Genealogy Forum's 42-Year Success Story

 

We often hear the saying "One person can make a difference." Never has that been proven more true than with this story.

Some of you might remember the following email the Newsletter staff received for our April Mailbag.

<<I am writing about a man who lives in Wilkes County. If there is any one that has any information on where his kids are, please look Lloyd HOLBROOK up in N.C. at Statesville hospital. He has no family at all around here, that I know of, so if you can find his three sons in California please try to reach his family there. He use to have a candle store there also when his kids were little.

Thank you very much for putting this in the mailbag. I hope I can find his three sons out there in Calfornia. I don't know their names, but as soon as I find out I will let you know their names. I hope to find out their names Wednesday night when I call the hospital in Statesville where he is. Their last name is HOLBROOK and they use to live in San Francisco, California is all I know right now. As soon as I find out more I will let you know, okay? And Thank You very much for trying to help us locate his sons for him. Lloyd lives in North Wilkesboro in North Carolina at Wilkes Towers. But right now he is in hospital getting ready to have another operation in week or so. Thank You. Lynn >>

A few days later, Lynn sent the following new information to be included in the April mailbag

<< I am writing you to let you know Lloyd HOLBROOK's sons' names. They are supposed to live in Calfornia - San Francisco. The oldest one's name is Brian Lloyd HOLBROOK. The middle one's name is Kurt Allan HOLBROOK. The youngest one's name is Bruce Von HOLBROOK. I hope you can find them. Lloyd HOLBROOK is 78 yrs old, I believe. He is at Statesville Hospital in North Carolina. He is going to have one of his kidneys removed. Or I guess that is what they are going to do to him. He has also got a very bad cold. So I am not sure how the operation will go. He loves his kids, even though he has not seen them since they were little. They might not even know he is alive. It is a very sad story. It would make him very happy if he could see or hear from his sons. I know that what he really would like is to see them or hear from them before anything happens. I hope he makes it through the operation. He is a nice friend. He is like a grandpa I never had. Thank you very much for all your help. I hope we can locate his sons. Thank you very much.. Lynn>>

Every story needs an ending.... so here is the wonderful ending to this story:

To: HOSTGFSCarol@aol.com

Re Posting: Wilkes County Dad looking for sons in California

Status: Family United 4/30/02

http://www.genealogyforum.rootsweb.com/gfnews/april02/mailbag0402.htm

We found our Dad after 42 years. My two brothers and I have searched for him over the years through telephone listings. We had very little to go on except for a name and an approximate age. There were many close matches, but without success. Our parents divorced around 1960. We lost contact when Dad left the area and we moved to another City. The last letter we remember from Dad was from New Orleans.

A posting on the genealogy forum worked like a miracle. There was no way the posting was going to reach us, except for a remote chance someone who knew us would happen by, and that's exactly what happened. Here is an example of divine coincidence.

My wife's cousin was searching through the forum and to her surprise found our names. She called me right away and forwarded the link. I couldn't believe it. With the help of 411 information, we located the hospital. The posting had enough details for me to call directly to my Dad within 5 minutes.

There are no words of gratitude that will express how I feel now, but the feelings are big, huge, and enormous. I had the opportunity to tell him about his 6 grand children and 1 great grand child. Most of all I told him I love him and the one word that felt strange to say, "DAD".

Thank you, thank you, thank you,

Kurt Holbrook

(The one person in this story who made the difference was a lady named Lynn, who took the time to get to know and love a sick gentleman. Who took the time to listen to a man who wanted desperately to see his sons. Who took the time to write a simple little email. One person can make a difference.)

© 2002 GFNEWS, a monthly publication of the Golden Gate Genealogy Forum, Inc. of Franklin, MA.
(America Online Keyword: roots.) The Editors welcome your ideas and articles,
success stories, favorite genealogy research tips, comments and suggestions.

© 2002 Graphics By Carol, All Rights Reserved