Marriage/divorce records:  If your interest is in  determining your subject's marital status, click here for a detailed tutorial and nationwide list of searchable websites.

The remainder of this page discusses obtaining
copies of vital records.

In most states, vital records -- birth, death, marriage, divorce -- are maintained by the state government in its Department of Vital Records, Department of Health, or a similarly-named office. 

Go to the state/county public information section of this website, click on the state you want to search, then scroll down to the appropriate office. 

Even if the state maintains a website providing this type of information, we recommend you call the office and ask for the information you need over the phone; if it's not available by phone, ask the clerk what the easiest method of access is. 

 DEATH RECORDS-- usually provide complete name, date of death, date of birth, social security number, place of birth, occupation.
 

• An easy way to access the Death Master File of the Social Security Administration is through intelius.com. 
• If you're interested in locating relatives of the deceased, three skip-tracer tricks are: 
1. check for a possible autopsy report; 
2. check the funeral home's records for next of kin; 
3. check the applicable county for probate court records. 

Marriage records are not considered public information in New York City. 

If you're checking the marital status of a subject, order a search for a span of several years. 

Click here for information on how to determine your subject's marital status.

DIVORCE RECORDS -- You can usually check at the state level to find out if your subject has been divorced, but to access the full divorce file you'll need to check at the county level. 

Click here for more information on how to find divorce records.

Divorce records -- usually provide the following information: name of spouse and names and dates of birth of children, date and place of marriage, marital property and disbursement of assets, allegations of parties as to cause of divorce, financial data, alimony/child support to be paid, and much other information. 

Divorce records are an excellent source of personal info about your subject. However, be aware that some allegations contained in divorce files may be exaggerations or outright lies.