BEGINNER'S LUCK by Barbara J. Johnson [email protected]

The book didn't really fall off a shelf and hit me, but on my first trip to the Allen County Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana, I was guided to the index cards which listed family biography books in the library's inventory. Only six books could be requested at one time. At that time I was not really interested in completing a family history, but had just learned of two mysteries regarding my maternal grandmother that I wanted to try to solve. I was in the area and thought perhaps I would find answers in that library because it was so well known and the mysteries were in Indiana.

I had two names to work with. One of the names, WALKER, is a common name and I really had no hope of finding a book already written about my own line, but it was worth a try. I was disheartened when I opened the index file drawer and saw there were many, many family history books about WALKERs. I decided to choose three and use the other three requests for the other name; but which of the many WALKER books should I request? I more or less went "eeny, meeny, miny" ("moe" would have made four books, not three) and drew out some cards for the information needed for the request. Then I went to the ROTHROCK index cards, where I was surprised to find a few on that rather uncommon name. I made out my requests and put them in a basket for the clerk to pick up, then went back to my table and waited. About 10 minutes later, the books were delivered to me.

I picked up the first WALKER book in the stack and it dropped open on the table. I could not believe my eyes. There, on the pages which fell open, was a picture of my grandfather and his brother and two sisters. On my first try I had found the book I had never expected to exist and it had fallen open to those pictures. The information in the book did not solve my mystery, but it kindled my interest in going back into the family more thoroughly and I copied many pages. After I returned home to Mississippi, I realized I wanted a copy of that book, so I contacted the library and asked if they would send me more information about the author and where I might obtain a copy of the book. They had an address for the author, which was no longer valid, and the name of the publisher, which no longer existed. I followed up on the names of the author's children as listed in the book and was able to locate one in Texas, who gave me her mother's current phone number. I was able to purchase the last copy of the book.

Was that beginner's luck or was I led by the spirits? I don't know, but my luck on my first try at family history gave me a false impression. I thought it must be a cinch to do my whole family history and decided to make genealogy my newest hobby, which soon became an addiction.

Many years and many thousands of dollars later (computers, stamps, and a lot of travel), I know that I will never be so lucky again, but it is fun to keep trying. Now I am hoping that my lucky "spirit" will find me on the Internet. I need such luck on my maiden name, VANASDAL, with the brick wall seemingly built in 1823.