Divorce Laws and Your Family Tree

How many divorces are in your family tree? It isn't an easy question to answer if you haven't entered divorce dates.

My 83,974-person family tree has 40 divorce facts for 39 individuals. To find your numbers:

• Open your GEDCOM file in Family Tree Analyzer.
• Choose the Facts tab.
• Selected Divorce.
• Click "Show only the selected Facts for Individuals".

Was divorce even possible for the people in your family tree?

I know the real number is higher. I don't have a Divorce fact for many of my cousins' divorces.

The number is also low because the vast majority of people in my family tree were born in Italy before 1916. (The birth records available online end in 1915.) Have you ever heard of the 1961 Italian movie "Divorce Italian Style"? Divorce wasn't legal in Italy until the end of 1970. But there was another law on the books that Marcello Mastroianni's character tried to use in the film.

The very idea of this law is shocking. Up until 1981 it was allowable to kill a woman (and only a woman) for being unfaithful. To kill her! They called it an honor killing. In the film, Mastroianni's character tried to lure his wife into being unfaithful. But she refused to do so.

The lack of legal divorce in Italy before 1970 means two things for an Italian family tree:

• If a person remarried, you can assume their 1st spouse died, even if the death record is unavailable.
• There were children born out of wedlock each year. Divorce wasn't legal, but affairs were okay—especially for men.

Let's take a look at when divorce became legal in several countries. Some of the dates are later than you might think, and some are way earlier than I expected. Religious institutions imposed many of the restrictions on divorce laws. There's also a distinct trend toward giving men all or most of the power.

More interested in marriage facts than divorce facts?

• How to Understand Your Ancestors' Marriage and Remarriage Customs
• Report Finds Marriage Mishaps in Your Family Tree
• Did Your Ancestors Have Arranged Marriages?

Two definitions first:

• No-fault divorce means you don't have to provide proof of your spouse's fault.
• Unilateral divorce means one spouse can end the marriage without the other's consent.

Which of these dates affect your family tree?

• Argentina: Separation became legal in 1888; divorce 99 years later in 1987. An updated 2015 law removed the required separation period.
• Australia: The Family Law Act of 1975 went into effect in January 1976 legalizing divorce.
• Brazil: Divorce became legal in 1977. An updated 2010 law removed the required separation period.
• Chile: Divorce became legal in 2004.
• Denmark: Divorce became legal in 1969 with a required six-month separation period.
• England and Wales: Divorce became legal in 1857, but there were limitations. There had to be proof of infidelity, cruelty, rape, or incest. In 1923, a woman could sue for divorce, but she faced a higher burden to provide proof of fault. The process became much easier in 2020.
• Finland: Divorce became legal in 1988 with no required separation period.
• France: Divorce had a bumpy road in France. It was legal in 1792, repealed in 1816, reinstated in 1884, and overhauled in 1976.
• Germany: Divorce became legal in 1977 with a required separation period.
• Greece: No-fault divorce became legal in 1979. In 1983 Greece allowed unilateral divorce with a required separation period.
• Ireland: The Family Law Act of 1996 was the first significant law allowing divorce. Before that, the country's 1937 Constitution barred divorce.
• Italy: No-fault divorce became legal in 1970. Unilateral divorce with a required separation period became legal in 1975.
• Mexico: Divorce became legal in 1915, but it is still not common. In the 1950s and 1960s, many Americans traveled to Mexico for a "quickie divorce".
• Norway: Unilateral divorce became legal in 1993 with a required separation period.
• Portugal: Unilateral divorce with a required separation period became law in 1976. In 2008 the country abolished fault-based divorce making the process easier.
• Spain: Generalissimo Francisco Franco (still dead) overturned the divorce laws of the early 1930s. Divorce was illegal from 1938 to 1981. In 2005 the country instituted unilateral divorce with no required separation period.
• Sweden: Fault-based divorce became legal in the 1600s. The country passed mutual agreement divorce in 1915, and unilateral divorce in 1973.
• Switzerland: Unilateral divorce with a required separation period became legal in 2000.
• United States: In 1629 the Massachusetts Bay Colony created a judicial tribunal for divorce. Laws vary by state throughout the country.
• Uruguay: Divorce by mutual consent became legal in 1907; divorce by the sole will of the woman in 1913. That's unique!

If you have people in your family tree with more than one marriage, take another look at them. Depending on the place and year, you may be able to infer the death of the first spouse before the 2nd marriage.

How to Use AI to Analyze Family Photos

It's common to see people online looking for help in dating an old photo. They're looking for someone who knows about the photo's:

• clothing styles
• automobiles
• uniforms
• locations

If you ask for this type of help, your post may never find the right type of expert.

But I know where you can find the expert you need in real time. If you drag and drop a photo in a chat with Microsoft Copilot, it will give you an in-depth analysis of the photo. Copilot is available online, on a Windows PC, and on Bing.com.

No clue about a portrait in your family tree? Drop the file into this AI chat window for a detailed analysis.

Let's test Copilot on clothing styles, automobiles, uniforms, and locations in old photos. Copilot has different levels of response. For everyday questions, you can use Quick Response and get an instant answer. For deeper analysis, choose Think Deeper and get your detailed answer after a few seconds. If you don't see anything after you enter words or a photo, scroll down the chat a bit.

Clothing Style Recognition

Clothing Style 1. I started a chat by telling Copilot, "This woman was born in 1856 and lived in rural Southern Italy. When do you think this photo was taken?" I dropped a photo of my great grandmother into the chat. Copilot looked at her dress, her hairstyle, and the type of photo.

Based on her birth year, Copilot placed the photo in roughly 1895–1905.

Family context: To me, Marianna looks at least 65 in this photo, which would put it in 1921. Marianna would have sent this photo to her son, my Grandpa Adamo, after he returned to New York in 1920. I know it belonged to Adamo because his daughter, my aunt, gave it to me.

Copilot may have been off on this photo, but Marianna may be wearing an old dress. She didn't have enough money to be fashionable.

Clothing Style 2. My first cousin gave me her late mother's photo collection. It has photos belonging to my aunt, my grandparents, and my great grandparents.

One photo is a professional portrait of a young man. Part of its backing tore, but it seems to say the name Donato Basile. There was a Donato Basile born in 1902 in my Grandpa Pietro's hometown. He married Pietro's sister Giovannangela.

I asked Copilot, "Could this be a man born in 1902 in Southern Italy?" and dropped in the portrait. Copilot said:

Based on the styling of the suit, tie, pocket-square and painted backdrop, this portrait most likely dates to the 1920s–early 1930s. A young man in his early to late twenties of that era would often pose in exactly this fashion.

It went on to discuss features of his clothing and the portrait style. Everything points to this being a man born in 1902 in a photo taken in the late 1920s to early 1930s.

Family context: I know Giovannangela died in early 1931. Did Donato take this portrait when they married in 1924, or was this after his wife died? Since he sent this portrait to his brother-in-law in the U.S., it should date between 1924 and 1930.

Ask a specific question, add a little background, and this AI chat window can fill in tons of details about that family tree photo.

Automobile Recognition

Automobile 1. I have a photo of a lovely woman leaning on a car. I asked Copilot, "What type of car could this be?" and dropped in the photo. Here's what it said:

Based on the wire-spoke wheels, rounded fenders, high running boards and simple headlamps, this looks very much like a late-’20s Ford Model A (1928–31). The silhouette—sloping radiator shell, straight beltline, and absence of integrated headlights—matches Ford’s most popular second-generation car.

A search for images of a 1928 Ford Model A confirmed it.

Automobile 2. I asked Copilot, "What type of car is this?" and dropped in a photo of my grandfather Pietro beside an old-style car. Copilot said:

Based on the styling cues—open-top body, large round fenders, spoked wheels, and upright grille—this car appears to be a Ford Model T Touring Car, likely from the mid-1910s to early 1920s.

Copilot went on to describe the car's key identifying features, and it narrowed the year down to 1915–1922.

Uniform Recognition

Uniform 1. I have a photo of a distant cousin that says "Plattsburgh NY 1922". I dropped in the photo and asked Copilot, "What type of soldier is this? He was stationed at Plattsburgh Barracks in 1922." Copilot said:

Based on the uniform in the photo and the historical context, the soldier stationed at Plattsburgh Barracks in 1922 was most likely a member of the U.S. Army Infantry, possibly part of a peacetime garrison or training detachment.

Copilot gave me details about the soldier's cap, tunic, belt, and leggings. It said, "These features align with U.S. Army service uniforms from the early 1920s."

Uniform 2. My grandfather Adamo fought for the Italian Army in World War I. I have a photo of Adamo and 3 other men in their uniforms. I told Copilot, "This is my grandfather, born in 1891, and 3 other Italian men who fought in World War I. What type of service do their uniforms suggest?" Copilot recognized the uniforms and said:

All four men are wearing the standard Royal Italian Army (“Regio Esercito”) service tunic and cap of the World War I era. Their uniforms point to front-line army service—most likely infantry—rather than a specialist corps.

It went on to describe their tunics, collar patches, and shoulder straps. It also said:

Each man displays at least one medal on his left chest. These are likely Italy’s Silver or Bronze Medals of Military Valor, awarded for frontline combat gallantry. Such decorations reinforce that they saw action in an army combat unit rather than purely support or garrison duty.

Family context: My grandfather received a promotion on 1 Jan 1917 after at 2 deployments in the infantry. Near the end of 1917, he became a prisoner of war for exactly one year. After they freed him from the POW camp, they sent him home. The medal he's wearing should be from his first 2 deployments.

If I had a clear photo of their medals, Copilot said it can identify them.

Location Recognition

Location 1. My aunt's photo collection has photos of a steel mill where my Grandpa Pietro must have worked. After some detective work, I found the most likely location and the name of the company. Copilot can tell me if I'm right.

I asked Copilot, "Could this be the Republic Iron and Steel Works that used to be in Youngstown, Ohio?" and dropped in a photo that shows a mill with 8 smokestacks. Copilot said:

The scene you’ve captured—multiple tall smokestacks rising above a large multi-bay brick mill, with freight tracks running right at the front—matches exactly the classic layout of the Republic Iron & Steel Company’s Youngstown Works.

It told me more about the mill and then said:

…its mills sat just south of the Mahoning River with the railroad cutting through the foreground—exactly as in your photo.

Location 2 and beyond. I have an old family vacation photo. I'm guessing it shows a building in Williamsburg, Virginia, because I know we went there. But I'd like to know for sure. I asked Copilot, "Is this Williamsburg, Virginia?" and dropped in the photo.

Copilot confirmed that it is Colonial Williamsburg and said it's the Governor's Palace. I went there at age 11, and now I know for sure this is it.

As a test, I gave Copilot a few photos I can identify to see what it thought:

• Disneyland in 1961. Copilot said, "That’s Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle, centered in Fantasyland. In 1961 it was still brand-new—only eight years after the park opened—its pastel turrets and fluttering pennants shining against the California sun."
• Rome's Pantheon. Copilot said, "You’re looking at the Pantheon in Rome, Italy."
• Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, Bristol, Maine. Copilot said, "You’re looking at Pemaquid Point Lighthouse on the rocky shores of Bristol in Lincoln County, Maine."

But I stumped Copilot with 2 locations, and the second one surprised me:

• Chuang Yen Monastery in Carmel, New York. This isn't a famous monastery, but Copilot felt it was in Henan Province, China, or Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
• Locust Grove Estate, one-time home of Samuel Morse in Poughkeepsie, New York. Copilot said, "You’re looking at Cedar Grove—the home and studio of Thomas Cole, founder of the Hudson River School of painting. It sits at 218 Main Street in Catskill, on the west bank of the Hudson River." Ooh. Wrong side of the river and wrong style of architecture. The only things the 2 houses have in common are a Hudson River view and a pale yellow color.

Whatever AI tells you about your photos, remember to use your own detective skills and follow up on what it says. Don't forget to think about the photos in a family tree context for more insight.

3 Questions to Make You a More Efficient Genealogist

A lifetime ago I worked for a company that printed complex direct mail pieces. You know. Junk mail. My job was to help train new printing press operators. With the help of two experienced pressmen, I created training videos and manuals.

What does this have to do with genealogy? I had to learn the printing process myself before I could document it for the training materials. You can do this with the family tree-building process to work smarter and get more done in less time.

There are 3 questions that can help improve your family tree-building efficiency.

Ever since I retired, genealogy has been my full-time job. (That's why I retired.) How fabulous it is to have a job you can't wait to start every day! And I'm crazy-efficient and productive because of the steps I've taken. Here's what makes me so prolific:

1. Professional workspace. My desk, in one corner of my house, has a computer connected to three monitors arranged side by side. On a normal day, I'll have:
   • Family Tree Maker open on monitor one
   • a spreadsheet, desktop search program, and text file on monitor two
   • a web browser and any images on monitor three.
2. Consistent file naming. I do everything digitally, so I don't have shelves full of color-coded binders. I can't even imagine working that way. Years ago, I adopted a file-naming process that makes every file easy to find.
3. Top-notch tools. Some of my computer software is subscription-based, but you can find free alternatives. I use:
   • Adobe Photoshop for images
   • Microsoft Excel for tons of data handling
   • Notepad++ (free) for text files
   • Everything (free from voidtools.com) to locate any file on my computer
   • Family Tree Maker to store my genealogy work, and I synchronize it with my Ancestry tree every day.

With more professional tools, you can be a more professional genealogist.

Set yourself up for success with the right tools and an efficient workspace. Then it's time to examine your family tree-building processes. Imagine you have a day to spend working on your family tree. What will you set out to do? Ask yourself these three questions:

1. What are my goals for the day?

You might want to find all the census records your tree is missing. You might decide to add people and facts to your cousin-in-law's branch because they asked you to. Or you may create a Book of Life to share with family on the 4th of July.

I have a few ongoing projects I can dive into each morning. I know exactly which programs and files to have open when I'm ready to start. I created a computer macro to launch them all with one command: Ctrl + 1.

Whatever you plan to do, think about what needs to be at your fingertips and get it there.

2. What steps will I take in the process?

You can break down most goals into steps. Say you need to use the vacuum cleaner. You have to:

• get out the vacuum cleaner
• put the proper attachment on it
• plug it into a convenient outlet
• begin vacuuming.

When you're done, you need to put everything back the way it was.

Now think about the genealogy process you want to do. Let's use my long-term project to add the missing source citations to my family tree as an example. Once I use my macro to open:

• my tree in Family Tree Maker
• the spreadsheet of everyone with no source citations (generated by Family Tree Analyzer)
• Everything
• the Windows calculator (for calculating year of birth)
• my web browser to the site I need (in my case, the Antenati portal for Italian vital records)
• the Notepad++ file with my source citation templates

…I'm ready to begin creating source citations. The steps in this process are:

• Choose a person from the spreadsheet. I like to stick to people from one town for greater efficiency. Lately I've been working through everyone with a particular last name.
• Find the person in Family Tree Maker to see which citations they need. They'll need some combination of birth, marriage, and death records.
• Click on their father and see if they have siblings who also need source citations.
• All the vital records for my ancestral hometowns are on my computer for easy searching. What I need to do is find the document on the Antenati portal so I can create the citation. I use Everything to locate all the siblings at once. Say their last name is Basilone and their father is Giovanni. I type "Basilone di Giovanni in Everything and they all show up. The file names include the document number I need to locate online.
• On the Antenati portal, I open each collection I need in a separate browser tab. If I need birth records for 1858, 1862, 1865, and 1868, I open those sets of records in different tabs.
• In each tab, I locate the document number I need and grab the details for my citation. I need to edit my citation template to show the right year, document number, image number, and URL.
• When the citation is complete, I add it to my Family Tree Maker file.
• Each time I complete all the citations for a person, I delete their name from the spreadsheet. This way I know the exact number of people left to complete.

I do this until I'm worn out for the day. Then I go through my end-of-day file backup routine.

Whichever task you're planning to work on, think through the steps or take note of them as you do your work.

Knowing the steps and their order helps the whole process become second-nature. Look for efficiencies along the way.

I like to locate the right document in each open browser tab. Then I create the citations one after another. It feels as if the process goes faster this way. I also like to click to highlight all the siblings in the Everything results screen. Then I can deselect each person when their citation is complete. This way I never forget to complete a person. That helps in a family of 12 children!

3. Which part of the process slows me down?

Efficiency is the key to getting more done in less time. Where can you be more efficient in your process?

• Tackling all the siblings in a family at once makes me more efficient. I'm moving around less in my family tree.
• Opening the record collections in separate tabs makes me more efficient. I get the process started in several places instead of one at a time.
• Having a source citation template in an open text file makes me more efficient. I keep separate templates for births, death, marriages, and marriage banns. Plus one more for what's called matrimoni processetti. This minimizes the amount of typing I have to do.

Whatever genealogy site you use, open the best search results in different tabs. Your original search results list will remain there, waiting for you to return.

Picture me, if you will, sitting before my three monitors in the corner of my great room for hours a day. My goal with the source citations project is to complete 100 people a day, removing them from my list. If there are lots of siblings, I can complete 130 people a day.

Pay attention to the steps you take to reach your goal, and see where you can worker smarter. Being more productive will keep you from feeling frustrated in your quest, too.