Divorce Record

If you are interested in tracing your family tree, you’ve probably looked into the marriage, birth and death certificate archives already. But have you also considered looking at the divorce record archives?

A divorce record is really just a copy of the divorce papers that need to be filed when you apply for divorce. All the papers are filed according to state law and can be accessed at a later date if you so wish, the same as for marriage certificates. Similar to marriage certificates a divorce record can provide you with a greater insight into your family tree.

Naturally there is a charge to access a divorce record. Some states charge per record, whilst others charge a fixed fee and within the fee will supply all divorce papers that match the names supplied. The fee varies from state to state so you will need to ask your local records office for more details if you are interested. It’s also worth checking if the fee varies depending on how you order the divorce record, as ordering a record over the internet or phone can cost you more than ordering by mail.

Generally if you’re looking for a divorce record dated before 1900 you won’t have much luck as most states in the U.S. generally only have information from around 1925 onwards. But it is worth checking with your local Public Records branch just in case they may have some details.

To locate a divorce record, the more information you can supply then the easier it will be. First name, last name, date of birth and last known address are usually the minimum details that are required to search for a divorce record. If you also are aware of details such as date or place of divorce then these will help speed up your enquiry, and locate any documents.

If you are able to locate the divorce record you are looking for, you may want to consider searching for other related information, especially if you are interested in knowing more about your family tree. For example child custody and other settlement issues that form part of the divorce settlement.

Obviously if you include divorce record information whilst mapping out your family tree, you do get a much bigger, clearer picture of your family and who your distant relations are. Who knows, you may find you have a connection to someone famous when you start looking through the divorce record details of your family.