Hawaii, Various Islands, Circuit Court Divorce Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection includes divorce petitions and related divorce court records in the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth circuit courts on the islands of Oahu, Maui, Hawaii, and Kauai, Hawaii for the years 1849-1915. The records are by case number and there are 4-5 pages per record. Some are written in Hawaiian.
 * First Circuit Court, Oahu, Divorce Packets, 1-2415
 * Second Circuit Court, Maui, Divorce Packets, A1-A319
 * Third Circuit Court, Hawaii, Divorce Packets, 1-424
 * Fourth Circuit Court, Hawaii, Divorce Packets, 1-45 (Case Files)
 * Fourth Circuit Court, Hawaii, Divorce Packets, 1-121 (Old Files)
 * Fifth Circuit Court, Kauai, Divorce Packets, 1-106

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:
 * Name
 * Name of spouse
 * Date of marriage
 * Place of marriage
 * Divorce petition date

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * Spouse's name
 * Place of residence

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Search for marriage records and use the information to search other records such as birth and census records
 * If children are involved use their ages to get estimated birth dates and search for their birth records and find the family in census records
 * Use the residence to find land records
 * The witnesses may be relatives
 * Continue to search the marriage records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives of the bride and groom who may have married in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames
 * Search for the marriage record
 * Check for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the state of Hawaii.
 * Hawaii Guided Research
 * Hawaii Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Hawaii. Circuit Courts Divorce Records. 1849-1915

Related Family History Library Collections

 * Hawaii Marriages, 1826-1922
 * Hawaii, Board of Health, Marriage Record Indexes, 1909-1989
 * Hawaii, Marriages, 1826-1954

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.