Family tree research led a grandmother to uncover the tragic death of a famous ancestor exactly a century ago this month.

Christine Smith, 62, has travelled the length of the country as far afield as Portsmouth in an effort to trace the resting place of her great-grandfather Albert Edward Turner.

Albert, who was a prominent businessman in Accrington during the 19th century, threw himself in front of a tram in Southport in September 1913.

Christine, of St Annes Close, Oswaldtwistle, began researching her family history shortly after the death of her mother in 2003.

Travelling from library to library, Christine has slowly built up a patchwork of photographs, newspaper clippings and birth and death certificates.

She is still trying to unearth a reason for Albert's suicide, after his death in his mid-forties.

She said: “It was a shame that he died young, he must have been suffering inside. But I just want to commemorate the centenary of his death.”

Despite suffering a stroke three years ago, Christine has been avidly chasing new leads and is now appealing to the descendants of her great-uncle, George Turner, for more information. She added: “After my mum died I was clearing through her things and came across all these old photos.

“That started it for me really, I wanted to know more about my past. It is quite exciting when you find something, you get a real buzz.

“Having a stroke does make things more difficult, but saying that researching my family history has really helped me get through it.

“I now want to know if George’s family have any more information on Albert, I need help piecing the story together.

“The deeper you go the harder it gets to find things so I would love to get in touch with that side of the family.”