Washington Divorce Index - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States Washington

What Is in the Collection?
This collection includes divorce Indexes from the Washington State Archives for the years 1969-2014. The records are arranged by year and then in boxed files, alphabetically by name.

What Can This Collection Tell Me?
These records contain the following information:
 * Names of interested parties
 * Divorce date
 * County and State of divorce place
 * Number of children under age 18

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know: Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information in the list to what you already know about your ancestor to determine if it is the correct family or person. You may need to compare several persons in the list before you find your ancestor. ‘’’ Search by Name by visiting the [insert the URL Collection Page:]’’’ View images in this collection by visiting the [insert URL Browse Page]: For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.
 * The name of the parties involved in the divorce.
 * The approximate date of divorce.
 * The place where the divorce occurred.

What Do I Do Next?
Whenever possible, view the original records to verify the information and to find additional information that might not be reported. These pieces of information can lead you to additional records and family members.

I Found Who I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the information to find other records such as birth, christening, marriage, census, land and probate records.
 * Use the information to find additional family members.
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family.
 * Church Records often were kept years before government records were required and are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900.

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

 * Try viewing the original record to see if there were errors in the transcription of the name, age, residence, etc. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * Collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relations that can be verified by records.
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality in an area search.
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images.
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well.
 * Search the indexes and records of Washington, United States Genealogy.
 * Search in the Washington Archives and Libraries.

Citing This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image. Collection Citation: Image citation: