Maryland Vital Records: Difference between revisions

'''Before the Revolutionary War''', no divorces were granted in Maryland. Between the '''close of the Revolution and 1842''', the state legislature granted divorces.  Myer abstracted these records:  

*Myer, Mary Keysor. ''Divorces and Names Changed in Maryland by Act of the Legislature 1634-1854.'' [http://www.worldcat.org/title/divorces-and-names-changed-in-maryland-by-act-of-the-legislature-1634-1854/oclc/58864611?referer=br&ht=edition Worldcat ]; {{FHL|246249|item|FHL Book 975.2 V28}}.

For divorces '''after 1854''', and if the county and date of the divorce are known, contact the clerk of the circuit court in the county in which the divorce was granted. Baltimore records are kept by the [http://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/Agencies/circuit/courts_faq/marriage_faq.html#divorce Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas of Baltimore City]. Many records from Baltimore City and many metropolitan counties have been transferred to the [[Maryland State Archives|Maryland State Archives]].  

For divorces granted '''before 1992''', there is no statewide index. For a research fee, the Maryland State Archives will search its resources for a 5-year period in the county where the divorce is believed to have occurred and the counties ajoining it.  For divorces '''after 1992''', the [http://vsa.maryland.gov/html/apps.cfm Division of Vital Records] can verify the county the date of the divorce, but cannot issue a cerified copy of the decree.  

For more detailed information about availability, content, and history, see

[[Maryland Divorce Records|Maryland Divorce Records]].