Kentucky Divorce Records

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U.S. Divorce Records

Kentucky

Divorce Records

Kentucky Divorce Records Dates

Divorce Courts in Kentucky
1792-1809	Kentucky General Assembly
1809-1849	Circuit Court (counties); approved by State Legislature
1849-present	Circuit Court (counties)

Online Resources

• 1792-1849 Early Divorce Records Granted by the Legislature (1792-1849) at Kentucky Genealogical Society Member Portal — index ($)
• 1962-2005 Kentucky, U.S., Divorce Records, 1962-2005 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1972-1990 Divorce Indexes, 1972–1990(*) by Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics at FamilySearch Catalog — index
• 1973-1993 Index to Kentucky divorce records from 1973 to 1993 at the University of Kentucky

Print Publications

• 1792-1849 Kentucky Genealogical Society, Blue Grass Roots. Spring 1980 to present. FS Catalog 102032; published list of divorces from 1792 to 1849 beginning with the Spring 1980 issue; articles are indexed by title only (not by names) in the Periodical Source Index.
• Pre-1850 Acts of the General Assembly of Kentucky, by Sandra Gorin. Glasgow, Kentucky: Gorin Genealogical Publishing, 2008/9. FS Catalog book 976.9 P3g vols. 1, 3; At various libraries (WorldCat); includes some divorces

Get Copies

Restrictions
Divorce records are generally open to the public. Some cases may be closed by the court.

Kentucky Department of Public Health
Office of Vital Statistics
275 East Main Street, 1 E-A
Frankfort, KY 40621
Phone: (502) 564-4212
Website

• They have divorce records from June 1958 to present day

• Marriage/Divorce Request Form

• Before 1958, contact the circuit court in the county where the divorce was granted

Kentucky Departmeent for Libraries and Archives
300 Coffee Tree Road
Frankfort, KY 40601
Phone: (502) 564-8300
Fax: (502) 564-5773
Website

What they have: (varies by county)

• Kentucky Divorce Records handout
• Circuit Court Records Inventory

County Courts
Divorce records are available from the circuit court in the county where the decree was granted.

• Contact the Circiut Court (scroll down to select the county)

Coverage and Compliance

• Divorces are court records, there is high compliance.
• Many couples separated, leaving no divorce record.

Information in the Records

Kentucky Divorce Records Usually Include:
Names of Parties*	x
Original Marriage Place	x
Divorce Place	x
Divorce Date	x
# of Children Affected	x
* May not include maiden name of the woman

Kentucky divorce records have been kept at the county level since about 1792, when the first county was organized. Their early records may give more detail than those by the legislature.

• By 1972, the word divorce was replaced with the term "dissolution of marriage".

See also:

• Kentucky Divorce Laws
• United States Divorce Records
• Kentucky Court Records Research Guide at Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives

Strategy

• Divorces can be difficult to locate. The divorce may have occurred in another county. Try all the residences of both the husband and wife.
• Many couples separated leaving no divorce record.
• Newspapers often printed information about separations and divorces in the area to help you determine if a divorce exists.
• Kentucky Court Records Research Guide at Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives
• See United States Divorce records for more information.

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