Some would have us believe that divorce and family discord started in the 1960s and that it has been all downhill ever since. Genealogists who have spent time searching in court records know that is far from the truth.
Divorce is not a 20th century invention. Court records from the early 20th and nineteenth century contain numerous divorce records. These are records that every genealogist should include as a part of a conprehensive research design.
My wife's great-grandmother was divorced in Chicago twice in the early twentieth century.
My 3rd great-grandmother was divorced twice in rural Illinois in the late nineteenth century.
In both cases the records of these divorces were very telling and provided significant genealogical clues.
We've posted an article on divorce records on our site--something you should consider--unless you think your ancestors never never had a disagreement ;-)