New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1928-12-17
DIVORCES gain;
MARRIAGES OFF
Connecticut Following Trend Of
j. s., Statistics Show

Washington. Dec. II - The De-
partment OF Commerce announces
that according to the returns re-
ceived, there were 1,20o.694 mar
riages performed in the United
States during the year 1927. as COM
pared with 1,2o2.574 in 1926. Those
figures represent a decrease of 1850
marriages, or about one fifth Of one
per cent.
During the year 1927 there were
l92,O37 divorces granted in the
United States. as compared with
1S0,S53 in 1926, representing an In
crease of 11,1S4, or 60 per cent.
There were 4,252 marriages annull-
ed in 1927, as compared with 3,S25
in 1926.
The estomated population Of con-
tinental United States on July !,
1927, was s,62S,O00, and on July /.
1926. 117,l36,000. On the basis Of
those estimates the number Of mar
Iiases per 1000 Of the population
was 1912 in 1927. as against 1927 in
1926. and the number OF divorces
per 1000 of the population was 1.62
in 1927. as against lisa in 1926.
While the net decrease in the
number of marriages performed in
the country as whole was OF per
cent, the relative change in the diff
ferent states ranged from a decrease
Of 25.4 per cent in Florida to an in
1F ~
This increase in Nevada, as well as
the increase in Arizona, is due large
ly TO change in the marriage law
OF California requiring three days
notice to be given before the tssu-
ance of license, which law became
effective July %, 1927.
The rate of marriages per 1000
of population, which represents an
average of rates in the individual
states, ranged from At in Delaware
and SIS in Wisconsin to 1876 in Mis-
sissippi and $40 in Nevada. In gen.
eral, the changes in the number OF
marriages per 1000 of the popuia-
ton, form more satisfactory index
of the trend with regard to marriage
in the seceral states than do the
actual number of marriages because
they take account of differences in
the rate of increase in the general
population.
The changes in the various states
as regards the number of divorces
compared with the year 1925, ranged
from decreases of 35.3 per cent in
Vermont and 1913 per cent in Della
ware to increases of 51.1 per cent
in the District of Columbia and 91.3
per cent in Nevada.
Changes in the laws governing
divorces, effective in 1927, are re-
sponsible for the figures shown by
Vermont and Nevada. In the case
of the former, divorces do not be-
come final for six months after the
granting Of the decree; in the latter.
the residence requirement has been
modified from 6 to months. The
increase reported by the District of
Columbia is due directly to the num-
Der of cases held over from 1926
when strongly contested patent case
courts to the exclusion of divorce
cases.)
The ratio of divorces per l .000 Of
the population N the individual
states in 1927 ranged from 0.27 in
the District of Columbia and 0.44
in New York to $50 in Oregon and
23.23 in Nevada.
The tables which follow on pages
? and give the number of mar
siages and divorces for each state
for both 1927 and 1926, with the
percentages of increase or decrease
and the number per 1000 Of the
population for the two years. as well
as the number of marriages annulled
during the same period. The figures
for 1927 are preliminary and subject
to correction.
The report for Connecticut fol:
lows:
Marriages, 1927, 1909; 1926. 49,
2S5; a decrease of Is per cent: di-
yorces, 1927. 1.425; 1926, 1882, an
increase Of 1871 per cent