Public Marriage and Divorce Records Online

From LoveToKnow Divorce

There are many Web sites that list public marriage and divorce records online. Getting access to these records may be helpful for people interested in conducting genealogical research. You can also use resources to get copies of your own marriage or divorce certificates.

Order vital records online.

History of Vital Records in the United States

Before the early 1900s, vital records weren't kept in a central location in the United States. In the case of a marriage or a divorce record, it will contain the following information:

Full legal names of the couple involved
Date of the marriage
Date the divorce was granted
Location where the marriage occurred
Location where the the divorce was granted
Divorce records may include the names of any children of the marriage

Why Look for Public Records Online?

There are good reasons for looking for public marriage and divorce records online:

To get information for your family tree
For your own records
You may need to get a copy of your marriage records in order to file for divorce
If you want to remarry following a divorce, you need a copy of your divorce records to get a marriage license
It's quick and convenient to order these documents online
You can order them from anywhere that has an Internet connection
Ordering online saves you a trip to a local office to get this information
You are looking for information for a book or other research project

Where to Find Public Marriage and Divorce Records Online

Here are some sites where you can order marriage and divorce records online:

U.S. Search

Visitors to USSearch.com can enter a person's name into the search box to get an idea of the kind of information it contains. The last name and age of the person involved are required.

Once you have entered this information, click on "Search." You will see a list of all of the hits for that name, along with a geographic location. Click on the location that corresponds to the person you would like to learn more about.

To get marriage and/or divorce records from this site you will need to order a background check for the person involved. You are charged a fee, which also gives you access to the following public information:

Current address
Property liens
Criminal record
Home value
Legal judgments (Small Claims Court)

Vitalchek.com

Vitalchek.com claims to pull records from more than 400 government agencies across the United States to form its database of records. When a customer places an order, it is forwarded to the appropriate agency. The agency processes the order and ships a hard copy to the customer.

You can choose to receive your order by regular mail or by courier. (Two day or next day service is available.) If you choose to have it shipped by courier, you will be able to track the order to ensure that it gets to you safely.

USA Vital

USAVital.com offers a different type of service than the other two companies already mentioned. If you order a vital record from this company, a researcher will be dispatched to go to the appropriate records office to obtain a copy of the document for you. A separate fee is charged depending on which office the researcher needs to visit.

Who Can Order a Marriage or Divorce Certificate?

In some states, you can only order these types of documents if you are one of the persons named on the certificate in question. Each jurisdiction will have different policies about who can receive this information. To find out who is able to order one of these certificates, please visit the FAQ page at Vitalcheck.com.

Retrieved from "http://divorce.lovetoknow.com/Public_Marriage_and_Divorce_Records_Online"