Search Petersburg Borough Death Index

The Petersburg Borough death index covers vital records for Petersburg and the surrounding communities of Southeast Alaska. Death index searches for this organized borough route through the Alaska Health Analytics and Vital Records Section, which holds the official statewide death record system for all Alaska boroughs and census areas.

About Petersburg Borough

Petersburg Borough is a relatively new unit of local government in Southeast Alaska. It was incorporated in 2013 from the former Wrangell-Petersburg Census Area. The borough seat is Petersburg, a fishing community on Mitkof Island known widely as "Little Norway" for the strong Scandinavian heritage of its early settlers. Norwegian fishermen arrived in the late 1800s and built a community around commercial fishing, canneries, and a tight-knit culture that still shapes the town today.

The borough occupies a stretch of Southeast Alaska's Inside Passage, an area of forested islands, deep fjords, and tidal waterways. The water defines life here. Fishing remains central to the local economy, and most travel between communities goes by sea or air. Petersburg is a small city but serves as the economic and administrative hub for the broader borough.

The Petersburg Borough government maintains administrative records such as deeds, mortgages, and local ordinances. It does not issue or maintain death certificates. Like all Alaska boroughs, vital records for this area are held exclusively by the state agency HAVRS.

The borough's official website at petersburgak.gov provides contact information for local government offices. The screenshot below shows the borough's main web presence, which is a starting point for local administrative record requests.

The borough site can direct you to the clerk's office for property records and local administrative documents, though it will refer you to HAVRS for all certified death certificates.

How to Get Death Records

Certified death certificates for Petersburg Borough come from the Alaska Health Analytics and Vital Records Section. HAVRS is the only agency authorized to issue certified copies of Alaska death records. No local office in Petersburg can issue a certified death certificate.

You have three ways to order from HAVRS. You can go in person to the Juneau office at 5441 Commercial Blvd, Juneau AK 99801, or to the Anchorage office at 3901 Old Seward Hwy Suite 101, Anchorage AK 99503. You can mail a completed request form to P.O. Box 110675, Juneau AK 99811-0675. Or you can order online through VitalChek at vitalchek.com.

The HAVRS main phone line is (907) 465-3391. The Anchorage field office can be reached at (907) 269-0991. Call ahead if you plan to visit in person, as processing times and hours may change. The HAVRS orders page at health.alaska.gov has the most current forms, instructions, and fee schedules.

The fee for a certified death certificate is $30 for the first copy. Additional copies ordered at the same time cost $25 each. Most family members order two or three copies at once because banks, insurers, and government agencies often each want their own certified original.

Deaths that occurred 50 or more years ago are public records in Alaska. Anyone can request them without proving a relationship to the deceased. Deaths within the past 50 years are restricted. You will need to show that you are a direct family member, legal representative, or have another documented legal need.

Historical Records and Archives

For older death records and genealogical research in Petersburg, the Alaska State Archives is one of the best resources. The archives hold death and burial registers and other vital records from the territorial period and beyond. Their genealogy collection covers 1816 through 1998 and includes over 1.1 million documents from across Alaska. The collection is searchable online at archives.alaska.gov.

Petersburg's Scandinavian heritage adds a useful research angle. Early Norwegian settlers brought records and traditions from their homeland, and some genealogical research on Petersburg families involves tracing lines back to Norway. Scandinavian cultural organizations active in Petersburg during the early and mid-1900s sometimes maintained their own membership records that can supplement official vital records.

The Alaska State Archives genealogy resource is a strong starting point for historical research in Southeast Alaska. The screenshot below shows the archives' genealogy collection page.

The archives hold documents from a wide range of sources, including federal, territorial, and local records. Searching their online catalog is free and can reveal whether relevant records are available before you plan a visit or submit a request.

The Petersburg Pilot, a local newspaper, has published obituaries and death notices for the Petersburg community for many years. Newspaper records are not an official part of the death index, but they often contain information not found in official vital records, such as names of survivors, funeral details, and biographical notes. The Petersburg Public Library maintains historical newspaper collections that may help fill gaps in official records.

FamilySearch and Online Databases

FamilySearch maintains a large collection of Southeast Alaska records that is searchable at no cost. The platform at familysearch.org indexes death records, burial registers, census records, and other documents from Alaska's territorial and early statehood periods. For Petersburg specifically, searching FamilySearch can surface records from court filings, church records, and federal censuses that mention deceased individuals.

Alaska Native records are also part of the FamilySearch collection. For families with Tlingit heritage, which is present throughout Southeast Alaska including the Petersburg area, tribal and federal agency records can supplement official vital records. The Bureau of Indian Affairs and Alaska Native Service maintained health and vital records for Native communities that are now indexed through FamilySearch and the National Archives.

The National Archives and Records Administration holds federal court records and other federal documents that can be useful in genealogical research. Their research guide for court records is available at archives.gov. Federal district court records from Southeast Alaska can sometimes fill gaps where local or state records are incomplete.

The CDC guide to Alaska vital records at cdc.gov is a brief but useful reference that explains the history of Alaska's vital records system and where various record types are held. It is worth reading early in any research project focused on Alaska deaths.

Property Records and Related Research

When searching for a deceased person's estate or property holdings in Petersburg Borough, the Alaska Land Records and Information System is a useful tool. ALRIS is maintained by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources. Property records for Petersburg Borough fall under the Juneau Recording District, which covers much of Southeast Alaska.

Property records can help establish that a person lived in an area, owned land, or was party to transactions. These records are not death records, but they are often used alongside the death index to build a more complete picture of a person's life and the disposition of their estate. ALRIS is accessible online at dnr.alaska.gov.

The Alaska State Library in Juneau maintains genealogical resources and guides for researchers working on Alaska family history. Their Alaska genealogy resource page at library.alaska.gov lists collections across the state, including Southeast Alaska materials that cover the Petersburg area.

The Vital Statistics Act, which governs Alaska's death record system, is available through Justia at law.justia.com. The law sets out who can access death records, what documentation is required, and how long it takes to process a request. Reviewing the relevant sections can help you prepare a complete request and avoid delays.

Nearby Boroughs and Census Areas

Cities in Petersburg Borough

Petersburg is the main community in the borough and serves as its administrative center. No communities in Petersburg Borough have their own death index pages. Death records for all residents of Petersburg Borough, including those in smaller communities on Mitkof Island and surrounding areas, are maintained by HAVRS in Juneau.