Wrangell City and Borough Death Records
Death records for Wrangell City and Borough are maintained by Alaska's Health Analytics and Vital Records Section, the state agency responsible for all vital records in Alaska. Wrangell Borough does not keep death records locally. Whether you need a current certified death certificate or want to research historical records from one of Southeast Alaska's oldest communities, this page covers every available resource, including coroner's inquests dating to 1903 and vital records spanning from 1938 to 1964.
Wrangell City and Borough Overview
How Wrangell Death Records Work
Wrangell City and Borough is one of Alaska's oldest communities, with a history of settlement going back to 1834. Today it operates as a unified borough government in Southeast Alaska. Like all Alaska boroughs, it does not maintain vital records. All death certificates for events in Wrangell are held by the Health Analytics and Vital Records Section (HAVRS) at the state level in Juneau and Anchorage.
Alaska Statute AS 18.50 governs all vital records statewide. Death records are restricted for 50 years from the date of death. Records from before 1975 are now available to any researcher. Records from 1975 onward require proof of an eligible relationship. Wrangell's long history means its historical records are particularly rich, and researchers can access materials going back to the early territorial period through the Alaska State Archives and FamilySearch.
Statewide death registration began in 1913. Wrangell's records from before that date are covered by the Alaska State Archives territorial collections, including coroner's inquest records that begin in 1903. These records document deaths in Wrangell during the gold rush era and the early development of Southeast Alaska's fishing industry.
Requesting Wrangell Death Certificates
Certified death certificates for Wrangell City and Borough are ordered through the state HAVRS system. You can submit in person at either state office, online through VitalChek, or by mail or fax using the official form. Email orders are not accepted.
The Juneau office at 5441 Commercial Blvd., Juneau, AK 99801, phone (907) 465-3391, fax (907) 465-3618, is the closest state location to Wrangell. Walk-in hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Anchorage office at 3901 Old Seward Hwy, Ste. 101, Anchorage, AK 99503, phone (907) 269-0991, is open the same hours. Mail requests go to Health Analytics and Vital Records, P.O. Box 110675, Juneau, AK 99811-0675.
The first certified copy costs $30. Additional copies at the same time cost $25 each. An apostille for foreign use costs $42. A record verification costs $2.50. Orders through VitalChek take 2 to 3 weeks. Mail and fax submissions take 2 to 3 months. All requests need a completed form, government-issued ID copy, and payment.
Note: Submit through one method only to prevent duplicate charges and delays.
Historical Wrangell Death Record Collections
Wrangell has valuable historical death record collections available through the FamilySearch and Alaska State Archives partnership. The Alaska, Wrangell, Coroner's Inquests (1903-1959) documents deaths investigated by the coroner over more than five decades of territorial and early statehood history. The Alaska, Wrangell, Birth, Marriage, and Death Records (1938-1964) covers a critical period that spans from the Depression era through early statehood. Both collections are available through the FamilySearch Catalog.
The Alaska State Archives at 395 Whittier St., Juneau, AK 99811-0571, phone (907) 465-2270, is the official repository for these collections. The Archives holds the Wrangell precinct records and can help researchers identify additional materials not yet digitized. The statewide Alaska Vital Records 1816-2005 collection at FamilySearch includes Wrangell materials within the broader territorial registration system. The Alaska State Library provides additional genealogy resources covering Southeast Alaska including Wrangell.