New York Divorce Records
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New York Divorce Records Dates[edit | edit source]
| Pre-1787 | Governor or Legislature (colony) |
| 1787-1847 | Court of Chancery (state) |
| 1847-present | Supreme Court (counties) |
Online Resources[edit | edit source]
- 1769-1775 The Colonial laws of New York from the year 1664 to the revolution...; v.5. 1769-1775 Online at: FamilySearch Catalog(*),[1]
- 1983-Current WebCivil Supreme - Case Search (including Divorce) at New York State Unified Court System, including New York City.[2]
New York City:
- 1784-1910 Index to Matrimonial Actions, 1784–1910(*) at FamilySearch Catalog - index to divorces, annulments, and separations, New York County (Manhattan) only
Office to Contact - Get Copies[edit | edit source]
Restrictions:
Divorce files in New York are sealed for 100 years.
- More recent divorces will be released only to the spouses or persons with court orders.
New York State Department of Health
Vital Records Certification Unit
P.O. Box 2602
Albany, NY 12220-2602
Website
- Vital Records has the Certificate of Dissolution of Marriage for all divorces or civil annulments for New York State since 1963.[3]
- Mail in application
Counties
Contact the county supreme court clerk where the divorce decree was granted.
- Supreme Courts By County
- WebCivil Supreme - Case Search - Index 1983 to Current
New York City
- Contact the county clerk of the supreme court for information on how to obtain a copy of a divorce record:
Coverage and Compliance[edit | edit source]
- Divorces are court records and there is high compliance.
- Many couples separated leaving no divorce record.
Information in the Records[edit | edit source]
| Names of Parties* | x |
| Original Marriage Place | x |
| Divorce Place | x |
| Divorce Date | x |
| # of Children Affected | x |
| * Usually not maiden name of the woman | |
Divorce judgment papers may include date and place of the marriage and the names and birthdates of any children.
- Pre–1787: All divorces were granted by the governor or legislature and difficult to obtain
- Records of divorces granted consist both of the legislative act and petitions that were sent to the legislature.
- 1787–1847: All divorces were granted by the court of chancery. These records are found in the New York State Archives or for the New York City area at the New York County Clerk's office.
- These divorces were granted only on the grounds of adultery.
- 1847-Current: All divorces are handled by the supreme court in the county where the divorce was granted.
- Some counties may share supreme court justices.
- Before 1966, New Yorkers found it easier to obtain a divorce out of state.
- Local newspapers may publish notices of divorce actions.
- New York City Divorce records
See also:
Strategy[edit | edit source]
- Divorces can be difficult to locate. The divorce may have occurred in another county. Try all the residences of both the husband and wife.
- Newspapers often printed information about separations and divorces in the area to help you determine if a divorce exists.
- Many couples separated leaving no divorce record.
- See United States Divorce Records for more information.
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ The 3rd film is online and includes laws 1769 to 1785. Book begins on image 528, Index begins on image 971 of 1786 images
- ↑ WebCivil Supreme - Case Search indexes Civil Supreme Court cases (including divorce) in all 62 counties of New York State.
*Search by party names, county, year and more. Then click "All" (not open) and "No" for Return only Cases with Future Appearances
Click "Index Number" for limited details.
Contact county Supreme Court for more information. - ↑ New York State Department of Health. Divorce Certificates, accessed 9/13/2024