Search Aleutians West Death Records

The Aleutians West Census Area spans some of Alaska's most far-flung communities, from the bustling fishing port of Unalaska and Dutch Harbor to the remote Pribilof Islands of Saint Paul and Saint George. Death records for residents of this census area are held by the Alaska Health Analytics and Vital Records Section (HAVRS), the statewide vital records agency. This page covers how to request certified death certificates for Aleutians West residents, where to access historical death records from the Pribilof Islands, and what other local and national resources are available for genealogy and estate research in this region.

Death Records for Aleutians West Residents

Aleutians West is a census area, not an organized borough. That distinction matters for records research because it means there is no borough government, no local clerk's office, and no local vital records system. Death records for anyone who died in this census area are part of the statewide Alaska death index maintained by HAVRS. The U.S. Census Bureau uses the census area designation only for statistical purposes, so if you need an official death record, the state is the right place to go.

The U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts page for Aleutians West provides population data and geographic context for the area. This is helpful for confirming which communities fall within the census area when you are trying to determine where to send a records request.

The census area boundary includes the Pribilof Islands, which are geographically distinct from the Aleutian Islands but fall under the same administrative census area for records purposes.

To request a certified copy of a death certificate for an Aleutians West resident, contact HAVRS directly. The Juneau office is at 5441 Commercial Boulevard, Juneau, AK 99801, phone (907) 465-3391. The Anchorage office is at 3901 Old Seward Highway, Suite 101, Anchorage, AK 99503, phone (907) 269-0991. Both offices are open Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, excluding state holidays. Mail requests go to P.O. Box 110675, Juneau, AK 99811-0675. Online orders are available through VitalChek, the only authorized online vendor for Alaska vital records. The first certified copy costs $30, and additional copies of the same record ordered at the same time are $25 each.

Alaska restricts death records less than 50 years old. Eligible requestors include the spouse, parents, children, or siblings of the deceased, as well as legal representatives and government agencies with a legitimate purpose. Records 50 years old or older are available to the public. The full ordering process, along with required ID and forms, is described on the HAVRS vital records orders page.

Note: Mail-in requests to HAVRS can take two to three months to process, so plan ahead if you need a certificate for a legal proceeding or estate matter.

Pribilof Islands Vital Records and Historical Collection

The Pribilof Islands, which include Saint Paul and Saint George, have a unique history tied to the Russian-American fur seal trade and later to U.S. government management of the seal industry. The federal government effectively controlled life on the Pribilofs well into the twentieth century, which resulted in a separate and unusually complete set of vital records for those islands. This makes genealogy research for Pribilof Islands families quite different from research for other remote Alaska communities.

The Alaska State Archives holds a special collection called the Alaska, U.S., Pribilof Islands Vital Records and Census Records, 1877-1970. This collection covers births, deaths, marriages, and census data for the Pribilof Islands over nearly a century of federal management. Because the U.S. government required systematic record-keeping on the islands, this collection is unusually detailed compared to other remote Alaska areas. The Alaska State Archives in Juneau is where you can access this collection in person or contact staff about remote access options.

The Pribilof Islands vital records collection at the Alaska State Archives is one of the most complete historical death record sets for any remote Alaska community, reflecting the decades of federal oversight of life on those islands.

FamilySearch also hosts digitized Alaska vital records from this period, including records covering the Aleutians West region. These are part of the Alaska, Vital Records, 1816-2005 collection available through the FamilySearch website. For families researching Pribilof Islands ancestry, checking both FamilySearch and the Alaska State Archives will give the most complete picture of available death records.

City of Unalaska Local Records

Unalaska, which includes the community of Dutch Harbor, is the largest city in the Aleutians West Census Area. It is also the largest commercial fishing port in the United States by volume, a fact that brings a significant transient population through the area each year. The city maintains its own municipal records, and the City Clerk's office handles local administrative matters.

The City of Unalaska website is the starting point for local municipal records. The City Clerk may maintain local administrative records such as burial permits or local death registers that supplement the statewide HAVRS records. If you are researching a death that occurred in Unalaska, it is worth contacting the City Clerk directly to ask whether any locally maintained death-related records are available, in addition to requesting the official death certificate from HAVRS.

The City of Unalaska serves the fishing industry hub of Dutch Harbor, and its records may be relevant to deaths that occurred in the port community during fishing season or related commercial operations.

Dutch Harbor saw significant military activity during World War II, including Japanese bombing raids and the Aleutian Islands campaign. Deaths connected to the military occupation of Dutch Harbor and the broader Aleutian Islands during the war may be documented in federal records rather than state vital records. Families researching deaths from that period should consider both sources.

WWII Aleutian Campaign and Military Death Records

The Aleutians West Census Area was a significant theater of operations during World War II. The Japanese occupied Attu and Kiska islands in 1942, and the United States military fought to reclaim them in 1943. Thousands of service members died during the Aleutian Islands campaign. Deaths connected to this military conflict are documented in federal military records, not in Alaska's statewide vital records system.

The National Archives holds extensive records from the WWII Aleutian Islands campaign, including unit records, casualty reports, and military personnel files. The National Archives is the right place to search for deaths of service members who died in the Aleutian Islands during the war. NARA's research services can help locate specific records related to an individual service member.

The National Archives holds casualty records and military personnel files from the Aleutian Islands campaign, which can help families identify the circumstances of a service member's death in this area.

For civilian deaths that occurred in the Aleutian Islands during the war, including deaths among the Alaska Native population relocated from the islands during the Japanese occupation, both the Alaska State Archives and NARA may hold relevant records. The forced relocation of Unangax communities during World War II resulted in deaths in relocation camps in southeastern Alaska, and these records may be found in a combination of federal and state repositories.

Veterans who survived the war and later died in Alaska may have their death certificates through HAVRS. A separate Alaska law allows veterans' families to obtain one free certified death certificate. More details are available through HAVRS at (907) 465-3391.

FamilySearch and Genealogy Resources for Aleutians West

Genealogy research for the Aleutians West region requires working with multiple sources because of the area's complex history under Russian, federal, and state management. FamilySearch is a strong starting point, particularly for the Russian-era and early American territorial period records.

The HAVRS main page explains the current state vital records system, while the Alaska State Archives covers older records. For the Aleutians specifically, Russian Orthodox Church records from the 1800s may contain burial and death information for Unangax communities before American government record-keeping began. These church records are held by FamilySearch and by the Library of Congress.

The Alaska State Library genealogy collection includes guides to researching families in remote Alaska regions and can point researchers toward the right archives for Aleutians West ancestry.

The Alaska State Library genealogy page lists databases and finding aids that cover the Aleutians West area along with the rest of the state. For researchers who cannot travel to Juneau or Anchorage, the library's online resources provide a practical path to finding death records and genealogy information without an in-person visit.

Nearby Boroughs and Census Areas

Cities in Aleutians West Census Area

Unalaska is the major city in this census area and has its own death index page: Unalaska. The communities of Dutch Harbor, Saint Paul, and Saint George are also within this census area but do not have separate death index pages.