Dear Genners, I was able to view divorce papers that are generally sealed for 100 years by showing the court that the couple had no children, the couple themselves were deceased and I was their only living relative. I applied to the "Ex-Parte" division of the court. I made the application myself. Most lawyers I spoke to didn't know how to do this. (True) The judge ruled I could have access to the divorce papers and with that permission I went "across the street" to Old Records and the clerk pulled the case for me.
Other side of the river so to speak ... but in New Jersey I was able to get at divorce papers in less than 100 years and without going to the Court.
I had to work with the Archives in Trenton but they got them for me and I went to the reading room and sat there reading papers dating to 1911-1913. They made photocopies of anything I wanted too.
It was fun reading because in those days there was no such thing as a no fault divorce. Each time they filed papers the charges get more and more outlandish but they also say things like I do not read English and they talk about cousins who introduced them to each other, parties they attended at cousins houses and alike.
