Obituary Records in Aleutians East Borough

Aleutians East Borough obituary records and death data are available through the Alaska Bureau of Vital Statistics, the Aleutians AKGenWeb project, FamilySearch digitized collections, and the Alaska State Archives. The borough spans a large and remote stretch of the Aleutian chain, with communities including Sand Point, King Cove, Cold Bay, False Pass, Nelson Lagoon, and Akutan. Researching obituaries and death records for Aleutians East Borough means working primarily through state-level systems since local record offices are limited in this part of Alaska.

Death Certificates for Aleutians East Borough Residents

All certified death certificates for Aleutians East Borough are issued by the Alaska Bureau of Vital Statistics. The Bureau is based at 5441 Commercial Boulevard in Juneau and handles requests from across the state. Residents in remote island communities like Sand Point and King Cove rely entirely on mail or online ordering since there is no local vital records office in the borough. The Bureau's phone number is 907-465-3391.

The cost for a certified death certificate is $30 for the first copy and $25 for each additional copy ordered at the same time. Mail requests can take four to six weeks. Given the remote nature of the borough, online ordering through VitalChek is the most practical option for most residents. VitalChek typically processes requests within seven to ten business days plus shipping. Payment options include credit card through VitalChek or check and money order for mail orders.

Alaska's vital records law, AS 18.50, governs who can access records and under what conditions. Death records less than 50 years old are restricted to eligible parties such as immediate family members, legal representatives, or others with a documented need. Death records older than 50 years are open to the general public for genealogical use. Birth records in Alaska are restricted for 100 years.

The CDC's Where to Write for Vital Records page summarizes Alaska's process for death certificate requests and is useful if you are unfamiliar with the steps.

Aleutians AKGenWeb: Obituaries and Death Records

The Aleutians AKGenWeb site is the main free genealogical resource for Aleutians East Borough death and obituary research. The site collects and organizes records from across the Aleutian Islands and includes several categories directly relevant to obituary research.

The Deaths section on the AKGenWeb site covers two distinct datasets. The first draws from FamilySearch and covers deaths from 1913 to 1915. The second comes from the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) and covers 1966 to 2009. These two ranges leave a gap from the mid-1910s through the 1960s, but the SSDI data is particularly useful for more recent genealogical research. The SSDI entries include name, birth date, death date, and last known state of residence.

The AKGenWeb Cemeteries section contains a collection of Aleutians burial records that includes obituaries contributed by researchers and family members. Cemetery data is especially important for this region because formal death notice publication was limited in remote island communities during much of the 20th century. The site also includes a Newspapers section with historical information for communities including Adak, Dutch Harbor, Fort Glenn, Sand Point, and Unalaska. Not all communities have surviving newspaper archives, but the AKGenWeb site documents what exists and where to find it.

The Aleutians AKGenWeb project aggregates death records, cemetery data, obituaries, marriage records, and newspaper information for communities across the Aleutian Islands including those in Aleutians East Borough.

FamilySearch and Early Aleutian Death Records

FamilySearch holds the Aleutian Islands death records collection covering 1913 to 1953. These records were originally created by U.S. territorial commissioners and document deaths in Aleutian communities during the territorial era. The collection is searchable online at no cost and covers Sand Point, Akutan, and other Aleutians East communities as well as communities in the broader Aleutian region.

The AKGenWeb Vital Records section notes that some images are available at FamilySearch for the Aleutians region. Coverage varies by community and time period. For deaths after 1953, the SSDI data on AKGenWeb picks up much of the gap until modern vital records become the primary source.

Marriages from 1900 to 1940 are also sampled on the AKGenWeb site, and the Naturalizations section provides additional context for families researching immigration and citizenship. These records sometimes help researchers identify individuals who later appear in obituaries or cemetery records.

Alaska State Archives and Statewide Resources

The Alaska State Archives holds territorial and early statehood records for the Aleutian region. Researchers looking for government documents, court records, or official correspondence related to deaths in Aleutians East Borough communities can request access through the Archives. Many of these records have not been digitized and require a mail or email request if you cannot travel to Juneau.

The Alaska State Library Newspaper Indexes cover historical newspapers from across the state. For the Aleutians, newspaper coverage was thin and irregular throughout much of the 20th century, but the library's index documents what was published and where surviving issues can be found. The index is free to search online.

The Alaska State Archives holds territorial-era records for Alaska communities including the Aleutians, with collection guides that help researchers identify what documents are available for specific locations and time periods.

The Alaska State Archives probate guide is useful for Aleutians East Borough researchers looking for estate records that document deaths and heirs for borough residents through the 20th century.

State Health Resources for Aleutians East Obituary Research

The Alaska Department of Health manages the vital records system for all boroughs, including Aleutians East. The Department's online ordering portal and mail request process are the two main ways to get certified death records. For families in Sand Point, King Cove, False Pass, Nelson Lagoon, Cold Bay, and Akutan, mail ordering is often the only practical option given the distance from Juneau.

Under AS 18.50, death records older than 50 years are open to the public. That means deaths occurring before the mid-1970s are accessible without proving eligibility. For researchers working on family trees or historical projects, this covers the bulk of the FamilySearch collection and a large portion of the AKGenWeb death data as well.

The Alaska Department of Health's vital records page covers how to order death certificates for all Alaska boroughs, including Aleutians East, and lists the current fees and processing times for each request method.

Note: The AKGenWeb site for the Aleutians also includes a Marriages section covering 1900 to 1940 and a Naturalizations section, both of which can help connect individuals to obituary and death records in the same collections.

Communities in Aleutians East Borough

Aleutians East Borough covers a number of remote communities spread across the eastern Aleutian Islands. None of these communities meets the population threshold for a separate city page, but the following are the main communities in the borough where obituary and death records may be found:

• Sand Point (borough seat)
• King Cove
• Cold Bay
• False Pass
• Nelson Lagoon
• Akutan

All vital records for these communities are processed through the Alaska Bureau of Vital Statistics in Juneau regardless of which community the death occurred in.

Nearby Boroughs

Researchers working on Aleutians East Borough obituary records may find related records in the neighboring areas, particularly for families who moved between island communities over generations.