Shimon Gratch probably came from Drogichin where he married Bela Eisenstein. They had eight children; three daughters and five sons: Shmerl 1845-1935, Channa Ita 1856-1922, Moeshe Leizer 1862-1943, Chaikel 1867-1907, Yosef 1872-1937, Yacov “Yankel” 1874-1946, Hodes ?-1936, Gisha (no dates).
Shimon likely died in Drogichen in 1975.
Above is the United States Consular Registration for Channa Ita Gratch Levy. She was a US citizen (even though she never set foot in the US) because her husband was a citizen. The document says he was a citizen by birth, but his Passport Applications say that he was born in Drohitchen (Belarus) and Naturalized in Chicago, on April 3, 1893.
Channa Ita Gratch came from the town of Drohitchin in Belarus. It is important to distinguish it from a town with a similar name in Poland which is 70 miles east of Warsaw. Our town is 155 miles south west of Minsk. Other spellings for our town: Drahichyn (Belarusian), Drogichin (Russian), Drohiczyn (Polish), Drohitchin (Yiddish), Drahitschyn (German), Drogičinas (Lithuanian), also Drohichin, Drahičyn, Dorohiczyn.
Tombstone of Chana Ita Gratch Levy – It says she is the daughter of Shimon and the wife of Shmuel Levy. The date is Died 6 Iyar 5622 (May 4, 1922). She is buried in the Mount of Olives Cemetery in Jerusalem.
