Divorce

Answer

Divorce records are found among the district court records in the county where the divorce was finalized.  These district court records can be found by searching the library catalog for the name of the county and "civil case files".

Example: Polk County Civil Case Files 

The divorce case file will be contained in the civil case file series, usually arranged in chronological order.  MNHS holds pre-1950s civil case files for a majority of Minnesota counties.  Many of these series are organized by case file number. Case numbers can be found in the plaintiffs and defendants indexes and/or in the registers of civil actions series in the district court records. These indexes can be located by searching the library catalog for the name of the county and "plaintiff and defendant index" or "register of civil actions."

Example: Pine County Defendant Index

Example: Martin County Registers of Civil Actions


A copy of the final divorce decree will usually be found in the district court judgment book series.  MNHS holds judgment books for most Minnesota counties until about 1982. These records can be found by searching the library catalog for county name and "judgment book."

Example: Anoka County Judgment book

If you plan on visiting the library, a librarian would be more than happy to assist you with accessing these materials. If you're unable visit, you can submit a Court Case File Search Request and we will locate the divorce record and mail it to you for a fee. 
 
  • Last Updated Aug 01, 2019
  • Views 51
  • Answered By Katie Jean Davey

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