The shelf was missing the one I wanted. The Family History Library's shelved copy of microfilm number 865812 was gone.
At the end of the first day, as unlikely as it seems when there are more than one million rolls of microfilm, I could assume that the reason for the missing roll was that someone was researching the same St. Ludger's Catholic Church records from Selm, Germany at the same time as me.
However, being the first person to the international microfilm stacks and finding it still missing on day two meant it was just plain missing.
Thankfully, there was more than one copy. I ordered, for a mere $7.50, a copy of the microfilm that I could view at the LDS church near me.
From this microfilm came birth, baptism, marriage, and death records that would help me go four generations deep into Germany and come as close as ever to solving a mystery that has gone unsolved for generations.
The volunteers at the LDS church tell me that all the microfilm will be digitized and available online inside of the next two years. Though I wonder if these rolls will be or won't, I'll always be grateful for the efforts of the Church of Jesus Christ to preserve family records and make family research possible.
It works.
