In Ashkenazi Jewish custom we name our children for those beloved family members who have passed away. I was always told that I was named after three of my great grandmothers:
Chava was for my maternal grandfather’s mother, Chava, who was murdered in the Shoah.
Sara was for my maternal grandmother’s mother Sara/Sura, who died in the 1920s in Poland, and for my paternal grandfather’s mother as her name was Sarah as well.
I knew about my two maternal great grandmothers, because there were family stories about them. But I knew nothing about my paternal great grandmother even though she lived in the United States and is buried in New York. I have recently realized there is more to the story about her and my name.
I have been searching for information about my paternal great grandmother for years. The first real clue was when we first saw a photo of her about five years ago. We did not even know we had one! But my first cousin was searching through her family’s old photos and discovered one of her with my uncle. (See blog below.)
More information followed when my distant cousin, Evan, who is a great researcher, found my grandparent’s marriage license. They were married in January of 1923. It contained my great grandmother’s maiden name which we never knew: Ritt.
Evan also found a puzzle piece for me when he found her death certificate, which was packed with information. The final link was when Beth David Cemetery in Elmont, New York, where she was buried on January 29, 1938, sent me a photo of her matzevah (tombstone).
I now can tell my family more about my mysterious great grandmother, who I now know is named Chaya Sarah, so close to my own name of Chava Sara, that I think I was bound to have this name.
My great grandmother did not have an easy life. She gave birth to 11 children. Eight survived to adulthood. She lost her oldest daughter, Celia, to swine flu when she was in her 20s. Her oldest son, Samuel, was mentally ill and spent most of his adult life institutionalized. She and her husband, Abraham, were divorced in the 1930s. A very unusual occurrence for a Jewish woman, well for any woman, in that time period.
My Great Grandma Sarah died on January 28, 1938, from cancer of the panaceas at Jewish Hospital of Brooklyn, when she was 68 years old. My grandfather, then the oldest living child signed the death certificate and made the arrangements.
I have three thoughts about this information. First, the line through my grandfather is cancer free. But I have since learned that the line through his youngest sibling, Jacob, was not as kind. We all thought Jacob had disappeared after he moved to England when my dad was a child. But in fact he died when he was in his fifties from cancer, as did his son Rufus. The cancer gene followed them. (See blog below.)
Second, I think I know why I was named for her. She died in late January. Years later, I was born in late January. It made sense. Finally, I am currently close to her age when she died. And that touches me that I found out now.
I know that she was born about 1870, in France. That she and her parents lived in France surprised me. But her father and mother, Hirsh and Flora Ritt, were from Poland. So I think they were in transit from Poland to the USA when she was born. I have no proof, but it seems right. I also know that her father died before 1892 because my grandfather was named for him. Zvi Hirsh. I now know that she was about 22 when she had her third child, and her other children were toddlers when my grandfather was born.
She died when my Dad was just 9 years old. He really did not have many memories of her or information. But now we know her name and also the names of my great great grandparents: Chaya Sarah Ritt, the daughter of Hirsh Zvi and Flora Ritt. We now can add their memories to our family.
I want to thank the personnel of Beth David Cemetery. I now have photos of the graves of four of my great grandparents.
zicharonot 
Gravestones have proven to be such a wonderful resource for family research. Seeing those Hebrew names is powerful. I am glad you have learned more about Chaya Sara!
Thank you. It has taken decades to finally get the facts of her life all in one place. It is a feeling of accomplishment!