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Home > Collections > Vital Records > How to Look Up Old Divorce Records from the 1960s
Discover the exact date and location of a family separation by navigating state archives, county courthouses, and historical legal notices.
The 1960s was a decade of massive cultural shift in the United States, and family dynamics were no exception. As the stigma around separation began to fade and early "no-fault" divorce laws were introduced, the divorce rate steadily climbed. For genealogists, tracking down a 1960s divorce record is crucial because it explains sudden changes in a family timeline, mysterious address shifts, and the appearance of half-siblings. However, unlike birth and death certificates, divorce records are primarily legal court documents rather than medical vital statistics. Because they were handled at the local county level, finding them requires knowing exactly which government office to contact. Here are five proven strategies to track down 1960s divorce decrees and case files.
While divorces are handled locally, most U.S. states began centrally indexing them at the state level by the mid-20th century.
The Strategy: Check the state's Department of Health or Vital Records office website. Many states maintain a "Divorce Index" covering the 1960s.
The Pro-Tip: A state index will usually only provide a "short-form" certificate—basically a receipt confirming the divorce happened, the exact date, and the specific county. This is the perfect breadcrumb to lead you directly to the full legal file.
The true goldmine of family history is the actual divorce decree and the accompanying civil court case file.
The Strategy: Once you know the county where the divorce was finalized, contact the County Clerk of Court or the Prothonotary's Office.
The Proof: Request the complete civil case file. Unlike a simple short-form certificate, a full 1960s court file will contain sworn affidavits, child custody arrangements, property division, and sometimes the original marriage certificate. Search our Land, Court & Legal Archives to understand how to navigate county-level legal documents.
Even as divorces became more common in the 1960s, courts still required public notification when a lawsuit was filed, especially if one spouse had moved away or could not be located.
The Strategy: Search historical newspaper archives for the city where the couple lived.
The Proof: Do not look for front-page articles. Instead, search the fine print of the "Classifieds" or "Legal Notices" sections for the phrase "Action for Divorce" or "Suit for Separation" containing your ancestors' names.
If you do not know the exact year your ancestors split up, it can be expensive to pay a court to search a whole decade of files. You need to narrow down the timeline first.
The Strategy: Look up the husband and wife in annual city directories throughout the 1960s.
The Proof: You can pinpoint the exact year of the separation by noticing when they stop being listed at the same address, or when the wife suddenly appears listed under her maiden name or as "(div) John."
If you know one of the spouses got married to someone else in the late 1960s or 1970s, that new marriage record is the ultimate key to finding the old divorce.
The Strategy: Track down the application for the second marriage.
The Proof: To get a new marriage license, applicants were legally required to state how their previous marriage ended. The marriage application will explicitly ask for the date and the specific court or county where the prior divorce was finalized.
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