Tennessee Divorce Records

United States

Tennessee

Divorce Records

Tennessee Wiki Topics

Beginning Research

Guided Research Research Strategies Record Finder

Record Types

Adoption Bible Records Cemeteries Census Church Records Colonial Records Correctional Institutions Court Records Crime and Punishment Directories Divorce Records Emigration & Immigration Genealogies Guardianship Records Land & Property Military Records Naturalization & Citizenship Newspapers Obituaries Occupation & Business Records Online Collections Periodicals Probate Records Public Records Substitute Records Substitute Records Taxation Vital Records Voter Records

Tennessee Background

Biography Further Reading Gazetteers History Law & Legislation Maps Migration

Cultural Groups

African Americans Indigenous Peoples Cultural Groups Swedish American

Local Research Resources

Archives & Libraries Societies Find a FamilySearch center

Online Resources

• 1706-1850 Acts of Tennessee 1796-1850 (Legislative Papers) at Tennessee State Library and Archives — index & images
• 1800-1965 Tennessee Divorce and Other Records, 1800-1965 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• Tennessee Divorces at MyHeritage — index & images ($)

Print Publications

• Tennessee Divorces, 1797 to 1858: Taken From 750 Legislative Petitions and Acts, by Gale Williams Bamman. Nashville, Tennessee: G.W. Bamman, 1985. FS Catalog book 976.8 P2b; At various libraries (WorldCat); This book contains abstracts of divorce decrees in alphabetical order by the name of the person requesting the divorce

Office to Contact - Get Copies

Restrictions

• Divorce records in Tennessee are confidential for 50 years.

Tennessee Office of Vital Records
1st Floor, Andrew Johnson Tower
710 James Robertson Parkway
Nashville, TN 37243
Phone: (615) 741-1763
Website

• They have records from 1945 to present.
• Divorce Request Form from TN Office of Vital Records
  

Tennessee State Library & Archives (TSLA)
1001 Rep. John Lewis Way N.
Nashville, TN 37219
Phone: 615-741-2764
Email: ask@tsla.libanswers.com
Website

• 1945-50 years ago Divorce Records available through TSLA

Tennessee Virtual Archive (TEVA)
Website

• 1945-50 years ago Divorce Records online at TEVA

County Courthouses

• Early to 50 years ago Contact the clerk of courts in the county where the decree was granted.
  

• Tennessee Clerks of Court contact information at University of Tennessee.

Coverage and Compliance

• Since formal divorces are actually court records, there is high compliance.
• Many couples simply separated, leaving no divorce record.

Information in the Records

Tennessee Divorce Records Usually Include:
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

Prior to 1834, divorces are found in legislative papers (Acts of Tennessee under Online Resources). Tennessee divorce records have been kept at the county level since 1834.

• If the divorce involved a dispute over the division of property, then it would have been heard in the Chancery Court. Otherwise it would have been heard in the Circuit Court.
• For divorces prior to 1994, the husband's name is required to search the records. After 1994, a search can be done using either the wife's maiden name or the husband's name.

See also:

• Divorce Records TSLA article
• Courts Where Tennessee Court Cases Were Tried TSLA article
• Tennessee Court Records
• United States Divorce records

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.
• Newspapers often printed information about separations and divorces in the area to help you determine if a divorce exists.
• Many couples simply separated, leaving no divorce record.
• See United States Divorce Records for more information.