Divorce refers to the process of dissolving a marriage. There are many reasons for a marriage, a partnership founded on love, trust, and commitment, to flounder. Changing responsibilities and priorities, disappointments, the difference between the parties and even outright violence by one party against another are just a few examples of reasons for such a partnership to end. In the United States, three out of every five marriage end in the dissolution of such unions as the former parties to the marriage seek to tread upon their own path separate from their former partner to seek out a new and better life, possibly, with a new marriage partner.

For a divorced party to be able to get married again, to have a capacity to marry, however, it must be proven that his or her former marriage had indeed ended. The want of the groom or the bride to get married with someone new is not enough, the law requires that the groom or bride is no longer attached to his or her former partner in order to form a new partnership. After all, a person cannot be the husband or the wife of two different people. A person seeking to marry a man or a woman who had been married once before and whose spouse is still living would be well advised to confirm the existence of the end of that marriage.

There is nothing more conclusive in declaring the end of a marriage than a decree of divorce pertaining to that marriage. Divorce records are the records kept and maintained by a specific government agency, not only because they are mandated to do so by law, but also because of practical reasons. These records contain information regarding the marriage and the subsequent divorce and provide proof that not only has the previous marriage ended but also that the substantive and procedural due process required by the law in such proceedings had been complied with.

Kerr County was founded in the year 1856 and the district clerk has records of divorces granted in the county dating back to the year 1968. Like all counties in Texas, Kerr County is subject to the Texas Public Information Act which recognizes that all public documents, including divorce records, are available to the public. In Kerr County, certified copies of divorce decrees are only available with the district clerk.

The procedure to obtain a certified copy of a divorce decree in Kerr County starts with writing the district clerk requesting for a copy. This is in accordance with the procedure mandated by the Texas Public Information Act. The more details about the divorce that could be provided by the person requesting for the decree, the faster the search for such a decree would be. It must be stressed that any requests from the district clerk concerning the request for information must be complied with within ten days after the written order was sent, otherwise, the district clerk is required to automatically consider the request to have been withdrawn.

Once the divorce decree had been obtained, it is possible to verify the divorce decree through the state government. The Texas Department of State Health Service provides this service, and this is the only service that they could provide with regards to divorce records as they could not give certified copies of divorce decrees even if requested. To obtain a verification of the decree of divorce, a request must be sent to that effect to the Texas Department of State Health Service either through the internet with the use of a credit card, or through the mail using a downloadable request form available in the website of the Department. The verification costs twenty dollars and could take between ten to fifteen days to complete.

Another option available for the would-be bride or groom would be to conduct the search for the divorce decree online. Specialized online databases abound in the World Wide Web, and they are not only easy to use but also are free. In addition, a person doing his or her search online would not have to wait as the results are almost instantaneous. A person doing his or her search online also need not leave the comforts of their own home or to fall in line.