Texas vital statistics

• 1). Go to the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDHS), Vital Statistics Unit website. The TDSHS maintains several databases online. However, you must download the Report of Divorce Indexes corresponding with the year you believe the divorce occurred. Once the appropriate index is downloaded and extracted, you can search by name or case file number. Note that these indexes are not legal documents; rather, they are simply lists of information. Actual documents reflecting the divorce can only be obtained by contacting the District Clerk's office where the divorce was granted. The TDHS Report of Divorce Indexes can be found here: http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/vs/marriagedivorce/dindex.shtm. Unfortunately, the Report of Divorce Indexes is not frequently updated. The latest index ends at 2007.
  
  
• 2). Go to the District Court clerk's office and request information about the divorce. As with searching the TDSHS indexes, you will need pertinent information to help the Clerk's staff locate the case file. A fee will likely be charged for photocopies. The District Court system in Texas is divided into several jurisdictions, as defined by the state legislature. Every part of Texas is subject to the jurisdiction of a District Court. If you are uncertain about which District Court from which to seek information, a map is available on the Texas Courts website: http://www.courts.state.tx.us/courts/pdf/sdc2009.pdf.
  
  
• 3). Hire a public records research company. If you are not tech savvy or have no method to appear in person at the District Court, you can also hire a private company that provides public records search services. There are a number of such companies online. However, each will charge a fee. For example, Complete Investigation Services offers a variety of background information research for a fee. Another example is urgentdetective.com. Given that such companies charge a fee to provide what is free information, it makes sense to try the Report of Divorce Index or the District Court.