Let’s face it. Not every marriage is made in heaven. Some may even be said to have been made in an entirely opposite place. As usual, your ancestor’s troubles might have lead to records of genealogical value, in this case a divorce.
Contrary to the belief of some, divorce is not a late twentieth-century invention. Couples have always had problems, and divorce while uncommon was not entirely unheard of in an earlier era. Finding the records is the problem. Early divorces might have been granted by the colonial governing bodies or the state legislatures and these records may be in a state archives or library. Later divorces were typically granted by a county court and will typically be found at the county level.
The amount of information contained in these records varies, but generally increases over time. The person bringing the divorce case to court would have to show grounds for divorce, usually focusing on the behavior of the other spouse. Requirements for a divorce are governed by state statute and have changed significantly in the last two hundred years.
The content of divorce records can vary. Those granted by a colonial or statewide body, tend to provide sketchy information. Divorces granted by county courts may be more detailed. In some cases the records may include more detail than some descendants want to know...
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