Connecticut Divorce Index - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States Connecticut 

What is in the Collection?
The collection consists of indexes to divorces from the Connecticut Department of Public Health in Hartford. The index is provided by Ancestry.com. The collection includes records from 1968 to 1997.

Collection Content
The following is an example of the type of information that may be contained on the indexed records. The amount of information varies from record to record.

What Can this Collection Tell Me?
Valuable information includes the names, dates and places directly involved with the divorce. Other information can be used in identifying people in family relationships, such as children. Places of birth and education, previous marriages, and custody rights can help trace migration patterns of the family.

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know the following:


 * The name of the person at the time of the divorce
 * The place where the divorce occurred
 * The approximate divorce date

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 Tips and Tricks].

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s record use the page, volume or entry number listed to locate your ancestor's divorce record. The certificates are available at the Connecticut Department of Public Health in Hartford.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Use the divorce information to find the marriage
 * Search for additional records on your ancestor where the divorce occurred.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Be aware that, as with any index, transcription errors may occur.
 * Use the number of children listed to find the family in census records and birth records

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

 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities.
 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * 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 with the same family number.
 * 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.

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):