Iowa, Historical Society of Iowa, Divorce Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains records of divorce taking place in the state of Iowa. Information includes names, ages, marriage and divorce dates, and various personal details of individuals. Year range is from 1906-1937 for records from various counties in the state of Iowa. Records will be added as more become available.

What Can These Records Tell Me?

 * Names of parties
 * Color
 * Nationality
 * Age
 * Number of previous marriages
 * Place of filing
 * Marriage date and place
 * Whom divorce granted too
 * Libellant
 * Cause
 * Number of children
 * Alimony

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * Name of the person
 * Approximate date of the event

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Search for marriage records and use the information to search other records such as birth and census records
 * If children are involved use their ages to get estimated birth dates and search for their birth records and find the family in census records
 * Use the residence to find land records
 * The witnesses may be relatives
 * Continue to search the marriage records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives of the bride and groom who may have married in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames
 * Search for the marriage record
 * Check for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of Iowa.
 * Iowa Guided Research
 * Iowa Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.