A family portrait of Abraham “Abe” Gross and his wife Rosa [Sachs] Gross of Gratz, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, probably taken about 1899. The baby in the photograph has not been identified.
Abraham Gross was born in Russia in March 1873 and emigrated to the United States, arriving in Philadelphia in 1889 at the age of 16. Afterward, he heard of the plans of what later became the Midland Pennsylvania Railroad, and thus moved to the Lykens Valley. That project eventually failed, but not before Abe had established a successful mercantile business in Gratz.
Rosa Sachs, or Rose Sax as she is sometimes found in the records, was born in Germany and came to the United States. She was introduced to Abe by her brother Maurice Sachs and it was he who arranged their marriage which took place in New Jersey. By 1900, the couple was living in Gratz.
Supposedly, five of the children of Abe and Rosa were born in Gratz. While living in Gratz, Abe was a member of the Gratz Fair Association and he had a sulky horse which he raced in competition. He also was one of the founders of the Gratz National Bank and was active in the local Grange. Although Abe spoke Yiddish, he was able to converse in Pennsylvania Dutch, both of which were dialects of German.
About 1913, the family moved to Harrisburg when Abe became partners in a meat packing business with his brother. Another son was born in Harrisburg, Robert Gross, who later became a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States military.
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