In 2022, the divorce rate in the United States stood at 2.4 per 1,000 of the population. Divorce in the U.S. Divorce is the termination of a marital union. In the United States, as in most other countries, it is a legal process in which a judge or another legal authority dissolves the bonds of matrimony existing between two persons. The process of divorce also normally involves issues surrounding distribution of property, financial support of the former spouse, child custody and child support. A divorce also allows a person to marry again.In the United States divorce is, like marriage, a matter for state governments, not the federal government. Although divorce laws vary from state to state, for example on which terms a divorce can be arranged, a divorce must be certified by a court of law to become effective. A declining divorce rate Over the last couple of years both the marriage rate and the divorce rate have been declining in the United States. As of 2009, the average length of a first marriage in the U.S. was eight years. The average age men were at when they went through their first divorce was 32, for women this was 30. The average length of a second marriage was about 10 years.

Divorce records are often a valuable source of information for researchers, as they can provide sometimes difficult to find information like a couple's date of marriage, the names of children, and a woman's maiden name. They also allow a fascinating insight into the values and mores surrounding marriage at the time.

Connecticut began granting divorces in the mid-17th century, although only very, very sparingly at first. In the beginning only the General Assembly could grant a divorce; as the court system developed this eventually became mainly the purview of the superior courts, although the General Assembly continued to grant divorces until the early 20th century.

This index is a combination of several different indexes created by Connecticut State Library staff over a period of many years. It contains divorce records for the following counties and dates:

Fairfield: 1712-1941 Hartford: 1712-1953 Litchfield: 1751-1798, 1899-1927* Middlesex: 1786-1904 New Haven: 1712-1944 New London: 1712-1798* Tolland: 1786-1937 Windham: 1712-1798, 1907-1921* It also contains divorces granted by the General Assembly for 1655-1915.

Divorce records for Litchfield, New London, and Windham Counties that fall in years not included in this list can be found in two books compiled by Barbara B. Ferris and Grace Louise Knox in the 1980s, located in the History & Genealogy reading room:

• Connecticut divorces: Superior court records for the counties of New London, Tolland & Windham, 1719-1910
• Connecticut divorces: Superior Court records for the counties of Litchfield, 1752-1922 and Hartford, 1740-1849

Each entry in this list has a location of either a record or a file. Records are a brief summary of the case and the court's verdict that can be found in court record books. Files may have more information, such as the original divorce petition, statements from the litigants and witnesses, costs, and other material.

To request a digital of physical copy of a record or file, please contact the staff of the History & Genealogy Unit by telephone (860) 757-6580 or email. There may be a small fee, depending on the size of the order and whether you would like a digital or physical copy. When requesting a copy of a record or file, please include the information from the relevant entry in the index. You are also more than welcome to visit the Connecticut State Library to see these materials for yourself!

Note: Several volumes have extra, non-numbered pages at the end; these are denoted by a typographical mark and the word “misc.” *The February, 1769 term of the Superior Court in Fairfield is filed in a folder in the state archives RG 003, Superior Court Fairfield County Records/Dockets, Box 51. **Volume 19 contains miscellaneous papers at the end of the numbered pages. These papers are mostly in chronological order, and include court files, invoices, and the records of a few Superior Court terms. †Volume 21 contains miscellaneous papers at the end of the numbered pages. These papers are mostly in chronological order, and include court files and records for certain Superior Court terms. ††Volume 22 contains miscellaneous papers at the end of the numbered pages. These papers are mostly in chronological order, and include court files and records for certain Superior Court terms. ‡ Volume 28 contains miscellaneous papers at the end of the numbered pages. Some of these are a continuation of the August, 1793 session of the court at Litchfield.

In 2022, there were 67.85 million married men and 68.45 million married women living in the United States. This is compared to 3.7 million widowed men and 11.48 million widowed women.

Marriage in the United States

Nevada had the highest marriage rate in the United States in 2021, followed by Hawaii and Montana. This can be attributed to marriage accessibility in the state. Las Vegas weddings are known for being quick, easy, and inexpensive chapel weddings. In comparison to the cheap weddings available in Las Vegas, the average expenditure for a wedding in the United States was the highest in New Jersey, clocking in at 51,000 U.S. dollars.

Same-sex marriage

The number of Americans who think that same-sex marriage should be recognized by law has more than doubled since 1996, while the number of Americans who think it should not be valid has decreased. It was not until June 26, 2015 that the United States Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states. Before then, it was up to the states to decide if they allowed same-sex marriage. States in the Southeast are the most opposed to same-sex marriage, whereas the strongest support comes from Northern coastal states.

A national sample survey dataset covering a wide variety of issues on American family life beginning in 1987-88 and at two subsequent timepoints1992-93 and 2001-03. Topics covered included detailed household composition, family background, adult family transitions, couple interactions, parent-child interactions, education and work, health, economic and psychological well-being, and family attitudes. The first wave interviewed 13,017 respondents, including a main cross-section sample of 9,643 persons aged 19 and over plus an oversample of minorities and households containing single-parent families, step-families, recently married couples, and cohabiting couples. In each household, a randomly selected adult was interviewed. In addition, a shorter, self-administered questionnaire was filled out by the spouse or cohabiting partner of the primary respondent. Interviews averaged about 100 minutes, although interview length varied considerably with the complexity of the respondent''s family history. In 1992-94, an in-person interview was conducted of all surviving members of the original sample, the current spouse or cohabiting partner, and with the baseline spouse or partner in cases where the relationship had ended. Telephone interviews were conducted with focal children who were aged 5-12 and 13-18 at baseline. Short proxy interviews were conducted with a surviving spouse or other relative in cases where the original respondent died or was too ill to interview. A telephone interview was conducted with one randomly selected parent of the main respondent. In 2001-03, telephone interviews were conducted with: Surviving members of the original respondents who had a focal child age 5 or over at baseline; the baseline spouse/partner of these original respondents, whether or not the couple was still together; the focal children who were in the household and aged 5-18 at baselinemost of whom were interviewed at wave 2; and all other original respondents age 45 or older in 2000, and their baseline spouse/partner. Oversamples: Blacks, 9.2%; Mexican-Americans, 2.4%; Puerto Ricans, 0.7% * Dates of Study: 1987-2003 * Study Features: Longitudinal, Minority Oversampling * Sample Size (original respondents): ** Wave I (1987-88): 13,017 ** Wave II (1992-93): 10,007 ** Wave III (2001-03): 8,990 Links: * Wave I (ICPSR): http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/ICPSR/studies/06041 * Wave II (ICPSR): http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/ICPSR/studies/06906 * Wave III (ICPSR): http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/ICPSR/studies/00171