Pennsylvania Divorces: Dauphin County, 1788-1867 and York County, 1790-1860

This book will be a great aid to those with roots in south-central Pennsylvania. Imagine your surprise to see your ancestor mentioned in a divorce action either as a contestant or perhaps as a neighbor, relative, or friend of a contestant. From colonial times to the Civil War days, a large number of divorce actions are on record for Dauphin and York Counties, Pennsylvania. This book records the available details in the surviving records. Typically, these records establish the date and place of the marriage, and often mention whether either of the parties were previously married and if there were any children. Other family members are frequently named as witnesses and "next friends." The compiler has grouped together all of the separately dated entries for each case, thus eliminating the frustration of leafing through the entire book to follow the progress of a single case. The cases are arranged chronologically according to the date of the original petition, and a surname index makes it easy to find the names of the participants in each transaction. The compiler has been actively involved in doing professional genealogical research for twenty-eight years (at the time of publication), taking him to the attics and basements of Pennsylvania courthouses.