Minnesota Divorce Index - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
The collection consists of indexes to divorces from the Minnesota Department of Health in St. Paul. The index is provided by Ancestry.com. It covers the years 1970 to 1995.

Record Content
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 to Use the Record
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 the Collection
Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors 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 look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line video at FamilySearch Search Tips.

Use the locator information found in the index (such as page, volume, or entry number) to locate your ancestor in the divorce records. Compare the information in the record to what you already know about your ancestor to determine if this is the correct person. You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination.

If you do not find the person you are looking for, try the following:


 * Look for alternate spellings of 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.

Related Websites
Minnesota Department of Health

Related Wiki Articles

 * Minnesota Vital Records
 * Minnesota History

Citations for This Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

Collection Citation

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):