Welcome to the Anchorage Genealogical Society

The Anchorage Genealogical Society (AGS) is a nonprofit organization based in Anchorage, Alaska, dedicated to all things genealogy. Genealogical research is a little more challenging in the Great Land. We are hours -- even days -- away from anywhere else, our branch of the National Archives was moved to Seattle, and many of us have come here from other states and countries, leaving our ancestral roots far behind. Even "locals" and Native Alaskans face unique hurdles in researching past generations. AGS is committed to providing a supportive, educational group for family historians and professional genealogists alike. Join us today!

ANNUAL SEMINAR

AGS sponsors an annual all day seminar featuring nationally known speakers. Some of speakers in the past have included: "Dear Mrytle" Pat Richley-Erickson; Meagan Smolenyak from Ancestry.com; Dan Lynch; D. Joshua Taylor; Geoff Rasmussen; J. Mark Lowe; Lisa Louise Cooke; Dick Eastman; "The Photo Detective" Maureen Taylor; Diahan Southard, DNA Expert; David Allen Lambert; Lisa Alzo;and most recently Devon Noel Lee of Family History Fanatics.

Monthly Meetings

We meet on the third Wednesday of the month at 6:00 PM (no meetings June through August). The public is always welcome and we would love to have you join us! Currently, our meetings are being held virtually via ZOOM at 6 PM.

Please see the "Events" tab for the most updated information about the meetings.

Local Resources in Anchorage

The Anchorage Genealogical Society (AGS), with monthly meetings, and a friendly, knowledgeable group of people willing to share information and technical tips on research, and to offer support to others.

An excellent Genealogical Section, and the Alaskan Room, on the 3rd floor of the Z. J. Loussac Library. Members may contact Gretchen Bersch at: gtbalaska@icloud.com, if interested in becoming the volunteer coordinator. Volunteers typically volunteer a few hours a week assisting library patrons with their genealogy research. Please note that ibrarians are unable to assist with genealogy beyond locating resources from their catalog.

A friendly LDS Family History Center. Experienced volunteers are on hand to assist with computers, microfilm/fiche and readers, and most major on-line genealogy resources. This service is available free of charge to the public. Church affiliation is not necessary. Call 907-277-8433 before you go. Open times vary depending on staffing.
Informational Genealogy Classes - Courtesy of the LDS Family History Center, are Free and open to the public. These classes cover a variety of genealogical topics and are held every 4th Saturday, from Autumn to late Spring. Classes are held at the Family History Center, Institute Building, 2501 Maplewood Drive, Anchorage. Currently, classes are on hold due to the pandemic.

IMPORTANT NOTICES

Effective September 7, 2017, researchers can no longer order microfilms through FamilySearch. Full digitization is not expected for another two to three years.

Records formerly located at the National Archive Center (NARA) - Anchorage were moved in the Summer of 2014 to either the Alaska State Library in Juneau (https://library.alaska.gov) or the Seattle branch of the National Archives (https://www.archives.gov/seattle/public).