wrangell record sets beyond just vital records. Wrangell Coroner's Inquests from 1903 to 1959 are accessible. These inquest files go beyond cause of death and often name witnesses, family members, and others involved in a case. For deaths that were unexpected or involved investigation, coroner's records are often more detailed than standard death certificates.
Census records from 1900 to 1940 are available for Wrangell. The 1900 census captures Wrangell at a time when the Stikine gold rush was active, showing a diverse population of miners, merchants, and long-term residents. Later censuses show how the community changed. The FamilySearch Alaska guide links to all accessible collections for the state, including those specific to Wrangell.
Tlingit Heritage Records for Wrangell
Tlingit families have ties to Wrangell going back many generations before any written records existed. For Tlingit genealogy in the Wrangell area, federal Indian census rolls and Alaska village census rolls from 1919 to 1972 at FamilySearch are key sources. These rolls recorded residents of Native communities and supplement the standard civil registration records. Sealaska Heritage Institute in Juneau serves the broader Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian communities of southeastern Alaska and may hold clan history and family lineage information relevant to Wrangell families.
Online Resources for Wrangell Research
The Alaska State Library in Juneau holds genealogy collections covering southeastern Alaska including Wrangell. Alaska's Digital Archives has historical photographs and documents from the region. The Alaska Historical Society maintains genealogy references and can point researchers to sources specific to Wrangell. For difficult or elusive records, the National Archives in Seattle holds federal records for Alaska including homestead files and military records tied to southeastern Alaska.
For recent obituaries and local news about Wrangell families, The Wrangell Sentinel is the community newspaper. Back issues may be available through the Alaska State Library's newspaper collection. The Lost Alaskans database is useful for death inquiries related to Alaska history.
Nearby Boroughs
Wrangell sits at the mouth of the Stikine River in southeastern Alaska. Families from this area often had connections to neighboring jurisdictions, especially during the fishing and mining eras.