Courts retain records of each and every court case that is heard. So in the case of a divorce, records are kept on file at the courthouse. You can access your file and obtain copies of any records that you may need, especially in the event that you lose your copy of a court order. Divorce is a matter of public record, as marriage is. People can use divorce records for different types of research. Case histories can be reviewed in order to help out with other cases that the courts may hear. Decisions from one case can be reviewed in order to decide another case. People use divorce records to research family trees as well. This is an excellent way to track your ancestors and their marital relationships to find out names of spouses and the like. You can search for records either through private agencies or government offices. Some private agencies are scams. Make sure that the one that you choose offers a money-back guarantee if you are not satisfied. Depending on the state, you may be able to only obtain information regarding the name of each person that is involved and not any other actual details.