There are some family members that I have discovered quite by chance. Looking through cemetery records, for example, I have stumbled on names I had never seen before. Searching the newspapers is another way to find people and stories I would otherwise miss.

Grace Russell is one such person. I found her searching the name Livingston Russell. Livingston is a name that runs through my family tree on my paternal grandmother’s side. The first Livingston Russell I have found was born in 1746 in Stirlingshire. I would say it is unusual enough that any time I see it I think there might be a connection.

Searching on the British Newspaper Archive site I came across Grace as she is the daughter of a Livingston Russell. The family lived in Wishaw, Lanarkshire which is where my Russell family had ended up. Checking my family tree I confirmed that this Livingston Russell was the son of another Livingston Russell whose father was my great, great, great grandfather.

Her full name was Grace Goldie Russell and she was named for her paternal grandmother, Grace Goldie. She was born in 1923 and lived with her parents in Wishaw, Lanarkshire This article relates to her death in 1926.

It’s easy to imagine her excitement at being given some money to spend on a treat. With her mind on what she was going to buy with her penny she had no thoughts of road safety. What 3 year old would? There is no mention if Grace was on her own at the time of the accident. A further article tells of the impact of her death on her family and the local community.

Later articles see the family thanking the local community and in particular her Sunday school group for their support and tributes to their daughter.

Such a tragedy.