More than 100 years ago, a little redheaded girl left her Aberdeenshire home all alone and boarded a steamship to the US after her mother became too sick to care for her.
Now the granddaughter of Elspet Niddrie has made the return journey to Scotland to trace the life of her forebearer, who had been dispatched to start a new life on the other side of the Atlantic when just four-years-old.
Jennifer Norcross, of Pawcatuck, Conneticut, has arrived in the north-east to explore the area and attend a major family history event at Haddo House this weekend, where she will share her family’s remarkable story.
Elspet went on to have a healthy and happy life in Massachusetts, after her aunt Jane Lemmon, who had already emigrated to the States, agreed to take her in.
Ms Norcross and the rest of the family have become fascinated by their Scottish roots and the story which saw Elspet, or Elsie, originally from Peterhead, separated from her mother and older sister on November 20 1912.
Ms Norcross said: “We knew that Elsie had come alone on a boat, and a number of years ago I’d found the passenger list that showed that she was only four during that journey.
“I cannot imagine a small child making such a journey alone but given her family situation in Peterhead, it really was the only way for her to have any kind of future.
“Her early life in Worcester was not easy, but imagining her hard life in Peterhead, it had to be an improvement.”
She went on to marry a bus driver, Frank Norcross, with the couple having four children.
They had been married for more than 50 years when she died in December 1983.
Ms Norcross will join family and local history enthusiasts at the Routes to Your North Roots event at Haddo House, which will open tomorrow night and run until Sunday.
Guest speakers will include Professor Marjory Harper, from Aberdeen University, and author and broadcaster Jim Naughtie, who will speak on the subject of emigration and recall his roots in the north-east.
Mr Naughtie was born at Milltown of Rothiemay near Huntly.
Registrars, family history societies and local heritage groups will converge on the main hall at Haddo for a heritage fair on Saturday and Sunday.
Archivists from National Records of Scotland and Scotland’s People will be on hand with advice on ancestry tracing.
Talks from guest speakers will covering topics from whaling and railways to church records and the lives of soldiers and their families in World War I.
Traditional music from performers including Ythan Fiddlers and Kintore Pipe Band will set the tone for the event, as will locally produced food and drink.