The Native People of the Yukon are part of the Athapaskan linguistic family. The first white explorer to reach the Yukon was Sir John Franklin in 1825. Thereafter, permanent contacts were maintained by Hudson's Bay Company fur traders. At the end of the nineteenth century, large numbers of white people immigrated here to prospect for gold, although they did not stay for long. In one month in 1898 though, Dawson became the largest Canadian city west of Winnipeg.
Researchers interested in ancestors who lived in the Yukon use the main types of genealogical sources.
Civil Registration (Birth, Death, and Marriage Records)
In the Yukon Territory, incomplete records date from 1898. By the 1940s, records are more complete; however, some events may not have been registered. Requests should be directed to the:
Vital Statistics
Department of Health and Social Services
PO Box 2703
Whitehorse, YT
Y1A 2C6
Vital.Statistics@gov.yk.ca
Criminal Records
Land Records
All original land titles and documents for properties are registered and stored at the Yukon Land Titles Office.
Territorial Websites
Many libraries hold reference books, local histories, family histories and other books on genealogy.
Wills
Some estate records form part of the Territorial Court Records, 1897-1950, in the custody of the Yukon Archives.