[Real Life] Baby Grace

My Great-Grandmother Josephine was an Italian garment worker living in NY city, her first child Grace was born in 1910. Baby Grace was a sickly child and passed away before her 1st birthday, my great-grandmother would miss work in her garment factory job to take care of her. One such day my great grand-mother stayed home to take care of baby Grace was March 25, 1911.

That was the day of The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, 146 of my Great-Grandmother's co-workers (mostly young women) died in the flames, from smoke inhalation, or by jumping to their deaths. My great-grand mother (according to family legend) had little doubt she would have died that day had she not stayed home to care for Baby Grace.

Baby Grace died before she was a year old and has come to be regarded as a guardian angel to some of my family. If Grace hadn't been alive that day my great-grand mother would have likely died before she gave birth to Grace's 6 siblings, five of whom went on to have families. There would have been over 120 of my family members who never existed if my Great-Grand Mother Josephine hadn't stayed home to care for Baby Grace.