You will need to find the laws for the time. Some states have a waiting period of several days to several months before the divorce is "final". d > On March 22, 2015 at 3:20 PM Thea Baker via > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > All, > > I searched the archives back to 2008 and did not find an answer to these > questions. Perhaps I didn’t use specific enough search terms. > > I pulled an original file at a courthouse. The divorce decree was written in > pencil on ledger paper and it was not signed or dated, and not file marked. > However, I can determine from two separate documents in the packet that the > case was heard in court on 11-24-20, and on the back of one of those documents > (not the decree) the circuit clerk wrote “filed 11-24-20” and signed his name > and title. > > I went to the court book to have a look at the decree/judgment. It was not > dated individually, but a few pages over, there was a statement that court was > adjourned and it was signed by the Judge and dated 11-26-20. It appears the > Judge had heard a number of different kinds of cases and had signed off on ALL > of them with one signature at the adjournment statement. > > My first question: Which date, the 24th or the 26th, is the date of the decree > since it was undated on the specific document both in the packet and in the > court book? > > Second question: When was the divorce final? Was the decree made on the 24th, > but the divorce not final until the 26th since that’s when the Judge made his > signature in the court book and a date was written under that signature? > > It is my understanding that a divorce is not truly “final” until it is filed > and date stamped by the circuit clerk’s office. But, again, the only document > that was handwritten “filed” and dated and signed by the clerk was on a > document that was not the decree itself but on a document that was a statement > produced in court the day the case was heard. > > To further complicate matters, at the top of the ledger page in the book, was > written the”Thirteenth Day of Court, 1920.” The page following the adjournment > statement was handwritten at the top “Fourteenth Day of Court, 1920.” The > plaintiff’s complaint for divorce was dated 31 August 1920, and a subsequent > document shows “September Term of Court,” but the case was not heard until > Wednesday, 11-24-20. So, how long is a “day of court?” I cannot find an answer > to this, either. > > But, mainly, I need to know WHEN the divorce was final—the 24th as per the > only document marked “filed” and signed by the clerk, or the 26th when the > Judge signed off on that date? Thanks much for your knowledge and help on > this. > > Best, > > Thea > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > I am a genealogist. I collect people. > > Thea Walden Baker, M.A. > Full House Genealogy > Boston University Certificate in Genealogical Research > Member, Association of Professional Genealogists > Co-editor, Arkansas Family Historian, a publication of the Arkansas > Genealogical Society > 501-230-3603 > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word > 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message -- Dee Dee King, Certified Genealogist (sm), Certificate 903 Forensic Genealogy Services LLC and Contract Genealogist, US Navy Casualty, POW/MIA Branch Mail address - PO Box 1085, Manvel TX 77578 Telephone/fax 281-595-3090 www.forensicgenealogyservices.com www.facebook.com/forensicgenealogist Certified Genealogist (CG) is a service mark (sm) of the Board for Certification of Genealogists®, conferred to associates who consistently meet ethical and competency standards in accord with peer-reviewed evaluations every five years, and the board name is registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office.