How to Find Divorce Documents

When divorce documents are needed, strategies exist to access the documents.

When individuals need to produce life-cycle documents for genealogical purposes, bureaucratic processes or as a result of changes in personal status, they may find it challenging to track down those papers. Sometimes people don't realize the future importance of such documents or, in the case of divorce papers, they don't want to keep reminders of a difficult period in their live. Sources for divorce documents allow a person to track down the needed papers.

Instructions

1. Contact the county clerk or the state vital records office where you wish to find divorce documents. In some states the clerk of the county where the divorce decree was issued maintains divorce records. In other states the vital records office has the documents. (See references for state-by-state laws regarding where the records exist in each state). When requesting the divorce documents from the relevant state or county office, include the following: date of request; husband and wife's full names; type of final decree; divorce/annulment date; place of divorce; your name, address and (in some states) driver's license number; reason for requesting the documents; and your signature. Provide a self-addressed envelope.

2. Hire a search company to access the records. On-line research companies will do the work necessary to track down the divorce documents and help you obtain them. Some of the companies that perform this service include USSearch, Intelius and Easy Background Check.

3. Spend time talking with family members from both sides of the divorcing couple. Genealogists emphasize that genealogical researchers can obtain a lot of information and documents to help them in their research from simply speaking to relatives. Often relatives of a couple that divorced will have kept the documents in a family Bible or other archive. Divorce documents contain information about the divorcing couple, including maiden names and alternate names, children's names, birth dates and other data that can assist with the genealogical research.

References

• Records Project: Divorce
• Vital Records: Divorce
• Family Genealogy: Family Trees

Resources

• USSearch: Background Check
• Easy Background Check: Perform Background Check
• Intelius: People Search