Alaska, Census of the Pribilof Islands - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This collection consists of digital images of census records from the collections at the Alaska State Archives for the years 1875 to 1910.

The Pribilof Islands are a group of four islands in the Bering Sea about 300 miles west of mainland Alaska that are mainly used for seal hunting: St George, St Paul, Walrus and Otter Islands. There are two small areas of habitation on St George and St Paul with Aleuts as the main residents. The Aleuts are descended from slaves brought from Atla and Unalaska by Russian fur traders in the 1780's.

The 1900 Census images can be viewed at the FamilySearch catalog Alaska Census, Southern District, Images 565-569, Film #1241832.

Sample Record Content
The information found in the records varies by year and type of record. You may find any of the following:


 * Name
 * Age
 * Gender
 * Date and place of birth
 * Names of other family members
 * Relationships
 * Place of parents’ birth
 * Current residence
 * Race
 * Marital status
 * Years married
 * Death information
 * Year immigrated
 * Family members living in same residence
 * Occupation

How to Use the Record
To begin your search, it is helpful to know:


 * Your ancestor's full name
 * Approximate years of residence in the Pribilof Islands
 * Names of family members

Search the Collection
To browse by image: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the appropriate "_______" which takes you to the images.

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

Using the Information
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Save a copy of the image or transcribe the information. Add this new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors. For example:


 * Use the age listed to determine an approximate birth date. This date along with the place of birth can help you find a birth record. Birth records often list biographical and marital details about the parents and close relatives.
 * Birth places can tell you former residences and can help to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * Use the race information to find records related to that ethnicity such as Indian censuses.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * It is often helpful to extract the information on all families with the same surname in the same general area. If the surname is uncommon, it is likely that those living in the same area were related.
 * Be sure to extract all families before you look at other records. The relationships given will help you to organize family groups. The family groupings will help you identify related families when you discover additional information in other records.
 * Married family members may have lived nearby but in a separate household so you may want to search an entire town, neighboring towns, or even a municipality.
 * You may be able to identify an earlier generation if elderly parents were living with or close by a married child.
 * Additional searches may be needed to locate all members of a particular family in the census.
 * You should also be aware that the census may identify persons for whom other records do not exist.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names. You may need to search for your ancestor by their Indian, Russian or American name.
 * Look for an index. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities.
 * There is also the possibility that a family was missed in the census.

Related Websites

 * Pribilof Islands, Alaska, Genealogy and Census
 * Alaska GenWeb Project
 * Alaska Census Finder
 * Alaska Genealogy
 * Alaska State Archives
 * Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Alaska Census Data
 * Alaska Population Counts
 * Census Maps of Alaska

Related Wiki Articles

 * Alaska Genealogy
 * United States Census, 1900 (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * United States Census, 1910 (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Alaska Vital Records

Citations for This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

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