Minnesota Divorce Index - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of an index to divorces, for the years 1970 to 1995, from the Minnesota Department of Health in St. Paul. The index is provided by Ancestry.com.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

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

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching the collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the person at the time of the divorce
 * The place where the divorce occurred
 * The approximate divorce date

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.

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 the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Obtain the actual divorce decree
 * Search for the marriage record
 * Search for the family in census records

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

 * 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
 * Consult the Minnesota Record Finder to find other records

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of Minnesota.
 * Minnesota Guided Research
 * Minnesota Record Finder
 * Minnesota Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Minnesota Research, 1880-Present

Family History Library Holdings

 * Mary Hawker Bakeman, ed. The genealogist's guide to Minnesota vital records.Roseville, Minnesota : Park Genealogical Books, c2002, c2004 FHL 977.6 V27g v. 1-2

Related FamilySearch Historical Record Collections

 * Minnesota Marriage Index, 1958-2001
 * Minnesota Marriages, 1849-1950
 * Minnesota, County Marriages, 1860-1949

Related Digital Books

 * Minnesota Historical Records Survey Project, Division of Community Service Programs, Work Projects Administration. Guide to public vital statistics records in Minnesota. Saint Paul, Minnesota : Historical Records Survey (Minnesota), 1941

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.