If the state has public records available online, you have the chance to learn more about the divorce without waiting for a copy to arrive in the mail. A divorce record will list both the husband’s name and the wife’s name. It should list the date of the marriage along with when each person was born. You will see when the couple separated and when they filed for divorce. Some states require that couples spend a specific amount of time apart before they can file for divorce.

Divorce records are also helpful because they show where both parties lived before the divorce was finalized and how they split their property. You may even see how the court split custody of their children and if the judge ordered spousal and/or child support.