WyoWoman:The very first fingerpicking song most of us learned, thirty-six years ago, was "Freight Train", by Elisabeth Cotton. The very next song I learned was "buck Dancer's Choice". These are easy places to start with, and they are excellent for developing that steady alternating bass, with the Right thumb, that is so essential to fingerstyle guitar. You can get the TAB, for "Freight Train", free, off Stefan Grossman's Guitar Workshop web site:
Look for the page featuring TABs of the month. I can send you TAB for "buck Dancer's Choice", if you send me email with your snailmail address or a fax number.
Stefan is an excellent teacher, but he concentrates on traditional acoustic country blues. If that is what you are interested in, his GW901 and GW931 videos, "Fingerpicking Country Blues Guitar", are the place to start, AFTER learning "Freight Train". I love Dave Van Ronk, and I play some of his material, but I would save the Dave Van Ronk audio lessons for later. You need a good foundation in the basics first.
Stefan also sells two videos, by Fred Sokolow, featuring the music of Bob Dylan and Paul Simon. These are both very easy and excellent for beginners. Fred is a good teacher too. He makes you feel at ease, and it should be fun to learn songs you already know.
I have all the videos I've mentioned, so my "reviews" are first hand. I'm into country blues, and Stefan's material is the best source for me. If you go through GW901 and GW931, you will have learned a few Mississippi John Hurt songs, and if you are like me, you will want to learn much more of his material. His music is lyrical and beautiful and not too difficult to learn.
Have fun, EZR