I arrived at work half an hour early, so I decided to use that time to look for my great aunt’s birth record. Last week, a co-worker and I discovered that while we have birth record indexes up to 1920, our birth records on microfilm actually go up to 1930. The microfilm does have a handwritten index, which is often times difficult to read. My great aunt was listed as being on page 17 in book CH-14. Directly under her name was a line that had been whited out and marked “Cause #17578 Circuit Court Clerk Floyd Co. Indiana 4/14/34.” This was new to me. I asked my co-worker about it and she said it looked like an adoption. Based on where the line was, I knew this record was between pages 17 and 20, so I looked for it. I found this…
Garland Morris Wallace Dietzman Birth Record
I could tell from the image that the father’s name had been whited out and written over and I knew that Garland Morris Dietzman’s last name had originally started with a W because it was in the W section of the index. His mother’s maiden name is Wallace. So, I did a little digging.
I checked the city directory for 1921 (the year Garland was born) and found that W. A. Wallace was living at 2505 Charlestown Rd. (the address given for Garland’s residence at birth). I then checked Ancestry.com for the 1920 and 1930 census records with a W. A. Wallace and Mary Etta Wallace. I found that in 1920, Mary E. Wallace (age 16) was living with her father, William A. Wallace, on Charlestown Rd. In 1930, the same two people were living with a Garland M. Wallace (age 8).
My next step was to look for a marriage between Mary Wallace and Malcolm George Dietzman. I found that the two were married in New Albany, Floyd County, Indiana in 1930. April 14, 1934 is the date that Malcolm adopted Garland. Mary, Malcolm and Garland Dietzman all appear in the same household on the 1940 census in Louisville, Kentucky.
I’m sharing this because, though the research was easy for me after having stumbled upon the birth record, trying to locate the birth record with pieces of information would be much more difficult. I’m hoping that this helps someone who is looking for information on the Wallace/Dietzman family. Unfortunately, I was unable to find the name of Garland’s biological father.
A Wise Heart's Journey 
Hi – I have photos of Sgt G. M Dietzman who may have been from Louisville Ky. I was working in an AF recruiting office 20+ years ago and an elderly lady dropped them off to me. She said she had no idea who the person in the photos were and maybe I did.:) The photos were received by M.G Dietzman in 1945. They are in excellent condition. Are you of relation to G.M. Dietzman or M.G. Dietzman? I’d love to talk to you. My name is Cheryl Lieder, cherdee1@gmail.com.
I’m no relation. I just happened upon some records while working. I work in the Indiana History Room at New Albany-Floyd County Public Library, just across the river from Louisville. I believe there are still Dietzmans in my area though.
Melissa, I loved this little article. I was adopted and it is so interesting to read how you came across this great information.