A SHOOTING death is at the heart of a family mystery as a Monklands woman investigates how her ancestor died.
Katrina Bradley’s grandmother was accidentally shot and killed “somewhere in Monklands back in 1939 when she was only 31 years old”.
Baillieston-born Katrina has a burning desire to establish exactly what happened to her gran, Catherine McCluskey, and retrace her family tree.
Katrina, 55, has lived in the Costa del Sol region of Spain for more than 30 years but travelled back to Monklands last week on a mission to fill in the blanks in her family’s past.
Her search yielded some encouraging results, including discovering where her grandfather was buried, but Katrina is still looking for answers on the tragic fate of her gran and is appealing for Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser readers’ help.
She said: “My gran was from Coatbridge and all I really know is that she was accidently shot in Coatbridge or Airdrie in 1939, possibly in March of that year.
“I have heard conflicting reports that she was shot in either a pawn shop or an antiques shop.
“I have her death certificate and know that she died from her injuries on April 20.
“My father was left orphaned. He died when he was quite young too so I had no way of finding out more details on my gran.
“I know that I am named after her and that my grandparents got married in Detroit, America.
“I am desperate to find out more on the circumstances behind my gran’s tragic death and I’m looking to get a profile of my family formed.
“Living in Spain has made my search tougher, although I’ve been able to put out enquiries on social media.
“But I am hoping that Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser readers who may have known my gran can come forward with information.
“I am getting quite excited at the prospect of finding more details and anything that can help me fill out my family tree would be much appreciated.”
Katrina, a mum of three daughters, met friends and family during her trip back to Baillieston last week and paid a visit to the local studies department at Airdrie library to enhance her search.
She was also directed to the St Joseph’s Cemetery Facebook page, run by Airdrie man Chris McKay, and discovered her grandfather was buried at the cemetery.
Katrina said: “I was at Airdrie library for hours and, although I didn’t find what I was looking for, the staff were incredibly helpful and suggested some other sources to investigate.
“I managed to find my grandfather’s grave through Chris’ website and it was very emotional to visit the grave.
“Even just discovering that’s where he was buried nearly made me burst into tears.
“Like my gran, he was only 31 when he died and I would have loved to have had the chance to get to know them.
“I think it is very important to find out as much about my family’s past as possible and I won’t stop until I’ve exhausted every possible avenue.”
Anyone who can supply Katrina with information can contact the Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser and we will pass on the details.