Wisconsin Divorce Index - FamilySearch Historical Records

United StatesWisconsin

What is in the Collection?
The collection consists of indexes to divorce records from 1965 to 1984 from the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services. The index is provided by Ancestry.com.

What Can this Collection Tell Me?
The index lists the following information:


 * Name of husband
 * Name of wife
 * Docket number
 * Divorce date
 * Divorce place
 * Reference number (page, volume, entry number)

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the person at the time of the divorce.
 * The approximate divorce date.
 * The place where the divorce occurred.

Search by Name by visiting the Collection Page: Fill in the requested information on the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the individuals in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names, or variations of their name, throughout their life.
 * If your ancestor used an alias or a nickname, be sure to check for those alternate names.
 * Even though these indexes are very accurate they may still contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor in the divorce index, carefully evaluate each piece of information about them. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Use the information found in the divorce index to locate the actual divorce record.
 * Use the information found to search for the family in census records.
 * Use the information found to search for the family in church records.
 * Use the information found to search for the family in additional state and county records.

I Can't Find Who I'm Looking for, What Now?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Look for a different index. Divorce records are a court record. Court records are often indexed at the beginning or end of record volumes. You might also want to check with a local genealogical or historical society as they often have indexes to local records.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby states.
 * Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You could then browse the list for individuals that may be your ancestor.

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:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):